The Payment Integrity Information Act (PIIA) requires agencies to annually review and identify programs and activities that may be susceptible to significant improper payments, estimate the improper payment rates in agency programs, and report on their actions to reduce and recover those payments. We found that AmeriCorps implemented corrective actions that improved its compliance with PIIA reporting requirements relative to past years. For FY 2023, AmeriCorps met eight of ten PIIA compliance requirements. We made three findings relating to the two remaining requirements.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigated an allegation that AmeriCorps members serving at the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) in Burlington, VT, were directed to alter previously approved timesheets. The investigation foundevidence that CEDO’s AmeriCorps Program Director had directed five members to alter previously approved timesheets, including altering timesheets weeks after the end of their service terms in order to raise the hours served to meet the minimum threshold to earn Segal Education Awards.

An AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) investigation found that AmeriCorps was inconsistent in how it handled allegations of misconduct by senior management and that AmeriCorps hired a third-party contractor to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement on the part of a senior manager without notifying OIG as required by AmeriCorps Policy 102.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (OIG) has identified concerns regarding the award, management, and oversight of a contract for AmeriCorps’ new grants management system. Specifically, this alert identifies several factors contributing to cost overruns that will likely exceed $9 million—more than double the amount of the original contract—including the choice of a firm-fixed price contract for a project with uncertain requirements, a lack of technical expert involvement in contract oversight, and the descoping of contract tasks to accommodate cost overruns.

Pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA), an independent external auditor, on behalf of OIG conducted an annual independent audit of AmeriCorps’ information security program and practices. The fiscal year (FY) 2024 FISMA audit concluded that AmeriCorps’ information security program remains ineffective, assessed as of July 31, 2024.

Independent auditors have declined to issue an opinion on AmeriCorps’ financial statements for the eighth year. They issued a disclaimer of opinion reporting 11 material weaknesses and two significant deficiencies and added three new recommendations. The auditors, however, verified that AmeriCorps took appropriate actions to close 20 of the 95 prior year recommendations. As a result of this audit, there are now 78 open recommendations.

The National Service Trust holds the funds set aside to pay the education awards of national service members who successfully complete their service terms. Responsibility for the education awards that have been earned or will be earned in the near future is the largest liability on AmeriCorps’ financial statements at $287 million.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) received allegations that a grantee falsely reported elevated numbers of active volunteers in its Senior Companion Program (SCP) and failed to produce required match funds. The investigation found insufficient evidence to support the allegations. However, during a self-inspection of its fiscal records during this investigation, the grantee discovered $8,434.69 was inappropriately charged to its grant between July 2020 through March 2021 and reported its findings to AmeriCorps OIG.

The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (AmeriCorps OIG) conducted a proactive review of AmeriCorps employees who may have improperly applied for and received unemployment insurance (UI) payments while actively employed. AmeriCorps OIG developed a list of potential matches of AmeriCorps employees and individuals who had applied for UI benefits. AmeriCorps OIG identified ten potential matches for further investigation.