Us Department Of Education Office Of Inspector General PDF Download

This document describes the accomplishments of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Education from October 1, 2003 through March 31, 2004. During this period, 71 audit and inspection reports were issued and 94 investigations were closed. Congress was provided with an analysis of issues for consideration in its reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and conducted several briefings on proposals for congressional staff. The March 2003 audit of Educational Credit Management Corporation identified the need for the Department to recall $103 million of excess funds. At the time of the final audit, the Department concurred with recommendation. In February 2004, the Department recalled the funds, resulting in the return of $103 million to the U.S. Treasury. The campaign continues to raise public awareness about the threat of identity theft among students and other participants in the Department's student financial assistance programs. OIG special agents gave identity theft presentations at major Federal Student Aid national conferences and at regional conferences for financial aid administrators Articles were submitted about identity theft efforts that were published in a number of publications, including the "Federal Bureau of Investigation Bulletin" and "Fraud Busters," publications of the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission, respectively Identity theft prevention tips were provided to many campus security websites and in many publications and websites for student financial assistance participants. Special agents also continued to pursue cases in which identity thieves attempted to rob students of their financial aid. In response to the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of the Department's information systems, a new unit that combines audit, investigative, and computer evidence recovery resources was established. This unit will work to identify risks to the Department's systems, to analyze computer data to determine fraud indicators, and to investigate and prevent computer hacking. Independent oversight and recommendations are essential to the Department's mission and goals and helping ensure that education dollars reach the intended recipients.