Summary and Key Findings of Fiscal Year 2014 FEMA Disaster Grant and Program Audits

This is our sixth annual “capping” report summarizing our disaster-related audits. Our first five annual reports focused solely on our Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation grant audits. This year, we added the results of our non-grant audits to reflect all of our work related to Disaster Relief Fund activities. In fiscal year (FY) 2014, we issued reports on 61 audits of FEMA grants, programs, and operations funded from the Disaster Relief Fund: 49 grant audits and 12 program audits. The 61 reports contained 159 recommendations, with potential monetary benefits of $1 billion, which included $971.7 million reported for grant audits and $29.3 million reported for program audits. The $971.7 million represents 28 percent of the $3.44 billion in grant funds we audited in FY 2014. One Hazard Mitigation Grant Program audit resulted in $812 million of the $971.7 million of potential monetary benefits. We continue to find problems with grant management, ineligible and unsupported costs, and noncompliance with Federal contracting requirements. The 12 program audits included 3 audits of FEMA’s initial response to disasters, 4 audits related to issues we identified during our audits of FEMA’s disaster responses, and 5 other audits of FEMA programs or operations. The 12 program audit reports recommended improvements to FEMA programs or operations and the recoupment of a $29.3 million debt that a state owed to FEMA. FEMA has been proactive in responding to our FY 2014 recommendations.