Status of the Office of Community Services' Corrective Actions Resulting From the Government Accountability Office Review of the Community Services Block Grant Program

We initiated a review at the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Community Services (OCS) in response to the $1 billion that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriated for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program. CSBG program funds are intended to reduce poverty, revitalize low-income communities, and empower low-income families to become self-sufficient. In a June 2006 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified deficiencies in OCS's management of and internal controls over the CSBG program. To correct these deficiencies, GAO made nine recommendations.

During our follow-up audit, we found that OCS had implemented the six GAO recommendations that we reviewed. Specifically, OCS conducted a risk-based assessment of State CSBG programs and established policies and procedures to help ensure that OCS's onsite monitoring was focused on the States with the highest risk. In addition, OCS developed written policies and procedures in the areas that GAO identified. Because OCS had implemented GAO's recommendations, we made no recommendations.