What does “monetary impact” mean in OIG audit reports?

Have you ever read an OIG report and wondered what the terms “funds put to better use” or “questioned costs” mean? These terms are associated with audit findings that have a monetary impact on the Postal Service. More specifically, these amounts represent how much money was lost, could be recovered, were unnecessarily spent, or could be better utilized if corrective actions were taken. Here are the definitions of the different types of monetary impact: 

• Questioned Costs. A cost that is unnecessary, unreasonable, unsupported, or an alleged violation of law, regulation, or contract. 
• Unsupported Costs. A cost that is not supported by adequate documentation. Unsupported costs are a subset of questioned costs. 
• Funds Put to Better Use. Funds that could be used more efficiently by implementing recommended actions. 
• Revenue Impact. Amounts from revenue-generating functions such as retail sales, rent, leases, or fees that were underpaid or not realized. In addition, this category includes increased revenue from existing functions and revenue generated from new sources.

In fiscal year 2025, our audits identified over $2 billion in monetary impact.