IG Response Tracker

On June 15, 2020, Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Gerry Connolly sent letters to 24 federal agency Inspectors General (IGs) requesting they review their agencies’ plans for returning employees to physical worksites. Congressman Connolly is committed to ensuring that agencies prioritize the health and safety of the federal workforce — and that agencies work with and incorporate employee voices into all aspects of their pandemic responses.

The following tracker records the responses of each agency’s Inspector General, the date of their responses, and the extent to which they agreed to conduct the review requested in Congressman Connolly’s letter:

Green indicates that the IG is reviewing or will review their affiliated agency’s reopening plans.

Yellow indicates that the IG did not commit to a formal review focused on reopening as requested in the Chairman’s letter but is currently conducting or will conduct oversight related to safely reopening during the pandemic, such as the provision of Personal Protective Equipment.

Red indicates that the IG did not commit to conducting the requested review or any related oversight work.

Office of Inspector General	Response Date	Response
Department of Agriculture	7/9/2020	"In response to Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Connolly’s June 15, 2020, letter requesting Inspector General review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s plans for returning employees to physical worksites, the USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has developed an approach to incorporate such work into our current Audit work plan."
Department of Commerce	7/15/2020	"We have sent a memorandum to the Department, dated July 14, 2020, requesting information on its approach to managing the workforce during the pandemic."
Department of Education	7/10/2020	"We will be assessing the Department’s plans and procedures for returning employees to Federal offices, and how it actually developed those documents."
Department of Justice	8/7/2020	We are monitoring DOJ components’ execution of Phase 1 in the National Capital Region, and we will do the same with the DOJ’s return to work plans in other locations throughout the United States."
Department of State	7/17/2020	"OIG is scoping a review that will describe the Department's plans and procedures for returning employees to work during the coronavirus pandemic."
Department of the Interior	8/3/2020	"As part of that pandemic oversight, we have already issued or are in the process of examining the Department’s efforts that relate directly to the concerns you raised."
Department of Transportation	8/10/2020	Our Office of Audit Operations and Special Reviews has developed an assessment approach for reviewing DOT’s efforts to reopen offices.
Department of Homeland Security	7/22/2020	"We will evaluate individual components' measures to mitigate risks and protect the health and safety of the public and their employees who have continued to report to their regular duty stations throughout the pandemic."
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	8/3/2020	"...the OIG plans to conduct an audit to ensure the plans were implemented and followed appropriately."
National Science Foundation	7/15/2020	"In response to your request, we issued [a] memorandum to the National Science Foundation (NSF) on June 19, 2020 announcing our intent to review NSF’s plans and procedures for returning employees to its federal office building."
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	6/22/2020	"In response to your request, we are immediately initiating audits at the NRC and the [Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board] DNFSB…" Final NRC Report Final DNFSB Report
Office of Personnel Management	7/7/2020	"I share your concerns, and have decided to open a review into OPM’s policies for returning OPM employees and contractors to OPM office buildings."
Social Security Administration	7/1/2020	"...we will conduct a thorough assessment of the agency’s reopening efforts, including whether SSA is employing best practices and existing guidance from both governmental and non-governmental experts, for safe, healthy, and effective office re-openings."
U.S. Agency for International Development	8/6/2020	"The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is reviewing USAID’s plans and procedures for returning employees to federal offices amid the coronavirus pandemic."
General Services Administration	7/13/2020	"In May, we initiated and are currently engaged in an audit of GSA's procedures to ensure that space is cleaned and disinfected in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when positive and presumed positive COVID-19 cases have been identified in GSA-managed facilities.Additionally, we will review [Public Buildings Service] PBS's communication procedures to notify building occupants of impacted areas." Final PBS Report
Department of Housing and Urban Development	9/14/2020	“Our Office of Audit has started a review of HUD’s plans to return employees to offices. Specifically, we plan to determine whether HUD is following (1) its “Resuming Normal Operations Guide, COVID-19 Response, Headquarters and Field Offices”; (2) Federal, state, and local government and appropriate non-governmental guidance; and (3) best practices in reopening its offices to employees.”
Department of Defense	8/7/2020	"The DoD has also established policies that will allow for the future examination of DoD’s reopening plans, such as requiring DoD personnel to report all COVID-19 positive test results in accordance with applicable Federal, state, local, and DoD requirements. Additionally, the DoD established policies that allow access to symptomatic and asymptomatic testing of service members and DoD civilians." "Finally, regarding your request for an investigation into the death of Mr. Chai Suthammanout, the DoD Hotline has referred this matter for action to the Marine Corps OIG [...]. We will conduct oversight of the Marine Corps OIG’s review when it is completed and advise you of the results."
Department of Energy	7/28/2020	"We are actively engaged with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, and we have dedicated resources to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, as well as several of its subcommittees....We will continue to watch this situation closely and take further action if necessary."
Department of Health and Human Services	8/10/2020	"Although we cannot begin work directly responsive to your letter at this time, we value the input of our Hill partners and take this input into account as we continue our consideration process."
Department of Labor	7/13/2020	"...my staff has and will continue to monitor DOL organization-wide communications regarding the return to work within federal office space, in line with the DOL resumption of on-premises workplan. The OIG will initiate appropriate action, as warranted, in response to this effort, which may include surveying DOL offices to ensure proper precautions are being taken or to better understand any deviations from DOL’s formal return plan."
Department of the Treasury	7/6/2020	"We cannot take up a full-scope inquiry along the lines set out in Chairman Connolly’s letter; however, we are planning to review the plans propounded by the Department, and its constituent bureaus and offices, which will establish the baseline of Treasury’s response." “…we are planning to review the plans propounded by the Department, and its constituent bureaus and offices, which will establish the baseline of Treasury’s response.”
Department of Veterans Affairs	7/9/2020	"We have a number of projects in process that will provide oversight of the [Veterans Health Administration's] (VHA actions during the pandemic, including reviews of their management of medical appointments, their use of telehealth, the closure of certain community-based outpatient clinics, and their overall response to and lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis. Several ongoing projects also build on a report we released in March that assessed VHA’s COVID-19 screening processes and pandemic readiness—particularly your concerns regarding supplies and protective equipment."
Environmental Protection Agency	7/10/2020	"Certain aspects of your request will be considered within the scope of a self-initiated OIG evaluation of the EPA’s response to the White House’s Guidelines for Opening Up America Again."
Small Business Administration	6/29/2020	"Currently, we are unable to perform the request of SBA's reconstitution plan in context of the priority review's aimed at SBA's implementation of the PPP, EIDL, and entrepreneurial development programs; however, we will consider this request in our future planning efforts to provide oversight of SBA's programs and operations."