Agency Oversight
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A memo by a government watchdog group finds the General Services Administration's ethics program received high marks in a November 2010 study from the Office of Government Ethics. The report was issued shortly after GSA threw the lavish Las Vegas conference that has led to the firings of top officials and the resignation of Administrator Martha Johnson and a slew of congressional hearings.
August 06, 2012 -
The rule, aimed at preventing fraud in the VA service-disabled veteran-owned small business program, requires that veterans control 100 percent of company decisions, even if they maintain just partial ownership. VA is taking suggestions for changing its rules.
August 03, 2012 -
Auditors found no security weaknesses that present an immediate threat to the jobs portal or user information housed in its database. The test represented the site's first independent security evaluation since OPM took control over USAJobs.gov from Monster Government Solutions in Oct. 2011. Under MGS management, hackers broke into the portal twice in 17 months.
August 03, 2012 -
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee lawmakers were expected to ask the agency's inspector general to look into the 14th Annual SmartPay conference happening this week in Nashville. GSA says all conferences must go through a multi-step approval process, including those already in the planning stages for 2012 and beyond.
August 02, 2012 -
The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general partnered with both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to investigate an increasing number of cases. Leaders of all three reported to a House subcommittee hearing that the collaboration has benefited the investigation process.
August 02, 2012 -
The Office of Special Counsel's annual report to Congress found the number of employees bringing cases of potential wrongdoing declined for the first time in five years.
August 01, 2012 -
The U.S. Postal Service may be overlooking a potential source of revenue, according to a report from its inspector general. Offering nonpostal services presents several challenges, but it may also be a viable option for the struggling institution, the report concluded.
July 25, 2012 -
The inspector general for the Social Security Administration estimated the agency is sitting on about $134 million for benefit checks that sit uncashed by recipients for more than a year - money subsequently returned to the agency. But the IG report found most of the recipients who didn't cash their checks are still eligible for the assistance and the SSA could take additional steps to ensure they receive them.
July 24, 2012 -
Lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are upset over new disclosures about spending at the General Services Administration. Reps. John Mica (R-Fla.), the committee chairman, and Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) held a press conference Thursday to reveal details from an internal GSA investigation that revealed one of the agency's division spent more than $268,000 on a one-day November 2010 conference in Washington, D.C.
July 19, 2012 -
A Government Accountability Office report found the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency need to do a better job managing their employees under Title 42.
July 18, 2012 -
Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini said GSA has at least 15 different bonus structures and there are questions about the agency's award rates. He said 85 percent of all SES performance awards are on hold in through 2013. GSA also will not hire new employees until a top-to-bottom review of the agency's organization is completed.
July 17, 2012 -
In its second report to the President, the Government Accountability and Transparency Board updates progress on several pilots to implement three broad-based recommendations. DoD and HHS are reviewing how best to standardize spending data. OMB is developing a Statement of Spending to provide more transparency into how agencies spend their funds.
July 10, 2012 -
Firms that are paid tens of millions of dollars to root out Medicare fraud are bidding on contracts to investigate companies they are doing business with, sometimes their own parent companies, according to a government report released Tuesday.
July 10, 2012 -
An inspector general report found the Environmental Protection Agency's national security information infrastructure needed improvement in light of a 2009 executive order. The report called for more comprehensive information security guidelines and better regulation of employees' security clearances.
July 09, 2012 -
A House bill designed to reduce government redundancy by requiring agencies to provide detailed reports about the programs they operate will cost about $100 million for agencies to implement, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. The Taxpayers Right to Know Act, introduced by Rep. James Lankford, would required agencies to publicly post detailed information about each of the program they operate, including costs and the number of employee dedicated to them.
July 06, 2012