October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014

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.

In this Semiannual Report to Congress, we present a new electronic format that provides a snapshot of the work we did to fulfill our mission for the 6-month period ending March 31, 2014. We believe this new format will enhance the reader’s experience by providing easier access to facts and information, as well as succinct summaries of the work by area. Links are provided to the full reports featured in this report.

A Message from the Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) – with the support of the Governors, Congress, and U.S. Postal Service management – plays 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.

OIG efforts have resulted in significant savings opportunities and improved efficiencies. During this 6-month report period ending March 31, 2014, we issued 94 audit reports, management advisories, PARIS risk models, and Risk Analysis Research Center and Office of Audit white papers. The Postal Service accepted 95 percent of our significant recommendations. In addition, we completed 1,698 investigations that led to 323 arrests and nearly $122 million in fines, restitutions, and recoveries, of which $15 million went to the Postal Service.

The Semiannual Report to Congress is a reflection of the OIG’s goals of transparency and accountability. This reporting period we have transitioned to a new dynamic report format, which we believe heightens transparency and accountability to our stakeholders. With illustrative graphics and hyperlinks to the full reports for the period, stakeholders can drill down as deeply as they want. The report also links to appendices, which provide detailed information on audit reports and their associated recommendations, investigative cases pursued in the period, and monetary impacts of our work.

I look forward to working with the Governors, Congress, and Postal Service management as we address the challenges ahead.

David C. Williams
Inspector General

via Semiannual Report to Congress | Office of Inspector General.