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Department of State
U.S. Agency for Global Media
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor should establish a mechanism to share information with Embassy Lima about grant progress and performance evaluation.
Embassy Lima should enroll in on-line grants management training political section employees with formal or informal grants oversight responsibilities.
Embassy Lima should have at least one public affairs grants officer who is not on the Fulbright Commission board.
Embassy Lima should store all grants files with personally identifiable information of U.S. citizens in approved bar lock cabinets or safes.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should coordinate with the Bureau of Administration to establish a clear invitational travel policy that includes options for processing one-time travel authorizations.
Embassy Lima should formalize the delineation of services between Department of State entities and the Drug Enforcement Administration section to clarify which entity provides which services.
Embassy Lima should include public outreach as an ongoing responsibility in work requirements statements and establish a mechanism to monitor participation.
Embassy Lima should establish an embassy speakers program with an initial focus on first- and second-tour officers.
Embassy Lima should establish procedures for overseeing the housing and logistical plans for incoming American Fulbright grantees in accordance with Department of State guidance.
Embassy Lima should establish a plan for mission public outreach activities in the newly refurbished first-floor public diplomacy space.
Embassy Lima should require both the consul general and the visa chief to conduct routine visa interviews on a regular basis.
Embassy Lima should waive personal interviews for appropriate visa applicants.
Embassy Lima should request fingerprint machines for all visa interview windows.
Embassy Lima should implement an outreach plan to attract new wardens, update existing warden training, and maintain regular contact with the warden network.
Embassy Lima should identify a storage area for the effects of deceased Americans with access restricted to the provisional conservator.
Embassy Lima should obtain a bar-lock cabinet for the Cusco consular agency.
Embassy Lima should implement standard debt collection notification procedures.
Embassy Lima should refer any debt delinquent more than 90 days to accounts receivable.
The Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services should review the validity of Embassy Lima overpayments on the Payroll Employee Action Request List and initiate debt collection procedures to recoup valid overpayments.
Embassy Lima should require its contracting officers to sign invoices “Approved for Payment” in cases of a deviation among the invoice, obligating document, and receiving report that do not require an amendment to the purchase order.
The Bureau of Human Resources should provide the requested guidance to Embassy Lima to allow completion of the updated local compensation plan.
Embassy Lima, in coordination with the Office of Civil Rights, should designate a Federal Women’s Program coordinator who is not also the embassy’s Equal Employment Opportunity counselor.
Embassy Lima should establish procedures whereby the annual inventories of the expendable, maintenance, and automotive supply warehouses are conducted by property staff not accountable for the property being inventoried.
Embassy Lima should establish a comprehensive plan and an implementation timeline for a missionwide contact database.
Embassy Lima should establish a standard operating procedure, including a feedback mechanism, for managing the information systems center’s eService requests.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, should provide operational guidance to missions designated as Information Technology Transformation Initiative pilots that continue to operate Foreign Affairs Networks.
Embassy Lima should convert the regional environment office Web site to a .gov domain in accordance with Department of State guidelines.
Embassy Lima, in coordination with the Office of Commissary and Recreation Affairs, should direct the employee association to engage a local labor attorney to determine whether the current reporting structure represents a potential liability to the U.S. Government under local labor law and, if it does, should implement corrective measures to eliminate that liability.
Embassy Lima, in coordination with the Office of Commissary and Recreation Affairs, should determine whether the registration of domestic employees and local/consignment sales cost centers are being subsidized unduly and implement measures to make them financially self-sustaining.
Embassy Lima, in coordination with the Office of Commissary and Recreation Affairs, should either obtain an exemption to Federal Acquisition Regulation 3.601 or eliminate the payment of parking fees to the association with official U.S. Government funds.
OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Baghdad implement revised procedures for property accountability to ensure staff consistently and accurately update personal property records in the Integrated Logistics Management System on a timely basis.
OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Baghdad establish a tracking system to record and monitor the physical location and condition of loaned personal property in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement between the U.S. Army and the Department of State U.S. Mission in Iraq. The tracking system should be independent of the system used by the U.S. Army to track the property.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security revise Secure-Integrated Logistics Management System accountability procedures to record and report, in real time, changes in physical locations of sensitive special protective equipment items.
OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Baghdad investigate and report to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security the location and status of the three sensitive special protective equipment items reported as "lost, damaged, or destroyed," as well as any corrective actions taken to update the records in the Secure-Integrated Logistics Management System.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of Logistics Management, develop monitoring guidance to ensure that approved foreign excess personal property dispositions include all documentation required by volume 14 of the Foreign Affairs Manual and the Department's Site Closure and Foreign Excess Personal Property Disposition Guide for Iraq and Afghanistan. The guidance should also address procedures for documenting justifications for any deviations from the requirements.
OIG recommends that the Board of Governors develop an action plan to implement and track a restructuring of the acquisition process within the International Broadcasting Bureau to ensure that all procurements comply with Federal and agency procurement policies. The action plan must have measurable goals and milestones.
OIG recommends that the Board of Governors develop and implement enforcement mechanisms to ensure accountability for compliance with the action plan developed in response to Recommendation 1. This must include regular monitoring and evaluation of the acquisition function and compliance with the action plan.
OIG recommends that the Director of Global Operations adhere to the conditions stated in 22 U.S. Code 6206 for hiring personal services contractors; specifically, a determination of resources needed should be made; the Director should approve the employment of each personal services contractor; and contract length, including options, should not exceed 2 years.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, update its training curriculum to ensure that contracting officers and other responsible contracting officials are appropriately trained to award and administer personal services contracts in accordance with the statutory requirements as defined by the Personal Services Contracting Pilot Program.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, in coordination with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that funds are available at the beginning of the period of performance for each contract, which should include the tracking of contract period of performance and the maintenance of appropriate documentation within the contract file. If funds are not available for the entire term of a contract because of a continuing resolution, a subject to availability clause should be included in the terms and conditions of the contract, per the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau develop and implement fund control regulations, obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget for the fund control regulations, and post the fund control regulations on its Web site, as required by Office of Management and Budget Circular A-11.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance for conducting acquisition planning, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Specifically, criteria and thresholds should be established to dictate when a written acquisition plan is needed and guidance should establish what types of documentation should be maintained in the contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance for conducting market research, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Specifically, criteria should be established to dictate the type and extent of market research to be performed for each procurement action and what types of documentation should be maintained in the contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, cease the use of quarterly sources sought announcements for awarding contracts.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop internal policies and procedures and implementation guidance to ensure compliance with the Competition in Contracting Act and Federal Acquisition Regulation regarding the publication of contract actions.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop updated internal policies and procedures and implementation guidance to ensure that all offers are evaluated for each proposed contract action and adequately documented in the contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop internal policies and procedures and implementation guidance to ensure that justifications for other than full and open competition are adequately documented and only utilized in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation guidance.
OIG recommends that the Director of Global Operations provide guidance to all offices within the International Broadcasting Bureau to explain the role of the Office of Contracts and the requirement for all acquisitions to comply with the Competition in Contract Act and follow the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and to reinforce the authority of the Senior Procurement Executive.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau hold comprehensive training to ensure that all employees involved in the acquisition process are aware of the Competition in Contracting Act and Federal Acquisition Regulation as it relates to competition, as well as the implications of noncompliance.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop comprehensive policies and procedures and implementation guidance that directs contracting officers how to determine and document whether contract prices are fair and reasonable.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, update its training curriculum to ensure that contracting officers and other responsible contracting officials are appropriately trained to conduct and document contract price determinations.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, review each of the contracts notated in Table 1 of Appendix A of the audit report to determine whether the contract price was fair and reasonable in accordance with Federal regulations. For each contract in which the price was determined not to be fair and reasonable, assess whether the contract can be processed using the ratification authority in Federal Acquisition Regulation 1.602-3, and if so, ratify the contract. If the contract cannot be ratified, legal advice must be obtained to determine a resolution.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop and implement policies and procedures to provide guidance to contracting officers on the type and extent of contractor responsibility determinations to be made for each award and the types of documentation that should be maintained in the contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, update its policies and procedures for contractor requirements for the Data Universal Numbering System and registration within the Central Contracting Registry to ensure that these procedures are in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, update its training curriculum to ensure that contracting officers and other responsible contracting officials are appropriately trained to conduct and document responsibility determinations and to only allow exemptions under clearly defined circumstances in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation or Office of Federal Procurement Policy guidance.
OIG recommends that International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance, which ensure that contracting officer’s representatives (COR) are designated for every contract, and that this documentation clearly defines the COR’s roles and responsibilities and is maintained in the contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance to ensure that contracting officers and contracting officer’s representatives are fully aware of the type and extent of quality assurance procedures that should be performed in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the type of documentation that should be maintained in the contract file as supporting evidence of quality assurance.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, review Contract BBG50-P-11-0009 and determine whether the contractor was paid an extra $8,250 for work not performed. If this cost is determined unallowable, the Office of Contracts should seek reimbursement from the contractor.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, in coordination with Voice of America, English to Africa Language Service, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance to ensure that contractors are not performing inherently governmental functions.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, in coordination with Voice of America, English to Africa Language Service, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance to ensure that documentation is required for all contractor expenses to provide evidence that the funds were expended in an appropriate manner.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, determine whether the $16,075 in unsupported costs for Contract BBG50-P-13-0600 were allowable, and if determined unallowable, recover those costs from the contractor.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance that direct program officials regarding the use and extent of performance evaluations, including the use of rating tools and clear indicators of performance.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and implementation guidance so that contracting officers are aware of how to utilize past performance evaluations when assessing potential contractors.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop and implement a system to track contracting officers' training so that pertinent parties can be informed of missing training and resulting expired warrants.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures, to ensure that contracting officers obtain and maintain training requirements for compliance with the Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer program, including a course of action when requirements are not met.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures, including a comprehensive training program, to ensure that contracting officer's representatives obtain and maintain training requirements in compliance with the Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer's Representatives program.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop and implement a system to track training for contracting officer's representatives so that pertinent parties can be informed of missing training and resulting expired certifications.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, update policies and procedures and develop implementation guidance that mandates the documentation to be included in each type of contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop and implement policies and procedures to periodically perform quality control reviews of official contract files to determine compliance with internal guidance and the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, update its training curriculum to ensure that contracting officers and other responsible contracting officials are periodically trained on the required contents for the official contract file.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, assess whether the unauthorized commitments related to Contract Nos. BBG28-F-11-0031 and BBG50-J-12-0709 can be processed using the ratification authority in Federal Acquisition Regulation 1.602-3, and if so, ratify the contracts. If the contracts cannot be ratified, legal advice must be obtained to determine a resolution.
OIG recommends that the International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts, develop policies and procedures and appropriate internal controls to ensure that contracting officers cannot sign above their warrant levels.
OIG recommends that the Director of Global Operations develop and implement an updated reporting structure for contracting officers that are embedded in program offices to ensure that all contracting officers are provided with proper oversight by the Office of Contracts.
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OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of Logistics Management, Office of Acquisitions Management, in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, ensure that local privacy laws and practical limitations on vetting are considered in Local Guard Program contracts and alternative guard vetting procedures are adopted and incorporated into contracts when necessary.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security develop and issue guidance and training that prepares regional security officers for the periodic transition of Local Guard Program contracts, with a focus on planning for the transition and ensuring that local guards are vetted prior to placing them on duty.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security develop and issue guidance to ensure regional security officers implement uniform oversight of the Local Guard Program contracts as the contracting officer's representative.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security develop and adopt a standardized security validation form to facilitate regional security officers' oversight of the local guard vetting and approval process.
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Embassy Abu Dhabi should establish a schedule of regular meetings for the law enforcement and illicit finance working groups and the Ambassador or the deputy chief of mission should attend them.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should review mission goals and objectives to make them easier for staff members to understand and achieve and periodically update them.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should cease requesting special handling of traffic fines and process them in accordance with mission policy.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, in coordination with Embassy Abu Dhabi, should clarify the embassy’s role as a regional platform.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should develop a comprehensive multiyear plan that provides the mission with sufficient administrative support.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should calculate International Cooperative Administrative Support Services costs at the beginning of any discussion about new positions.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should bring its temporary duty processes into conformity with National Security Decision Directive 38.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should bring its timeline for authorizing the arrival dates of new employees into conformity with National Security Decision Directive 38 and International Cooperative Administrative Support Services guidelines.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement a policy on new locally employed staff positions, including charging for initial costs of the positions.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should develop a timeline for the Department of Defense to provide a full-time contracting officer’s representative to Embassy Abu Dhabi to oversee the Defense Support Division contract.
The Bureau of Administration, in coordination with Embassy Abu Dhabi, should designate a contracting officer’s technical monitor in accordance with the terms of the Defense Support Division contract.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, in coordination with Embassy Abu Dhabi and the Office of the Under Secretary for Management, should conduct a review of the Defense Support Division contract that addresses quality of service and whether the contract should be continued or its obligations assumed by the embassy.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs should hire an independent auditor to determine whether actions taken and monies expended under the Defense Support Division contract conform to U.S. Government contracting regulations and to identify the actual costs to the U.S. Government of the contract to date, including embassy staff time.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement a comprehensive reporting plan.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should require political and economic staff in the mission to use a standardized filing system in shared section files.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement the worldwide visa referral policy to mandate that all visa case advocacies be handled through the referral system.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs should designate a senior level coordinator for Iranian consular issues and provide an appropriate budget to support travel and training.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement standard operating procedures for all aspects of its consular operations.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should review and update position descriptions in the mission’s two consular sections and establish a system for regular review.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should assign media responsibilities in the Dubai consular district to the consulate general’s public affairs section.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, should design an English language learning program targeted at low-income populations.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement a program to use embassy officers as speakers for outreach programs at American Corners.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs should close the Middle East Partnership Initiative regional office in Abu Dhabi.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, in coordination with Embassy Abu Dhabi and the Bureau of Human Resources, should review the work requirements and change the grade level of the principal officer position as appropriate.
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs should include Consulate General Dubai on relevant policy-related cables.
The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, in coordination with Embassy Abu Dhabi, should install a water fountain in the Dubai consular section waiting room.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should require Consulate General Dubai’s consular section to review all category one visa refusal files for completeness and scan them into the consular automated systems.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should conduct a feasibility study on establishing a diplomatic post office for Consulate General Dubai.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should bring the mail screening facility at Consulate General Dubai up to standards or install a stand-alone mail-screening unit.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should schedule the designated alternate information systems security officer at Consulate General Dubai for information assurance training.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should stop assigning new employees to the Al Reef condominiums.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should sell the Al Reef condominiums at the earliest opportunity.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should identify separate warehouse spaces close to the embassy and to the consulate general and either lease or purchase it.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement a process to ensure timely notification to the housing office of new arrivals.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should conduct a feasibility study on implementing a daily shuttle to and from Consulate General Dubai.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement a plan to dispatch motor pool vehicles by radio.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should implement a policy for outsourcing some passenger expediting services.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should conduct a comprehensive space and infrastructure review.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should institute regular meetings of the safety and health standing committee.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should perform a study of human resources staffing and recommend position increases to the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services Council, as appropriate.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Human Resources, should formulate and implement title standards in conformance with local law and practice.
The Bureau of Administration should eliminate the rest and recuperation travel benefit for Embassy Abu Dhabi and Consulate General Dubai.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should review and reissue its human resource policies.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of Human Resources, should bring the local staff education benefit to a vote by the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services council and follow up with the Bureau of Human Resources to obtain the waiver to implement the education allowance.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Frankfurt Regional Support Center, should complete all position classification and reclassifications for Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should clarify the standards used in implementing special immigrant visa policy and disseminate it to employees and the locally employed staff committee.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should obtain clarification from the Bureau of Consular Affairs on whether the use of the political situation in a locally employed staff member’s home country may be an exceptional circumstance for the purpose of acquiring special immigrant visa status.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should eliminate or upgrade its Arabic language designated positions at the 2/1 level or below during the Department’s 2014 triennial review of language-designated positions.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should hire an additional locally employed budget analyst.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, should perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine the most efficient location to process financial vouchers.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should cease electronic funds transfer salary payments to official residence expenses staff.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should reissue its personal calls policy and set a minimum amount for which reimbursement is required.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should hire a second locally employed financial management assistant to serve as an alternate cashier at Consulate General Dubai.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Frankfurt Regional Information Management Center, should conduct a site survey to improve radio communication to all embassy housing areas.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should respond formally to the Bureau of Administration, Office of Commissary and Recreational Affairs, recommendations regarding the employee association.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should draft a new license agreement between the association and the embassy and present it to the Bureau of Administration for review and approval.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should evaluate local health service providers.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should bring its receiving function into compliance with Department of State regulations.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should bring its maintenance property accountability functions into compliance with Department regulations.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should review and prioritize training needs across the mission and provide training accordingly.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should ratify the unauthorized commitment involving the Ambassador’s camera kit.
Embassy Abu Dhabi should cease using a government credit card for the Ambassador’s personal expenses.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) enhance its funds management standard operating procedures to improve oversight of obligations. Specifically, IRM should include a requirement that the allotment holders review obligations monthly and that the review of obligations is independently monitored.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Information Resource Management determine whether the balance of $239,467 in invalid unliquidated obligations identified by OIG is necessary and, if not, deobligate.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) enhance its funds management standard operating procedures to improve oversight of obligations. Specifically, NEA should include a requirement that the allotment holders review obligations monthly and that the review of obligations is independently monitored.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs determine whether the balance of $741,545 in invalid unliquidated obligation identified by OIG is necessary and, if not, deobligate.
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, in coordination with the Office of the Under Secretary for Political Affairs and the Bureaus of Overseas Buildings Operations and Diplomatic Security, should establish an interagency working group to develop and implement a strategic plan that addresses operational and program issues affecting the U.S. presence in Cuba.
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs should require the director of the Office of the Coordinator for Cuban Affairs to visit Havana at an early opportunity.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana should request that the Bureau of Consular Affairs provide long-term temporary duty officer support.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana should request that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and the Bureau of Consular Affairs expedite their consideration of a major reconfiguration of the consular section.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations and the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should implement no-cost and low-cost changes to improve consular section facilities.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana should put in place a plan to review local consular staff performance and skills, verify that staff members have all requisite skills, and implement improvement plans, where appropriate.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana should require the Class B cashier to provide the accountable consular officer with an OF-158 receipt for consular deposits daily.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana should perform all required nonimmigrant visa adjudication reviews in a timely manner.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, should support the U.S. Interests Section Havana’s proposal that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services take responsibility for processing parole cases for Cuban nationals and move much of the casework to the United States.
The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations should implement a comprehensive plan to address security, structural, fire safety, and space planning deficiencies at the U.S. Interests Section Havana annex building.
The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Human Resources and the Office of the Legal Adviser, should determine to what extent local Cuban staff can be treated as U.S. Government employees eligible for additional benefits.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana, in coordination with the Bureaus of Human Resources and Consular Affairs, should determine whether Cuban nationals employed by the mission qualify for special immigrant status and, if so, reinstate the program.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana should implement a motor pool policy in compliance with Department of State guidance.
The U.S. Interests Section Havana, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should establish a staffing plan that addresses technical capability and language ability.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services: • Expand its recapture audit procedures to include pension annuity and Payment Management System grant payments or formally document the justification for excluding these payment types.• Communicate the recapture audit exclusions to the Office of Management and Budget and OIG, along with the justification or cost-benefit analysis.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Comptroller and Global Financial Services improve its controls for improper payments reporting to ensure that all payment types excluded from recapture audits are disclosed and all improper payments identified and recovered are reported in the Agency Financial Report.
OIG recommends that the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) develop and implement a methodology to strengthen its controls to ensure that BBG obtains and maintains sufficient and complete supporting documentation for payments.
OIG recommends that the Broadcasting Board of Governors notify the Office of Management and Budget and OIG of its determination that performing payment recapture audits for its programs in FY 2013 was not cost effective and provide the cost-benefit analysis supporting this determination.
The Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services should publish a directive prohibiting the direct payment by cashiers or by electronic funds transfer to Official Residence Expenses staff and clarifying acceptable procedures.
The Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services should clarify in Department of State regulations and periodically send reminders to emphasize that Official Residence Expenses staff are employees of the principal representatives, who are responsible for salary and benefit payments in accordance with local law and practices.
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Note: The information includes all open recommendations from reports that were issued October 1, 2014. Potential Monetary Benefits values are as stated in reports—subsequent Department and USAGM management decisions and actions may result in different values.
