The National Service Agency Releases Statement on OIG Audit of American Samoa Commission

Washington, DC – Chief Operating Officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Robert Velasco, issued the following statement in response to the agency’s Office of Inspector General’s audit of the American Samoa Special Services Commission (ASSSC). The audit found serious problems in many aspects of ASSSC’s administration of CNCS’s programs.

“We appreciate the Inspector General’s analysis of the American Samoa Commission and are equally concerned about the findings.The Corporation has a statutory requirement to allocate one percent of appropriated funds for AmeriCorps programs to the U.S. Territories and we take the responsibility to protect these funds very seriously.Upon initial notification of the Inspector General’s concerns, the Corporation suspended American Samoa’s access to federal funds. Based upon a thorough review of the final audit report, the Corporation will take appropriate corrective action, including recouping funds we disallow and terminating the grants, if necessary.”

CNCS works closely with its Office of Inspector General on audits and audit resolutions. The agency is currently reviewing the full audit report of ASSSC, a CNCS grantee, to determine the appropriate corrective actions that should be taken.