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Missile Defense: Opportunity to Refocus on Strengthening Acquisition Management (open access)

Missile Defense: Opportunity to Refocus on Strengthening Acquisition Management

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has made some recent progress gaining important knowledge for its Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) by successfully conducting several important tests. In addition, the agency made substantial improvements to the clarity of its cost and schedule baselines since first reporting them in 2010, and declared the first major deployment of U.S. missile defense in Europe operational in December 2011. MDA also took steps to reduce acquisition risk by decreasing the overlap between technology and product development for two of its programs."
Date: May 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Headquarters: DOD Needs to Reassess Options for Permanent Location of U.S. Africa Command (open access)

Defense Headquarters: DOD Needs to Reassess Options for Permanent Location of U.S. Africa Command

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) has considered several courses of action for the placement of the headquarters for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) but decided in early 2013 to keep it in Germany. When AFRICOM was created in 2007, DOD temporarily located its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, with the intent of selecting a permanent location at a later date. DOD's initial goal was to locate the headquarters in Africa, but this was later abandoned in part because of significant projected costs and sensitivities on the part of African countries. Subsequently, in 2008, DOD conducted an analysis that found that several locations in Europe and the United States would be operationally feasible and less expensive than keeping the headquarters in Stuttgart. A final decision, however, was deferred until 2012, when the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office completed its analysis. Subsequent to this analysis, in January 2013, the Secretary of Defense decided to keep AFRICOM's headquarters in Stuttgart. In announcing the decision, the Secretary noted that keeping AFRICOM in Germany would cost more than moving it to the United States but the commander had judged it would be …
Date: September 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Life Insurance Settlements: Regulatory Inconsistencies May Pose a Number of Challenges (open access)

Life Insurance Settlements: Regulatory Inconsistencies May Pose a Number of Challenges

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the late 1990s, life settlements have offered consumers benefits but also exposed them to risks, giving rise to regulatory concerns. A policy owner with unneeded life insurance can surrender the policy to the insurer for its cash surrender value. Or, the owner may receive more by selling the policy to a third-party investor through a life settlement. These transactions have involved high-dollar-amount policies covering older persons. Despite their potential benefits, life settlements can have unintended consequences for policy owners, such as unexpected tax liabilities. Also, policy owners commonly rely on intermediaries to help them, and some intermediaries may engage in abusive practices. As requested, this report addresses how the life settlement market is organized and regulated, and what challenges policy owners, investors, and others face in connection with life settlements. GAO reviewed and analyzed studies on life settlements and applicable state and federal laws; surveyed insurance regulators and life settlement providers; and interviewed relevant market participants, state and federal regulators, trade associations, and market observers."
Date: July 9, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Defense: Action Needed to Improve Cost Reporting for DOD's Aerospace Control Alert Mission (open access)

Homeland Defense: Action Needed to Improve Cost Reporting for DOD's Aerospace Control Alert Mission

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In its April 2013 report to Congress, the Department of Defense (DOD) did not provide any new analyses, but provided the results of previous analyses related to the Aerospace Control Alert mission because, according to DOD officials, DOD was not expecting any future changes to the budget or force structure of the mission, including consideration of any basing location alternatives. DOD's April 2013 report summarized the results of three risk assessments that were conducted to support DOD's 2012 decision on which two alert basing locations could be removed from 24-hour alert status with the least amount of risk. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Office of the Secretary of Defense Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, and the Continental U.S. NORAD Region performed these assessments and all concluded that, given the 2012 DOD decision that two alert basing locations would be removed from 24-hour alert status, the removal of the locations at Duluth, Minnesota, and Langley, Virginia, would provide the least increase in risk. DOD's April 2013 report also summarized a cost savings estimate developed after the decision to remove these basing locations …
Date: September 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Food Safety: Preslaughter Interventions Could Reduce E. coli in Cattle (open access)

Food Safety: Preslaughter Interventions Could Reduce E. coli in Cattle

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and university researchers identified several treatments administered before cattle are slaughtered, or preslaughter interventions, that could reduce Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle. Such preslaughter interventions include bacteriophages (viruses that infect and kill bacteria), probiotics (live bacteria that can benefit the digestive system), vaccines (biological preparations that alter the immune system), and sodium chlorate (chemical that kills the STEC O157:H7 strain). However, few manufacturers have submitted applications for preslaughter intervention products to target STEC according to officials from USDA and the Food and Drug Administration. One exception is for vaccines to reduce STEC O157:H7."
Date: March 9, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Managing for Results: Opportunities for Congress to Address Government Performance Issues (open access)

Managing for Results: Opportunities for Congress to Address Government Performance Issues

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Many federal program efforts, such as those related to ensuring food safety, providing homeland security, monitoring incidence of infectious diseases, or improving response to natural disasters, generally require the effective collaboration of more than one agency. As we have recently testified before each of Congressional subcommittees and the task force, the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) calls for a more coordinated and crosscutting approach to achieve meaningful results. Indeed, we have noted for many years the central role that GPRA could play in identifying and fostering improved coordination across related federal program efforts. Effective GPRAMA implementation provides opportunities to identify the various agencies and federal activities--including spending programs, regulations, and tax expenditures--that contribute to crosscutting programs and to ensure that coordination mechanisms are in place. Our recent report on potential duplication, overlap, and fragmentation highlights a number of areas where a more crosscutting approach is needed--both across agencies and within a specific agency. GPRAMA provides a powerful opportunity for agencies to collect and report more timely and useful performance information on crosscutting programs. This performance information can play an important role in …
Date: December 9, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare Program Integrity: Few Payments in 2011 Exceeded Limits under One Kind of Prepayment Control, but Reassessing Limits Could Be Helpful (open access)

Medicare Program Integrity: Few Payments in 2011 Exceeded Limits under One Kind of Prepayment Control, but Reassessing Limits Could Be Helpful

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Less than 0.1 percent of payments Medicare made in 2011 were for amounts of services that exceeded certain unpublished limits for excess billing and where the claims did not include information from the providers to indicate why the additional services were medically necessary. These limits are set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)--an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--as a means to avoid potentially improper payments. To implement these limits, CMS established automated controls in its payment systems called Medically Unlikely Edits (MUE). These MUEs compare the number of certain services billed against limits for the amount of services likely to be provided under normal medical practice to a beneficiary by the same provider on the same day--for example, no more than one of the same operation on each eye. GAO analysis of 2011 claims data found approximately $14 million out of a total of $23.9 billion in Medicare payments for services that exceeded unpublished MUE limits and where the claims did not include information from the providers to indicate why the additional services were medically necessary. As GAO …
Date: May 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business Research Programs: Actions Needed to Improve Compliance with Spending and Reporting Requirements (open access)

Small Business Research Programs: Actions Needed to Improve Compliance with Spending and Reporting Requirements

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Using data agencies had reported to the Small Business Administration (SBA), GAO found that 8 of the 11 agencies participating in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and 4 of the 5 agencies participating in the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program did not consistently comply with spending requirements for fiscal years 2006 to 2011. In calculating their annual spending requirements for these programs, some agencies made improper exclusions from their extramural research and development (R&D) budgets and used differing methodologies. SBA, which oversees the programs, provided guidance in policy directives for agencies on calculating these requirements, but the directives do not provide guidance on calculating the requirements when appropriations are late and spending is delayed, resulting in agencies using differing methodologies. This made it difficult to determine whether agencies' calculations were correct. Without further SBA guidance, agencies will likely continue calculating spending requirements in differing ways."
Date: September 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Maritime Security: Varied Actions Taken to Enhance Cruise Ship Security, but Some Concerns Remain (open access)

Maritime Security: Varied Actions Taken to Enhance Cruise Ship Security, but Some Concerns Remain

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over 9 million passengers departed from U.S. ports on cruise ships in 2008, and according to agency officials, cruise ships are attractive terrorist targets. GAO was asked to review cruise ship security, and this report addresses the extent to which (1) the Coast Guard, the lead federal agency on maritime security, assessed risk in accordance with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) guidance and identified risks; and (2) federal agencies, cruise ship and facility operators, and law enforcement entities have taken actions to protect cruise ships and their facilities. GAO reviewed relevant requirements and agency documents on maritime security, analyzed 2006 through 2008 security operations data, interviewed federal and industry officials, and made observations at seven ports. GAO selected these locations based on factors such as the number of sailings from each port. Results of the visits provided additional information on security, but were not projectable to all ports."
Date: April 9, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Preliminary Results of Work on FAA Facility Conditions and Workplace Safety (open access)

Preliminary Results of Work on FAA Facility Conditions and Workplace Safety

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In brief:"
Date: May 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: The First Year of the Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Rebid (open access)

Medicare: The First Year of the Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Rebid

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Our work on the outcomes of the CBP round 1 rebid found that the number of bidding suppliers and the number of contracts awarded in the CBP round 1 rebid were very similar to the CBP round 1 and about a third of the 1,011 suppliers that bid in the rebid were awarded at least one CBP contract. CMS made improvements to the bidding process for the CBP round 1 rebid—such as providing additional information about disqualification reasons—and significantly fewer bids were disqualified than in round 1. However, many suppliers still had difficulty meeting bid requirements. Of the bids that were disqualified during the initial bid review, 73 percent were disqualified because suppliers failed to provide the required financial documentation or did not meet CMS’s minimum financial standard threshold for suppliers. The number of bids disqualified for missing financial documentation in the CBP round 1 rebid would have been higher if many suppliers had not benefited from a MIPPA provision that required that CMS provide suppliers the opportunity to be notified of and to submit missing required financial documentation—a process not available during CBP round 1. As a …
Date: May 9, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemical Assessments: Challenges Remain with EPA's Integrated Risk Information System Program (open access)

Chemical Assessments: Challenges Remain with EPA's Integrated Risk Information System Program

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: December 9, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commuter Rail: Potential Impacts and Cost Estimates for the Cancelled Hudson River Tunnel Project (open access)

Commuter Rail: Potential Impacts and Cost Estimates for the Cancelled Hudson River Tunnel Project

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: March 9, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Retirement Processing: OPM Is Pursuing Incremental Information Technology Improvements after Canceling a Modernization Plagued by Management Weaknesses (open access)

Federal Retirement Processing: OPM Is Pursuing Incremental Information Technology Improvements after Canceling a Modernization Plagued by Management Weaknesses

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In a series of reviews, GAO found that the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) retirement modernization efforts were hindered by weaknesses in key management practices that are essential to successful information technology (IT) modernization projects. For example, in 2005, GAO made recommendations to address weaknesses in the following areas:"
Date: May 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Police Assistance: Defined Roles and Improved Information Sharing Could Enhance Interagency Collaboration (open access)

Foreign Police Assistance: Defined Roles and Improved Information Sharing Could Enhance Interagency Collaboration

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States provided an estimated $13.9 billion for foreign police assistance during fiscal years 2009 through 2011. Funds provided by U.S. agencies rose and then fell between fiscal years 2009 and 2011. During fiscal years 2009 through 2011, the United States provided the greatest amount of its foreign police assistance to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Colombia, Mexico, and the Palestinian Territories. Department of Defense (DOD) and State (State) funds constituted about 97 percent of U.S. funds for police assistance in fiscal year 2009 and 98 percent in fiscal years 2010 and 2011."
Date: May 9, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Government Efficiency And Effectiveness: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits (open access)

Government Efficiency And Effectiveness: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, GAO's 2013 annual report identifies 31 new areas where agencies may be able to achieve greater efficiency or effectiveness. Within these 31 areas, GAO identifies 81 actions that the executive branch or Congress could take to address the issues GAO identified. Although it may be appropriate for multiple agencies or entities to be involved in the same programmatic or policy area due to the nature or magnitude of the federal effort, GAO's report includes 17 areas of fragmentation, overlap, or duplication where multiple programs and activities may be creating inefficiencies. The report also identifies 14 additional areas where opportunities exist to achieve cost savings or enhance revenue collections."
Date: April 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Warfare: DOD Actions Needed to Strengthen Management and Oversight (open access)

Electronic Warfare: DOD Actions Needed to Strengthen Management and Oversight

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) developed an electronic warfare strategy, but it only partially addressed key characteristics that GAO identified in prior work as desirable for a national or defense strategy. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 requires DOD to submit to the congressional defense committees an annual report on DOD’s electronic warfare strategy for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015. DOD issued its fiscal year 2011 and 2012 strategy reports to Congress in October 2010 and November 2011, respectively. GAO found that DOD’s reports addressed two key characteristics: (1) purpose, scope, and methodology and (2) problem definition and risk assessment. However, DOD only partially addressed four other key characteristics of a strategy, including (1) resources, investments, and risk management and (2) organizational roles, responsibilities, and coordination. For example, the reports identified mechanisms that could foster coordination across the department and identified some investment areas, but did not fully identify implementing parties, delineate roles and responsibilities for managing electronic warfare across the department, or link resources and investments to key activities. Such characteristics can help shape policies, programs, priorities, resource allocation, and …
Date: July 9, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intellectual Property: Insights Gained from Efforts to Quantify the Effects of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods in the U.S. Economy (open access)

Intellectual Property: Insights Gained from Efforts to Quantify the Effects of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods in the U.S. Economy

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In April 2010, GAO reported that intellectual property (IP) is an important component of the U.S. economy and IP-related industries contribute a significant percentage to the U.S. gross domestic product. IP-related industries also pay significantly higher wages than other industries and contribute to a higher standard of living in the United States. Ensuring the protection of IP rights encourages the introduction of innovative products and creative works to the public. According to experts and literature GAO reviewed, counterfeiting and piracy have produced a wide range of effects on consumers, industry, government, and the economy as a whole. The U.S. economy as a whole may grow more slowly because of reduced innovation and loss of trade revenue. To the extent that counterfeiting and piracy reduce investments in research and development, companies may hire fewer workers and may contribute less to U.S. economic growth, overall. Furthermore, as GAO reported in June 2012, private sector organizations have experienced data loss or theft, economic loss, computer intrusions, and privacy breaches. For example, in February 2011, media reports stated that computer hackers had broken into and stolen proprietary information worth millions of dollars …
Date: July 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare Advantage: Changes Improved Accuracy of Risk Adjustment for Certain Beneficiaries (open access)

Medicare Advantage: Changes Improved Accuracy of Risk Adjustment for Certain Beneficiaries

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The effect of CMS's revised community model on payment accuracy varied for the high-risk groups studied. Specifically, compared with the current community model, the revised community model slightly reduced the accuracy of MA payment adjustments for beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions by $164, or about 1 percent of average actual expenditures. For beneficiaries with low income, the accuracy of the revised and the current community models was similar: estimates differed by $5, or less than 0.1 percent of average actual expenditures. For beneficiaries with dementia, the revised community model substantially improved the accuracy of MA payment adjustments by $2,674, or about 16 percent of average actual expenditures."
Date: December 9, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Space: Defense and Civilian Agencies Request Significant Funding for Launch-Related Activities (open access)

Space: Defense and Civilian Agencies Request Significant Funding for Launch-Related Activities

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: September 9, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
FEMA: Action Needed to Improve Administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (open access)

FEMA: Action Needed to Improve Administration of the National Flood Insurance Program

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been on GAO's high-risk list since March 2006 because of concerns about its long-term financial solvency and related operational issues. Significant management challenges also affect the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) ability to administer NFIP. This report examines (1) the extent to which FEMA's management practices affect the administration of NFIP; (2) lessons learned from the cancellation of FEMA's attempt to modernize NFIP's insurance management system; and (3) limitations on FEMA's authority that could affect NFIP's financial stability. To do this work, GAO reviewed internal control standards and best practices, analyzed agency documentation, reviewed previous work, and interviewed relevant agency officials."
Date: June 9, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan Drug Control: Strategy Evolving and Progress Reported, but Interim Performance Targets and Evaluation of Justice Reform Efforts Needed (open access)

Afghanistan Drug Control: Strategy Evolving and Progress Reported, but Interim Performance Targets and Evaluation of Justice Reform Efforts Needed

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The illicit drug trade remains a challenge to the overall U.S. counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan. Afghanistan produces over 90 percent of the world's opium, which competes with the country's licit agriculture industry, provides funds to insurgents, and fuels corruption in Afghanistan. Since 2005, the United States has allotted over $2 billion to stem the production, consumption, and trafficking of illicit drugs while building the Afghan government's capacity to conduct counternarcotics activities on its own. In this report, GAO (1) examines how the U.S. counternarcotics strategy in Afghanistan has changed; (2) assesses progress made and challenges faced within the elimination/eradication, interdiction, justice reform, public information, and drug demand reduction program areas; and (3) assesses U.S. agencies' monitoring and evaluation efforts. To address these objectives, GAO obtained pertinent program documents and interviewed relevant U.S. and Afghan officials. GAO has prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative."
Date: March 9, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Management Report: Opportunities for Improvements in the Congressional Award Foundation's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures (open access)

Management Report: Opportunities for Improvements in the Congressional Award Foundation's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In May 2010, we issued our opinion on the fiscal years 2009 and 2008 financial statements of the Congressional Award Foundation (the Foundation). We also reported on our evaluation of the Foundation's compliance with provisions of selected laws and regulations for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, and our consideration of the Foundation's internal control over financial reporting. The Foundation was formed in 1979 under the Congressional Award Act and is a private, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It was established to promote initiative, achievement, and excellence among young people in the areas of public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition. During fiscal year 2009, there were approximately 27,700 participants registered in the Foundation's award program. Although the organization does not receive government funding, we are responsible for conducting audits of the Foundation's financial statements annually in accordance with section 107 of the Congressional Award Act, as amended (2 U.S.C. 807). During our audit of the Foundation's fiscal years 2009 and 2008 financial statements, we identified a material weakness in the Foundation's internal control over financial reporting. The purpose of …
Date: September 9, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security: DHS and TSA Face Challenges Overseeing Acquisition of Screening Technologies (open access)

Homeland Security: DHS and TSA Face Challenges Overseeing Acquisition of Screening Technologies

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO’s past work has found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have faced challenges in developing and meeting program requirements when acquiring screening technologies. GAO’s past work has demonstrated that program performance cannot be accurately assessed without valid baseline requirements established at the program start. In June 2010, GAO reported that more than half of the 15 DHS programs GAO reviewed awarded contracts to initiate acquisition activities without component or department approval of documents essential to planning acquisitions, setting operational requirements, or establishing acquisition program baselines. At the program level, in January 2012, GAO reported that TSA did not fully follow DHS acquisition policies when acquiring advanced imaging technology (AIT)—commonly referred to as a full body scanner that identifies objects or anomalies on the outside of the body—which resulted in DHS approving full AIT deployment without full knowledge of TSA’s revised specifications. In July 2011, GAO reported that in 2010 TSA revised its explosive detection systems (EDS) requirements to better address current threats and planned to implement these requirements in a phased approach; however, GAO reported that some number of the …
Date: May 9, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library