A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has primary responsibility for securing air cargo transported into the United States from another country, referred to as inbound air cargo, and preventing implements of terrorism from entering the country. GAO examined (1) what actions DHS has taken to secure inbound air cargo, and how, if at all, these efforts could be strengthened; and (2) what practices the air cargo industry and foreign governments have adopted that could enhance DHS's efforts to strengthen inbound air cargo security, and to what extent DHS has worked with foreign governments to enhance their air cargo security efforts. To conduct this study, GAO reviewed relevant DHS documents, interviewed DHS officials, and conducted site visits to seven countries in Europe and Asia."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the next 5 years the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) expects to invest $49 billion in the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system's development and fielding. MDA's strategy is to field new capabilities in 2-year blocks. In January 2006, MDA initiated its second block--Block 2006--to protect against attacks from North Korea and the Middle East. Congress requires GAO to assess MDA's progress annually. GAO's March 2007 report addressed MDA's progress during fiscal year 2006 and followed up on program oversight issues and the current status of MDA's quality assurance program. GAO assessed the progress of each element being developed by MDA, examined acquisition laws applicable to major acquisition programs, and reviewed the impact of implemented quality initiatives."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Corrosion can have a deleterious effect on military equipment and infrastructure in terms of cost, readiness, and safety. Recognizing this concern, the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2003 required the Department of Defense (DOD) to designate an official or organization to oversee and coordinate efforts to prevent and mitigate corrosion. Recently, the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2006 directed GAO to examine the effectiveness of DOD's corrosion prevention and mitigation programs. In addition, GAO evaluated the extent to which DOD has incorporated corrosion prevention planning in acquiring weapon systems. GAO reviewed strategy documents, reviewed corrosion prevention planning for 51 recent major weapon system acquisitions, and interviewed DOD and military service officials."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1998, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have been working to electronically exchange patient health data, including outpatient pharmacy data, cross their electronic health information systems. Exchanging outpatient pharmacy data is important for DOD and VA because certain DOD and VA patients, known as shared patients, receive health care from both agencies. Clinicians' access to complete health information from both agencies' health information systems could assist clinicians in making more informed medical decisions and help prevent adverse medication reactions--which include detrimental or unintended reactions when multiple medications are taken together and allergic reactions to a medication. In March 2004, DOD and VA began collaborating on a long-term initiative to make their outpatient pharmacy data computable. Computable data refer to data that are in a format that a computer application can act on: for example, to provide automatic checks for adverse medication reactions or to plot graphs of changes in vital signs such as blood pressure. In reporting on this initiative in the past, GAO noted that the agencies have experienced delays in their efforts to begin exchanging computable outpatient pharmacy data. …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act created, in December 2003, the Financial Literacy and Education Commission. This statement is based on a report issued in December 2006, which responded to the act's mandate that GAO assess the Commission's progress in (1) developing a national strategy; (2) developing a Web site and hotline; and (3) coordinating federal efforts and promoting partnerships among the federal, state, local, nonprofit, and private sectors. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed Commission documents, interviewed its member agencies and private financial literacy organizations, and benchmarked the national strategy against GAO's criteria for such strategies."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to Congress's request for information on (1) selected federal expenditures, policies, and programs that affect the U.S. banking industry and (2) certain banking industry trends. These include the savings and loan industry crisis, trade finance, tax policies, and profits and executive compensation. Congress's letter also asked us for information on bank fees; as agreed with Congressional staff, we will discuss this topic in a separate report. On December 11, 2006, we briefed Congressional staff on information gathered during our preliminary work. This letter summarizes and updates the information presented at the briefing."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) relies on a critical network to electronically communicate, capture, exchange, and access law enforcement and investigative information. Misuse or interruption of this critical network, or disclosure of the information traversing it, would impair FBI's ability to fulfill its missions. Effective information security controls are essential for ensuring that information technology resources and information are adequately protected from inadvertent or deliberate misuse, fraudulent use, disclosure, modification, or destruction. GAO was asked to assess information security controls for one of FBI's critical networks. To assess controls, GAO conducted a vulnerability assessment of the internal network and evaluated the bureau's information security program associated with the network operating environment. This report summarizes weaknesses in information security controls in one of FBI's critical networks."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) directed GAO to study the compensation of physicians in traditional fee-for service (FFS) Medicare. GAO explored linking physician compensation to efficiency--defined as providing and ordering a level of services that is sufficient to meet a patient's health care needs but not excessive, given the patient's health status. In this report, GAO (1) estimates the prevalence in Medicare of physicians who are likely to practice inefficiently, (2) examines physician-focused strategies used by health care purchasers to encourage efficiency, and (3) examines the potential for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to profile physicians for efficiency and use the results. To do this, GAO developed a methodology using 2003 Medicare claims data to compare generalist physicians' Medicare practices with those of their peers in 12 metropolitan areas. GAO also examined 10 health care purchasers that profile physicians for efficiency."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To safeguard the integrity of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, government employees who have significant decision-making responsibilities and peer reviewers who evaluate the scientific and technical merit of research funding requests should be free from conflicts of interest. One method to resolve a conflict of interest is recusal, which is accomplished by not participating in work that will affect a personal interest or involves a personal relationship. GAO reported on (1) how NIH informs senior employees about recusal and what the requirements are for them to notify supervisors, and (2) how NIH informs peer reviewers about recusal and how NIH monitors their compliance with recusals. GAO reviewed relevant NIH policy manual chapters and NIH guidance and interviewed NIH officials. GAO selected NIH's National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the review because they have the largest budgets at NIH."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Registered nurses (RN) are the single largest group of health care providers in the United States, with more than 2.4 million people employed as RNs in 2004. Basic RN training may be completed through a 2-year associate's degree, a 3-year diploma, or a 4-year bachelor's degree. RNs work in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, physicians' offices, and public health clinics. Reports by government agencies and others have raised concerns about nurse shortages. In 2001, we reported on an emerging shortage of RNs to fill vacant positions across a range of health care settings. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), estimated that the supply of RNs nationally fell approximately 111,000 short of demand in 2000 (5.5 percent) and projected the gap would widen in the ensuing years. A shortage of RNs, like general workforce shortages, occurs when the demand for RNs exceeds supply. The supply of RNs, or the number of RNs employed, is influenced by multiple factors, including the size of the overall labor force, the number of licensed RNs choosing to …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A May 2006 data breach at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other similar incidents since then have heightened awareness of the importance of protecting computer equipment containing personally identifiable information and responding effectively to a breach that poses privacy risks. GAO's objective was to identify lessons learned from the VA data breach and other similar federal data breaches regarding effectively notifying government officials and affected individuals about data breaches. To address this objective, GAO analyzed documentation and interviewed officials at VA and five other agencies regarding their responses to data breaches and their progress in implementing standardized data breach notification procedures. The cases at the other agencies were chosen because, like the VA case, they involved loss or theft of computing equipment and relatively large numbers of affected individuals (10,000 or more)."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The success of the 2010 Census depends, in part, upon the U.S. Census Bureau's (Bureau) ability to recruit, hire, and train over half a million temporary workers at peak. Under the Comptroller General's authority, GAO reviewed the extent that the Bureau's (1) recruiting and hiring processes for these staff are consistent with selected human capital principles and (2) training delivery and content take into account known challenges. To answer these questions, GAO analyzed relevant reports and past recommendations to select principles for evaluating these activities, reviewed related Bureau documents, observed the 2006 Census Test in South Dakota and Texas, and interviewed Bureau officials."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "At a time when U.S. military forces and their equipment are in high demand, effective management of the Department of Defense's (DOD) inventory is critical to ensure that the warfighter has the right items at the right time. The Air Force is the largest contributor to DOD's total on-hand inventory on the basis of inventory value. Under the statutory authority of the Comptroller General to conduct evaluations on his own initiative, GAO determined the extent to which (1) the Air Force's on-order and on-hand inventory reflect the amount of inventory needed to support required inventory levels from fiscal years 2002 through 2005, and (2) the Air Force had shortages in its inventory needed to support required levels during this period. To address these objectives GAO analyzed Air Force secondary inventory data (spare parts such as engines and guided missiles) from fiscal years 2002 through 2005."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy Office was established with the appointment of the first Chief Privacy Officer in April 2003, as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Privacy Office's major responsibilities include: (1) reviewing and approving privacy impact assessments (PIA)--analyses of how personal information is managed in a federal system, (2) integrating privacy considerations into DHS decision making, (3) ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, and (4) preparing and issuing annual reports and reports on key privacy concerns. GAO's objective was to examine progress made by the Privacy Office in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. GAO did this by comparing statutory requirements with Privacy Office processes, documents, and activities."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report responds to certain requirements of the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA) of 1998 that authorized certain Haitian nationals and their dependents to apply to adjust their status to lawful permanent residence. Section 902 (k) of the act requires the Comptroller General to report every 6 months on the number of Haitian nationals who have applied and been approved to adjust their status to lawful permanent residence. The reports are to contain a breakdown of the number of Haitians who applied and the number who were approved as asylum applicants, parolees, children without parents, orphaned children, or abandoned children; or as the eligible dependents of these applicants, including spouses, children, and unmarried sons or daughters. Reports are to be provided until all applications have been finally adjudicated. This is GAO's sixteenth report."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) relies extensively on information technology (IT) to carry out its mission. For fiscal year 2008, DHS requested about $4 billion--the third largest planned IT expenditure among federal departments. Given the size and significance of DHS's IT investments, GAO's objectives were to determine whether DHS (1) has established the management structure and associated policies and procedures needed to effectively manage these investments and (2) is implementing key practices needed to effectively control them. GAO used its IT Investment Management (ITIM) framework and associated methodology to address these objectives, focusing on the framework's stages related to the investment management provisions of the Clinger-Cohen Act."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fiscal year 2006 appropriations act provided $40.15 million for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) program to modernize its information technology (IT) infrastructure. As mandated by the appropriations act, the department is to develop and submit for approval an expenditure plan for the program, referred to as "Atlas," that satisfies certain legislative conditions, including a review by GAO. In performing its review of the Atlas plan, GAO (1) determined whether the plan satisfies certain legislative conditions and (2) provided other observations about the plan and management of the program. To do this, GAO analyzed the fiscal year 2006 Atlas expenditure plan and supporting documents against the legislative conditions, federal requirements, and related best practices. GAO also interviewed relevant DHS officials."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) is a tri-agency acquisition--managed by the Departments of Commerce and Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration--which experienced escalating costs, schedule delays, and technical difficulties. These factors led to a June 2006 decision to restructure the program thereby decreasing the program's complexity, increasing its estimated cost to $12.5 billion, and delaying the first two satellites by 3 to 5 years. GAO was asked to (1) assess progress in restructuring the acquisition, (2) evaluate progress in establishing an effective management structure, (3) assess the reliability of the cost and schedule estimate, and (4) identify the status and key risks facing the program's major segments. To do so, GAO analyzed program and contractor data, attended program reviews, and interviewed program officials"

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1996, the Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) has been working on an initiative to replace its aging system for paying compensation and pension benefits. In 2005, concerned about the slow pace of development, VBA contracted with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) for an independent evaluation of the project, known as the Veterans Service Network (VETSNET). SEI advised VBA to continue working on the project at a reduced pace while addressing management and organization weaknesses that it determined had hampered the project's progress. GAO was requested to determine to what extent the VETSNET project has followed the course of action recommended by SEI and describe the project's current status. To perform its review, GAO analyzed project documentation, conducted site visits, and interviewed key program officials."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) establishes for the Department of Defense (DOD) the price DOD will use for pricing crude oil when constructing its budget for upcoming fiscal years. DOD in turn uses OMB's price in establishing the standard price to be used for a barrel of fuel for budgeting purposes by DOD fuel customers such as the military services. Because of the volatility of world petroleum prices, the standard price for a barrel of fuel included in the President's annual budget request for DOD may be lower or higher than the actual price established by the world market at any point in time after DOD's budget request is submitted to the Congress. During the fiscal year, DOD pays for fuel at the actual market rate, which typically varies from the budgeted rate. As a result, if the actual price of crude oil increases above the price DOD charges its customers, more dollars are needed to pay for fuel than originally budgeted. If the actual price is lower than what DOD charges its customers, DOD has more dollars than needed. Additionally, if DOD responds to increases …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since combat operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. forces have been subjected to frequent and deadly attacks from insurgents using various weapons such as improvised explosive devices (IED), mortars, rocket launchers, and increasingly lethal ballistic threats. Since 2003, to provide protection from ballistic threats, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas, has required service members and Department of Defense (DOD) civilians in its area of operations to be issued the Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) system. Used by all U.S. military service members and DOD civilians in the area of operations, the IBA consists of an outer tactical vest with ballistic inserts or plates that cover the front, back, and sides. As the ballistic threat has evolved, ballistic requirements have also changed. The vest currently provides protection from 9mm rounds, while the inserts provide protection against 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds. Additional protection can also be provided for the shoulder, throat, and groin areas. Concerns also regarding the level of protection and amount of IBA needed to protect U.S. forces have occurred in recent years, prompted by a number of reports, …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. government efforts to protect and enforce intellectual property rights are crucial to preventing billions of dollars in economic losses and for mitigating health and safety risks from trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. The Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leads intellectual property (IP) enforcement activity at the U.S. border. GAO was asked to (1) examine key aspects of CBP's process to carry out border enforcement, (2) analyze CBP's border enforcement outcomes during fiscal years 2001 to 2006, and (3) evaluate CBP's approach for improving border enforcement. GAO examined relevant documents, interviewed agency officials in Washington, D.C. and seven port locations, and analyzed CBP data on trade and IP seizure and penalty activity. This is the public version of a law enforcement sensitive report by the same title (GAO-07-350SU)."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States has a vital national interest in maritime security. The safety and economic security of the United States depend in substantial part upon the secure use of the world's waterways and ports. In an effort to further the progress made through the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE Port Act) was passed and became effective in October 2006. This testimony, which is based on past GAO work, synthesizes the results of this work as it pertains to the following: (1) overall port security, (2) facility security at U.S. ports, (3) the international supply chain and cargo container security, and (4) customs revenue collection efforts."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 9/11, the federal government has taken steps to ensure that transportation workers are screened to ensure that they do not pose a security risk. However, the number of DHS background check programs has raised concerns that such workers may be subject to redundant background check programs. The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 required GAO to conduct a study of those DHS background check programs similar to the one required of truck drivers to obtain a hazardous material endorsement (HME). For this study, GAO examined DHS background check programs to identify (1) potential redundancies and inconsistencies, if any, connected with these programs, and (2) actions, if any, DHS is taking or planning to coordinate its background check programs. To address these objectives, GAO examined selected background check programs, interviewed DHS officials and private stakeholders, and reviewed relevant documents."