The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General Receives Two Awards for Excellence

Press Release from Peace Corps https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/library/peace-corps-office-inspector-general-receives-two-awards-excellence/

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 21, 2016 – The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General (OIG) received two awards for excellence at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s (CIGIE) 19th Annual Awards Ceremony held on October 20, 2016.

CIGIE presented the Award for Excellence in Audits to an OIG team for their “Audit of the Peace Corps’ Healthcare Benefits Administration Contract.” This audit examined how the Peace Corps, through its contractor, processes claims for medical services provided to its Volunteers. The audit team found serious flaws in the Peace Corps’ contracting practices and the contractor did not fully follow the terms in the contract. The audit found Peace Corps spent $1.2 million on services that couldn’t be verified by records. Expert Jeffrey Lee, Lead Auditor Snehal Nanavati, Auditor Ann Lawrence, Former Assistant Inspector General for Audits Bradley Grubb, Assistant Inspector General for Audits Judy Leonhardt, Deputy Inspector General and Legal Counsel Joaquin Ferrao, and former Attorney Advisor José Vega received the award.

Another OIG team received an Award for Excellence in Evaluations for their “Follow-Up Evaluation of Issues Identified in the 2010 Peace Corps/Morocco Assessment of Medical Care”, a report on the organization and provision of medical care to Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide. CIGIE recognized the team for excellence due to the positive effect the report will have on the Peace Corps’ ability to protect Volunteers’ health, the collaboration between Peace Corps OIG and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs OIG, and the creative manner in which the evaluation team designed and carried out fieldwork. Senior Evaluator Erin Balch, Evaluator Kaitlyn Large, former Senior Evaluator Susan Gasper, Senior Evaluator Greg Yeich, Drs. Thomas Wong and George Wesley of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations Jeremy Black received the award.

Inspector General Kathy A. Buller stated, “Peace Corps’ program is its Volunteers and their health and safety is our priority. The work of Peace Corps OIG that was honored today makes recommendations to improve the way health care is provided to Volunteers. I’m proud of these teams and their efforts to further the Peace Corps mission.”

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, established OIGs within federal agencies to combat fraud, waste, abuse, and to improve economy and efficiency. The inspector general community has more than 14,000 audit, investigation, inspection, and other professionals across 72 IGs.

CIGIE is an independent entity within the executive branch representing 72 OIGs in the federal government. CIGIE’s mission is to promote integrity, economy, and effectiveness in government agencies as well as to increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel in the community of inspectors general. For more information on the IG community, visit http://www.ignet.gov.