Reports

EPA Did Not Conduct Agencywide Risk Assessment of CARES Act Appropriations, Increasing Risk of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Mismanagement.

This report will provide (1) a descriptive evaluation of Veterans Integrated Service Network facilities’ pandemic readiness and response as determined by recent Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program inspections.
 

BOSTON – A Charlestown man whose identity is unknown was charged last week in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently claim COVID-19-related unemployment assistance and commit other frauds, all in connection with his use of a stolen identity.

During our unannounced inspection of Pulaski County Jail, we identified violations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention standards that threatened the health, safety, and rights of detainees. In addressing COVID-19, Pulaski did not consistently enforce precautions including use of facial coverings and social distancing, which may have contributed to repeated COVID-19 transmissions at the facility. Pulaski did not meet standards for classification, medical care, segregation, or detainee communication. We found that the facility was not providing a color-coded visual...

This report summarizes identity theft trends in New York during the coronavirus pandemic.

This special report examines and assesses the State of Delaware’s preparation of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) for the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the early stages of the pandemic and again six months later. Our goal was to determine if the state was adequately supporting and resolving pandemic-related issues inside LTCFs and if trends or opportunities for improvement existed. To reach our conclusions, we reviewed publicly available applicable federal and state guidance, agency policies and procedures, and information provided by Delaware’s emergency support function State Health Operations...

This report examines the use of overtime by New York State agencies over the past ten calendar years.1 The total cost of overtime in calendar year 2020 reached an all-time high at more than $850 million, covering roughly 19.1 million overtime hours worked. Certain agencies experienced major spikes in overtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but most overtime was performed in agencies that have typically relied upon it.

The program guidance issued by ACCD on April 27, 2021 for the Economic Recovery Bridge Grant program uses 2020 federal tax loss to establish eligibility for grants consistent with the requirements of H.315 (Act 9). Focusing on tax loss may help target limited resources to businesses that need assistance to remain viable. However, clarification is needed in the program guidance to avoid reliance on a tax-based measure that is not representative of losses associated with the COVID-19 public health emergency and to prevent grant awards that exceed business need.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of the data privacy and cybersecurity of the Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) COVID-19 contact tracing program. The objective of the audit was to determine if CDPH managed privacy and cybersecurity risks associated with the collection, storage, and transmittal of COVID-19 contact tracing data in accordance with the City of Chicago’s Information Security and Technology Policies (ISTP) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.