A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on skilled nursing facilities, focusing on: (1) the initial effect of the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care; (2) the initial effect of the SNF PPS on providers; and (3) the role the SNF PPS has played in the poor financial performance of large nursing home chains."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Essential Air Service (EAS) program, focusing on: (1) how DOT applied criteria to establish which communities would receive subsidized air service; (2) changes in the level of subsidies provided to EAS-eligible communities in fiscal year 1999 relative to that provided in 1995; (3) why the level of subsidies changed between 1995 and 1999; and (4) whether DOT applied any of the increase in program funding to rural air safety projects."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In carrying out VA's mission of serving the nation's veterans and their dependents, the agency relies extensively on information technology (IT), for which it is requesting about $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2006. VA's vision is to integrate its IT resources and streamline interactions with customers, so that it can provide services and information to veterans more quickly and effectively. Fully exploiting the potential of IT to improve performance is a challenging goal for VA, as it is throughout government. The Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 addressed this challenge by, among other things, establishing the position of chief information officer (CIO) to serve as the focal point for information and technology management within departments and agencies. The Committee requested that GAO discuss the role of CIOs in the federal government, as well as provide a historical perspective on the roles and responsibilities of VA's CIO. In developing this testimony, GAO relied on its previous work at VA as well as on the CIO role across government, including a 2004 review of CIOs at major departments and agencies."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since the passage of Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, the appraisal and mortgage lending industry has changed dramatically. Some have concluded that the law is obsolete because the problems Title XI was intended to address--the risk to federal deposit insurance funds and the lack of uniform standards and qualifications--no longer exist. Others argue that the law's purpose and scope should be expanded. To help Congress better understand these issues, GAO looked at the roles of the private, state, and federal entities that oversee the appraisal industry, the challenges Title XI presented to these entities, and industry participants' concerns about the effectiveness of the Title XI regulatory structure."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the Department of Education's oversight of student eligibility for federal aid at private for-profit schools, also known as proprietary schools. Education's monitoring of eligibility requirements is part of a larger oversight structure governing federal aid to students at all schools. For example, in order to receive federal aid, students must attend schools that are legally authorized to operate in a state, accredited by reliable authorities to help ensure education programs meet acceptable levels of quality, and certified by Education to participate in federal student aid programs. In addition, students attending proprietary, public, or private non-profit schools are also required to demonstrate that they are ready for higher education. Generally, students who do not have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED) are required to pass an "ability to benefit" (ATB) test of basic math and English skills in order to be eligible for loans, grants, and campus-based aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Education's monitoring of ATB tests and high school diploma requirements is critical to protecting students and guarding against potential fraud and abuse of …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2001, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has been working to develop a modern Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system, a major information system that is intended to preserve and provide access to massive volumes of all types and formats of electronic records. The system is being developed incrementally over several years; the first system increment is to provide an initial set of functions, with additional capabilities to be added in future increments. However, in 2007, NARA's contractor acknowledged that it would not be able to meet the planned date for the initial operational capability of the first ERA increment. GAO was asked to provide information on the steps that NARA has taken to respond to the delays encountered in the development. To prepare this testimony, GAO reviewed its previous work in this area, as well as the preliminary results of an ongoing performance audit. For this ongoing audit, GAO analyzed NARA reports, contract documents, and other material related to the ERA development project, and interviewed agency and contractor officials."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps individuals and businesses recover from disasters such as hurricanes through its Disaster Loan Program. SBA faced an unprecedented demand for disaster loan assistance following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes (Katrina, Rita, and Wilma), which resulted in extensive property damage and loss of life. In the aftermath of these disasters, concerns were expressed regarding the timeliness of SBA's disaster assistance. GAO initiated work and completed two reports under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations and determine how well SBA provided victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes with timely assistance. This testimony, which is based on these two reports, discusses (1) challenges SBA experienced in providing victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes with timely assistance, (2) factors that contributed to these challenges, and (3) steps SBA has taken since the Gulf Coast hurricanes to enhance its disaster preparedness. GAO visited the Gulf Coast region, reviewed SBA planning documents, and interviewed SBA officials."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During fiscal year 2002, an estimated 5.8 million people borrowed about $38 billion in federal student loans. Despite a dramatic reduction in annual default rates on those loans since fiscal year 1990 (from 22.4 to 5.9 percent), the total volume of dollars in default doubled to nearly $22 billion by fiscal year 2001 from about $11 billion in fiscal year 1990. During that same period, the total student loans outstanding grew from $54.1 billion to $233.2 billion. The Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) manages the nation's student financial assistance programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). In 1998, Congress amended the HEA and established FSA as a performance-based organization. Among other requirements, the HEA called for FSA to annually develop 5-year plans, issue annual reports, and consult with stakeholders regarding their delivery system. GAO initiated a review to assess FSA's default management efforts and results."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army Corps of Engineers' Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) provide financial support to promote social and economic progress in developing countries and the countries of central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2001, the United States is providing $1.3 billion to support the MDBs, with $460 million going to the regional development banks and $840 million going to the World Bank Group. All of the MDBs GAO reviewed have received unqualified or "clean" opinions on their external audits. However, none of the MDBs GAO reviewed are required to report on their internal controls over financial reporting, lending operations, or compliance with their governing charters or policies. In addition, the regional MDBs' external financial statement audits are not intended to, and do not, provide assurances about internal controls over the MDBs' lending operations and whether funds are spent as intended. Most of the regional MDBs that GAO reviewed have developed anti-corruption strategies that recognize the importance of strong internal control systems. Each of the regional MDBs GAO studied has established internal audit functions as part of their controls."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For decades, there have been allegations of discrimination in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and workforce. Reports and congressional testimony by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a former Secretary of Agriculture, USDA's Office of Inspector General, GAO, and others have described weaknesses in USDA's programs--in particular, in resolving complaints of discrimination and in providing minorities access to programs. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 authorized the creation of the position of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR), giving USDA an executive that could provide leadership for resolving these long-standing problems. This testimony focuses on USDA's efforts to (1) resolve discrimination complaints, (2) report on minority participation in USDA programs, and (3) strategically plan its efforts. This testimony is based on new and prior work, including analysis of ASCR's strategic plan; discrimination complaint management; and about 120 interviews with officials of USDA and other federal agencies, as well as 20 USDA stakeholder groups. USDA officials reviewed the facts upon which this statement is based, and we incorporated their additions and clarifications as appropriate. GAO plans a future …

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the National Credit Union Administration's (NCUA) new rule on the organization and operations of federal credit unions. GAO noted that: (1) the rule would implement changes made to the NCUA's chartering and field of membership authority by the Credit Union Membership Access Act; and (2) NCUA complied with applicable requirements in promulgating the rule."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Cutting off terrorists' funding is essential to deterring terrorist operations. The USA PATRIOT Act expanded the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to access and share financial information regarding terrorist investigations, but terrorists may have adjusted their activities by increasing use of alternative financing mechanisms. GAO was asked to assess (1) the nature of terrorists' use of key alternative financing mechanisms for earning, moving, and storing terrorists' assets; (2) what is known about the extent of terrorists' use of alternative financing mechanisms; and (3) challenges that the U.S. government faces in monitoring terrorists' use of alternative financing mechanisms."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed how the Department of Veterans' Affairs' (VA) manages its national formulary and how drugs other than those on the formulary are made available to veterans."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2000, the Congress passed the Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act (ORBIT Act) to help promote a more competitive global satellite services market. The ORBIT Act called for the full privatization of INTELSAT, a former intergovernmental organization that provided international satellite services. In this testimony, GAO discusses (1) the impetus for the privatization of Intelsat as competition developed in the 1990s, (2) the extent to which the privatization steps required by the ORBIT Act have been implemented, and (3) whether access by global satellite companies to non-U.S. markets has improved since the enactment of the ORBIT Act."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Health information technology (IT) offers promise for improving patient safety and reducing inefficiencies. Given its role in providing health care in the United States, the federal government has been urged to take a leadership role to improve the quality and effectiveness of health care, including the adoption of IT. In April 2004, President Bush called for widespread adoption of interoperable electronic health records within 10 years and issued an executive order that established the position of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The National Coordinator, appointed in May 2004, released a framework for strategic action two months later. In late 2005, HHS also awarded several contracts to address key areas of health IT. GAO has been reporting on the department's efforts toward nationwide implementation of health IT since 2005. In prior work, GAO recommended that HHS establish detailed plans and milestones for the development of a national health IT strategy and take steps to ensure that its plans are followed and milestones met. For this testimony, GAO was asked to describe HHS's efforts to advance the use of …

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on the state of the economy of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and its revenue-raising efforts, focusing on: (1) what the impact of the garment and tourist industries and the use of foreign washers has been on the economy of the CNMI; (2) how the revenue-raising efforts of the CNMI and the payments that CNMI receives from the U.S. Treasury compare with those of other U.S. territories and freely associated states; and (3) how the taxes and fees paid by the garment industry in the CNMI, expressed as a percentage of gross receipts, compare with the taxes and fees paid by the garment industry in the United States."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the implementation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), focusing on states': (1) initial SCHIP design choices, including the use of the statutory flexibility to design their programs; (2) pursuit of statutory options, particularly extending coverage to adults in families with children; (3) development of innovative outreach strategies to enroll eligible children; and (4) tailoring of strategies to avoid the crowd out of both private insurance and Medicaid coverage by SCHIP."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) plans and controls for year 2000 business continuity planning, focusing on: (1) the status of and plans for completing DEA's contingency planning for continuity of operations; and (2) whether DEA's contingency planning efforts satisfy the key processes described in GAO's business continuity and contingency planning guide."