Three Agencies Failed to Notify Congress of Lapses in Curbing Improper Payments

By the government’s best estimate, major agencies running 90 programs wrongfully paid out about $141 billion in fiscal 2017. But at least three the Treasury, Labor, and Agriculture departments have fallen short in complying with the six reporting criteria spelled out in the 2010 Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, according to the latest Government Accountability Office review of inspector general reports released on Friday. The examination of compliance in reporting efforts to reduce improper payments during fiscal 2016-2017 comes just six months after the Office of Management and Budget refined its guidance on agency reporting, though auditors recommended that the White House agency do more to clarify.