Inspector General Reports

The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-117) (PIIA) requires the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to annually review its agency’s improper payment and payment reporting made in the annual Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) or Agency Financial Report (AFR) to determine compliance.

On May 16, 2022, the Peace Corps notified the United States Congress that Peace Corps/Cambodia intended to resume operations as early as September 2022. The first intake of 2 reinstated Volunteers arrived in September 2022, and 36 two-year Volunteers arrived in October 2022. On July 7, 2023, the Office of Inspector General announced this review to assess Peace Corps/Cambodia’s compliance with specific agency policies and procedures related to Volunteer and trainee health and safety and the re-entry process.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the results of six previously conducted post re-entry health and safety reviews (re-entry reviews), to include a subsequent review of nine additional posts, and bring to your attention needed improvements.

The purpose of this report is to bring to your attention needed improvements that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) identified while reviewing Peace Corps’ response process for cybersecurity incidents and its adherence to Federal and agency requirements. We reviewed the agency’s actions taken during three separate cybersecurity incidents from June 2022 through July 2023.

This semiannual report informs Congress of the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General's work from April 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023.

The Office of Inspector General's annual plan outlines the work planned for the year ahead, including agency wide audits or evaluations, mandated reviews, and which posts may receive audits or evaluations.

As required by the Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002, the Peace Corps prepared its financial statements and subjected them to audit in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements. Peace Corps OIG contracted with Williams, Adley & Company-DC LLP, an independent certified public accounting firm, to audit the Peace Corps’ financial statements as of September 30, 2023. The audit was conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America; the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States; and OMB Bulletin No. 24-01, Audit Requirements for Federal Financial Statements.

The Peace Corps employs more than 3,400 staff who help execute the agency mission and serve on the front lines of the Volunteer experience. Approximately 92 percent of staff at overseas posts are personal services contractors (PSCs), who also make up 70 percent of all Peace Corps staff. A significant part of the agency’s success depends on how well it manages its human resources operations to hire, train, and retain quality PSC staff. Our evaluation assesses the agency’s human resources management for overseas PSCs, focusing on the posts’ operations and the support they receive from agency offices and staff. We did not measure PSC satisfaction with human resources services or address the human resources management of the agency’s direct hire staff.