A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the face of growing demand for veterans' health care, GAO and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) have raised concerns about the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) ability to maximize its third-party collections to supplement its medical care appropriation. GAO has testified that inadequate patient intake procedures, insufficient documentation by physicians, a shortage of qualified billing coders, and insufficient automation diminished VA's collections. In turn, the OIG reported that VA missed opportunities to bill, had billing backlogs, and did inadequate follow-up on bills. While VA has made improvements in these areas, GAO was asked to review internal control activities over third-party billings and collections at selected medical centers to assess whether they were designed and implemented effectively."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In its contingency operations since the early 1990s, the Department of Defense (DOD) has relied extensively on logistics support contractors to provide many of the supplies and services needed by deployed U.S. forces. As requested, GAO assessed DOD's planning in its use of logistics support contracts in contingency operations; determined whether DOD has had contract oversight processes that are adequate to ensure that quality services were provided in an economical and efficient manner; and assessed the extent to which DOD provided trained personnel qualified to oversee its contractors. GAO focused its efforts on four logistics support contracts chosen because of their size and chosen to represent more than one military service--the Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) and Balkans Support Contract, the Navy's Construction Capabilities Augmentation Program, and the Air Force's Contract Augmentation Program."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Missing among the Department of Defense's (DOD) portfolio of systems is a capability to track stationary and moving enemy vehicles on land or at sea in any type of weather, day or night, from space. To meet this need, DOD and the intelligence community are collaborating on the ambitious Space-Based Radar (SBR) program. By leveraging the newest generation of radar technologies, the SBR concept promises to deliver high-quality data to a wide array of users. DOD intends to start product development in 2006 and to field SBR satellites as quickly as possible so that warfighters, the intelligence community, and national decision makers can gain a better understanding of what adversaries are doing in specific locations around the world. GAO reviewed the SBR program to assess DOD's progress in attaining the knowledge it needs by 2006 in terms of customer needs (or requirements) and resources."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began operations in March 2003, it faced the daunting task of bringing together 22 diverse agencies. This transformation poses significant management and leadership challenges, including integrating a myriad of redundant financial management systems and addressing the existing weaknesses in the inherited components, as well as newly identified weaknesses. This review was performed to (1) identify the financial management systems' weaknesses DHS inherited from the 22 component agencies, (2) assess DHS's progress in addressing those weaknesses, (3) identify plans DHS has to integrate its financial management systems, and (4) review whether the planned systems DHS is developing will meet the requirements of relevant financial management improvement laws."

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether chapter 716 of the Health and Safety Code permits a person authorized to dispose of the remains of a deceased individual to contract directly for cremation services (RQ-0169-GA)

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

This report discusses hearings in the U.S. Senate and is divided into four main sections: (1) the role of hearings in the committee process, types of hearings, and broad organizational issues, (2) a discussion of the planning process, (3) how a hearing is held, and (4) activities committees often undertake following a hearing.

Weekly newspaper from Alvin, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Daily newspaper from Altus, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Daily newspaper from Sapulpa, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Photograph of Bert Martin (left) and Rusty Allen (right) at the GALA Festival VII held in Montreal, Canada. Rusty stands next to Martin and wears a white t-shirt covered with small turtle illustrations. Martin is visible from the neck upwards. They stand in front of a brown wall in a dimly lit room.

Photograph of Bert Martin at the GALA Festival VII held in Montreal, Canada. Martin wears a white t-shirt with a Texas flag on it. He sits in a dark room and smiles towards the camera.

Photograph of Turtle Creek Chorale members (l-r) Chris Stinnett, Pat McCann, and Rusty Allen at the GALA Festival VII held in Montreal, Canada. They pose next to each other in front of a red curtain and smile towards the camera.

Interview with Joba Ramirez, a nurse from Denton, Texas, regarding her Mexican-American heritage. Ramirez discusses her background, medical education, family traditions, discrimination she experienced, and the history of Denton's Mexican-American community.

Daily newspaper from Perry, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.