NCJ Number
247067
Date Published
November 2011
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This assessment by the U.S. Justice Department's (DOJ's) Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management (OAAM) examines the process used by DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to verify the eligibility and accuracy of reimbursement requests submitted by applicants of the Bulletproof Vest Program (BVP), the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative (SWBPI), and the Northern Border Prosecution Initiative (NBPI).
Abstract
The assessment concludes that all payment requests are examined for accuracy and verification to ensure that only allowable costs are claimed; however, the assessment identified some areas that, if implemented, will improve BJA's verification processes. First, implement additional procedures to identify duplicate payment requests across BVP monthly batch runs. Second, implement a process to identify overlapping requests for detention expenses between BPS and SCAPP grantees. Third, seek reimbursement for duplicate expenses paid to Sacramento, CA, under BPS or SCAAP in FY 2010. Fourth, expand current procedures for the SWBPI case review to more thoroughly explain sampling procedures that address how BJA will meet its goal of a 10-percent review in the event that jurisdictions do not provide documentation. Fifth, perform a workload analysis to determine whether more resources are needed to manage payment programs. Sixth, develop a method that ensures internal review documents are electronically signed, dated, and password-protected once they are finalized. BJA has agreed to implement all of these recommendations. For each recommendation, BJA statements of implementing actions being taken are reported. The assessment report indicates the actions required to implement each recommendation. Appended objective, scope and methodology of the assessment, a table of BVP grantees selected in the assessment sample, and the complete text of BJA comments on the assessment