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Key Terms

Funds Put to Better Use

Funds that could be used more efficiently if management took actions to implement and complete the recommendation.

  • Agreed: The dollar value of recommendations that management agreed to implement.
  • Disagreed: The dollar value of recommendations that management disagreed with implementing.

Investigative Monetary Results

Civil settlements, cost recoveries, criminal forfeitures, fines and penalties, funds put to better use (cost savings), and restitutions directly resulting from State OIG Investigations.


Potential Monetary Benefits

The sum of questioned costs and funds put to better use from open recommendations in State OIG reports.


Questioned Costs

Costs that are questioned by OIG because of an alleged violation of a provision; costs not supported by adequate documentation; or a finding that the expenditure of funds for the intended purpose is unnecessary or unreasonable.

  • Allowed: A cost questioned by OIG that management has decided should be charged to the government.
  • Disallowed: A cost questioned by OIG that management has agreed should not be charged to the government.

Recommendations

Recommended corrective actions for the purpose of promoting economy and efficiency in the administration of, or preventing and detecting fraud and abuse in State Department programs and operations. Recommendations are included in State OIG reports and made available as a sortable dataset on our website: State OIG recommendations

  • Open - Unresolved: No agreement between OIG and management on the recommendation or corrective action.
  • Open - Resolved: Agreement on the recommendation and proposed corrective action but implementation has not been completed.
  • Closed: Agreed-upon corrective action is complete.
  • Significant: a recommendation for corrective action addressing a problem, abuse, or deficiency relating to the administration of programs and operations of the department or agency that the Office has deemed to be noteworthy and described in its semiannual report to Congress.

Reports

State OIG reports include audits, inspections, and evaluations conducted as part of State OIG's oversight mission. State OIG provides Semiannual Reports to Congress summarizing its activities of the during the immediately preceding 6-month periods ending March 31 and September 3.

 

For additional information regarding statutory work performed by State OIG, please see 5 U.S.C. ch. 4 § 401, Inspector General Act of 1978