Report Contents
The Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, 1 as implemented by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-13-21, 2 requires the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to conduct annual risk assessments of agency purchase and travel card programs to identify and analyze risks of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases and payments for use in determining the scope, frequency, and number of periodic audits of these programs.3
Accordingly, OIG conducted a risk assessment of the Department of State’s (Department) travel card program. Specifically, OIG reviewed the Department’s FY 2019 travel card data and concluded that the risk of illegal, improper, or erroneous use in the Department’s travel card program is “medium.” OIG based its conclusion on the travel card program’s size, internal controls, training, previous audits, and OIG Office of Investigations (INV) observations.
Because OIG concluded that risk to the purchase card program is “medium,” OIG is not recommending an audit of the Department’s travel card program be included in OIG’s FY 2022 - FY 2023 work plan. However, OIG encourages Department officials to continue prudent oversight of the travel card program to ensure that internal controls intended to safeguard taxpayer funds are fully implemented and followed by Department travel cardholders.