Improving performance and reducing improper payments always seem to be a major theme in semiannual reports to Congress issued by federal agency Offices of Inspector General (OIG). A recent semiannual report by the Department of Labor (DOL) OIG is no exception.

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) recently touted the benefits of an 18-month pilot program using an online repository of institutional data to enable institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in the pilot to share information easier, thus reducing administrative burden.

Chalk this under the “Ask and ye shall receive” department! Last week, we were posting snails as we waited for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue the 2018 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Appendix XI Compliance Supplement. Here we are one week later, and as promised, here are the fireworks! In today’s Federal Register, OMB announced that it has made the supplement available on its website.

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Single Audit Information Service.) The Massachusetts Office of State Auditor (OSA) made numerous recommendations in a recent audit aimed at helping MassHealth, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program, address its long-standing weaknesses related to improperly paying claims for Medicaid drug testing and drug screening services.

After observing the worms and slugs winding their way across the damp pavement following the rain storms that have recently rumbled through the nation’s capital after a mostly dry month, it brought to mind that we’re now entering the latter half of May and it may be time to feature our annual friend, the snail. For those new to this blog, we begin asking this question each year about this time, “When will the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) release this year’s version of the Compliance Supplement?” Auditors for years have urged OMB to release the supplement earlier in the spring to allow them more time to use it in preparing for their audits, and yet, OMB historically has not released it until deep into the summer. Because of these delays, we have featured a series of snail pictures to highlight this deliberateness in the delivery of the annual document.

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) Until the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) completes a nationwide assessment that fully evaluates the performance of its emergency preparedness grant programs, it will not be able to identify its shortcomings in helping communities to reduce risks from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies, an official with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently told members of a House Homeland Security subcommittee.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) yesterday released its 2018 EPA Management Challenges, and proper grants administration was a major topic within the document.

(The following was excerpted from a recent article in the Single Audit Information Service.) Nonfederal entities awaiting a site visit from an auditor should make numerous preparations prior to the visit to encourage better outcomes for all parties involved, an attorney told attendees at the recent National Grants Management Association’s (NGMA) annual training conference.

Over the last several months, we have written about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) struggles in administering its federal grants. For example, one recent article covered a House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, in which a Government Accountability Office (GAO) official said that until FEMA completes a nationwide assessment that fully evaluates the performance of its emergency preparedness grant programs, it will not be able to identify its shortcomings in helping communities to reduce risks from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies.