Peace Corps Press Release

Each year, CIGIE’s Awards highlight the outstanding achievements of inspector general staff from across the federal government, including numerous examples of strong interagency cooperation among offices of inspector general to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in government programs and operations. CIGIE presented the Award for Excellence in Evaluations to a Peace Corps OIG team member, Erin Balch, for her “excellence in conducting a challenging evaluation for the  Review of the Facts and Circumstances Surrounding the Death of a Peace Corps/Ghana Volunteer” In October 2019, a team of evaluators identified deficiencies that contributed to delays in the care of a critically injured Volunteer.

In turn, the Peace Corps has made improvements to its emergency preparedness and response processes for Volunteers. The agency reports it continues to make progress in closing all the recommendations identified in the report.

Acting Inspector General Joaquin Ferrao stated, “The award Senior Evaluator Erin Balch received today exemplifies the outstanding passion and care our office brings to our work every day. I am so proud of Erin and her team’s positive impact in helping Peace Corps achieve its mission.”

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, established OIGs within federal agencies to combat fraud, waste, and abuse and to improve economy and efficiency. The federal inspector general community has more than 14,000 audit, investigation, inspection, and other professionals across 72 IGs. The tireless efforts of these professionals helped to secure thousands of criminal prosecutions and civil actions against those seeking to defraud the Government or otherwise violate the law. In fiscal year 2021, the total potential savings was approximately $74.7 billion.