The Association of Government Accountants’ 2015 Inspector General Survey

“…Our survey raised a number of concerns that continue to hamper the effectiveness of IGs and their work. Examples include: issues related to greater sharing and access to data; the IG community’s primary legislative priority; antiquated pay scales; and unfilled IG positions. Similarly, budget uncertainty, the ineffectiveness of the federal hiring process and the lack of direct hiring authority impede effective oversight. Once again, respondents raised the issue of mandated audit requirements, including the new audits under the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act), and the need to review mandates moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a risk-based agency focus or audit cycle. The survey indicated many IGs would prefer more flexibility to focus their work on an agency’s specific risk areas…”