Improper Payment Audit Guidelines in the Works

Washington, Sept. 20 – The war on suspected improper payments in grant programs will ramp up significantly early next year as the Office of Management and Budget plans to issue guidelines instructing federal agencies how to engage in recovery activities.

The guidelines stem from the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (Pub. L. 111-204), which President Obama signed into law this summer. The goal of the act is to shrink by 2012 the current level of federal improper payments —$110 billion — by $50 billion.