November 30, 2015
The Office of Inspector General is tasked with ensuring efficiency, accountability, and integrity in the U.S. Postal Service. We also have the distinct mission of helping to maintain confidence in the mail and postal system, as well as to improve the Postal Service’s bottom line. We use audits and investigations to help protect the integrity of the Postal Service. Our Semiannual Report to Congress presents a snapshot of the work we did to fulfill our mission for the 6-month period ending September 30, 2015.
A Message from the Inspector General
This report, submitted pursuant to the Inspector General Act, outlines our work and activities for the 6-month period ending September 30, 2015. During this period, we issued 99 audit reports, management advisories, PARIS risk models and white papers, and the Postal Service accepted 84 percent of our significant recommendations. We completed 2,216 investigations that led to 415 arrests and nearly $47 million in fines, restitutions, and recoveries, $22 million of which was turned over to the U.S. Postal Service.
Independence and a right to access are the foundation of the Inspector General system. For OIGs to work effectively to uncover waste, fraud, and mismanagement, access to information is necessary — something Congress has reiterated in recent hearings. Our office has encountered several incidents this year in which access to documents and electronic records was restricted in a significant enough way as to be reportable to Congress. We have worked collaboratively with the Postmaster General to address this issue, and on March 15, 2015, she issued a strongly worded memorandum to her officers in response. This response and the Postmaster General’s willingness to reinforce the message are greatly appreciated.
I look forward to working with the Governors, Congress, and Postal Service management as we address the challenges ahead. With the support of these groups, the OIG will continue to play a key role in maintaining the integrity and accountability of America’s Postal Service, its revenue and assets, and its employees through our audit and investigative work.
David C. Williams
Inspector General
Fall 2015 SARC Fact Sheet
Full Report
Source: Fall 2015 Semiannual Report to Congress | USPS Office of Inspector General