Waste, Fraud & Abuse
In Congress, calls mount for Social Security to address clawbacks
The Social Security Administration routinely sends notices to beneficiaries saying they received benefits to which they weren’t entitled — and demanding they pay the government back, often within 30 days.
From payment accuracy to program integrity
COMMENTARY | The staggering level of pandemic fraud coupled with mounting concerns about the size and trajectory of the nation’s debt load should elevate program integrity as a top management focus, writes one observer.
How more than $600M in COVID relief funds awarded last year went unreported
The problem is even bigger this year, according to the Government Accountability Office. The lack of reporting makes it difficult to track fraud, waste and abuse.
Social Security overpayments draw scrutiny and outrage from members of Congress
SSA recovered $4.7 billion of overpayments during the 2022 fiscal year but ended that year with $21.6 billion of overpayments still uncollected, according to a November 2022 report by department’s inspector general.
Pandemic unemployment fraud as high as $135B, watchdog says
The Government Accountability Office's new estimate underscores the urgency of modernizing state-based unemployment insurance systems.
Want to track pandemic relief spending? Data problems make that difficult, committee says
“These challenges limit the degree of transparency into the use of pandemic relief funds,” a new report from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee says.
How some agencies used tech to decrease improper payments
Governmentwide, improper payments are up relative to fiscal year 2020. But digital tools — alongside other management tactics — enabled some agencies to find reductions.
New Report Identifies Over $100B in Potential Government Services Savings
The government’s overlapping, fragmented and duplicative services are costing billions of dollars annually, a Government Accountability Office report claims.
ATF Misclassified Jobs. A Senator Wants the Justice Department to Dig Deeper.
Citing concerns by the whistleblowers who triggered the investigation that found that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had systematically misclassified administrative jobs as law enforcement-related, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, asked the Justice Department to do a more thorough investigation.
Trump’s Global Media CEO Abused Authority and Wasted Funds, Review Finds
New agency leadership has been working to restore the agency’s operations and make corrective reforms.
The Wheels that Squeak: Why Preventing Fraud is Not a Government Priority
Agency leaders need more institutional incentives to manage fraud, waste, and abuse in their programs systemically, argues one former member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.
OSC: ATF Wasted At Least $10 Million Misclassifying Administrative Jobs as Law Enforcement
Although OPM and ATF investigations found around 100 positions within the agency’s HR department were improperly provided enhanced law enforcement pay and benefits, the whistleblowers who prompted the probe said the problem is more widespread than that.
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