Comments on federal compliance program will be coordinated as a university response

Comments on federal compliance program will be coordinated as a university response

In a letter dated November 29, Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost John Raymond alerted the MUSC research community to the opportunity for public comment on a draft compliance program guidance (CPG) for recipients of extramural research awards from NIH and other Public Health Service agencies. The letter highlighted three risk areas with the following comments.

"These three risk areas have been the subject of many recent investigations, a number of which have resulted in eight-figure settlements from premier research institutions to the federal government. The three risk areas are time and effort reporting, proper allocation of charges to award projects, and accurate reporting of financial support from other sources when submitting and managing grants."

Dr. Raymond asked that all comments on the draft compliance guidance program be forwarded by email to Dr. John Cormier, Special Assistant to the Provost, at cormierj@musc.edu by December 21.

However, the HHS Office of the Inspector General posted a notice in the Federal Register on December 8, extending the public comment period by a month. Therefore, MUSC faculty may still forward comments for coordination of a unified university response.