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501 Matching Results

Start Over Year 2001 Day 11th

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(open access)

Regulatory Issues for Medicare Providers

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare is highly vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse. The enforcement of program payment rules, however, has raised concerns that these safeguards may have imposed too great a burden on health care providers. The proposed Medicare Education and Regulatory Fairness Act would seek to address some of these concerns by providing expedited procedures for provider appeals, new options for providers to use in repaying Medicare overpayments, protections for providers who voluntarily return overpayments or ask for a review of their claims, and new requirements for provider education. This report reviews how this proposed legislation would affect Medicare policies and procedures in (1) provider education and participation, (2) medical reviews, audits, and appeals, (3) recovery of overpayments, and (4) related legal issues."

Date: June 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Welfare Reform: More Research Needed on TANF Family Caps and Other Policies for Reducing Out-Of-Wedlock Births

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies among welfare recipients, some states have imposed family caps on welfare benefits. One factor that determines the amount of cash benefits a family receives is the family's size--larger families receive more benefits. In states with a family cap policy, however, no additional cash benefits are provided with the birth of another. Twenty-three states have implemented some variation of a family cap, breaking the traditional link between a family's size and the amount of its monthly welfare check. Generally, these states implemented family cap policies as part of their welfare reforms to reduce out-of-wedlock births and to encourage self-sufficiency. During an average month in 2000, 20 of the 23 family cap states reported that about 108,000 families received less in cash benefits than they would have in the absence of state-imposed family cap policies. In an average month, about nine percent of welfare families in these states had their benefits affected by the family cap. A family's welfare benefits are affected by several factors, including earnings and receipt of child support. Therefore, states were unable to report the precise effect of the family …

Date: September 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Nuclear Waste: Agreement Among Agencies Responsible for the West Valley Site Is Critically Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The West Valley nuclear facility in western New York State was built in the 1960s to convert spent nuclear fuel from commercial reactors into reusable nuclear fuel. New York State, the owner of the site, and the Atomic Energy Commission--the predecessor of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Department of Energy (DOE)--jointly promoted the venture. However, the timing of the venture was poor because the market for reprocessed nuclear fuel was limited and because new, more restrictive health and safety standards raised concerns about the facility. West Valley was shut down in the 1970s, and Congress enacted the West Valley Demonstration Project Act in 1980, which brought DOE to West Valley to carry out cleanup activities. This report examines the: (1) status of the cleanup; (2) factors that may be hindering the cleanup; (3) degree of certainty in the Department's estimates of total cleanup costs and schedule; and (4) degree to which the West Valley cleanup may reflect, or have implications for, larger cleanup challenges facing DOE and the nation. DOE has almost completed solidifying the high-level wastes at West Valley, but major additional cleanup …

Date: May 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Status of GAO's Recommendations to the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's January 2001 Performance and Accountability Series provides an overview of management issues at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the series, GAO made several recommendations to improve HUD's programs and operations. This report reviews the status of nine key recommendations. GAO found that HUD has taken important steps toward addressing some of its management deficiencies; however, significant weaknesses persist in some major areas, including single-family mortgage insurance, rental housing assistance, information and financial management systems, and human capital."

Date: May 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Navy Aviation Spare Parts Billing Transaction Issues

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During its review of the Navy's aviation spare parts billing transactions, GAO compared the prices that customers were billed for to the prices they should have paid according to the parts catalog maintained by the Naval Inventory Control Point-Philadelphia. GAO found thousands of transactions in which the customers' price did not match the catalog price. Also, thousands of additional transactions were discovered in which key information used to generate accurate customer bills was missing. On the basis of these findings, GAO concludes that the Navy may be incorrectly reporting its sales of aviation spare parts."

Date: January 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Telecommuting: Overview of Potential Barriers Facing Employers

A briefing report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Employers face potential tax, regulatory, and liability barriers when they establish telecommuting programs for their employees. Telecommuting refers to working from remote locations rather than an employer-provided location. Even though telecommuting has grown, some proponents are concerned that various laws and regulations discourage employers from establishing these programs. Many telecommuting proponents believe that significant obstacles to increased use of telecommuting involve internal management concerns on (1) assessing whether the employer has the types of positions and employees suitable for a telecommuting program, (2) maintaining security over sensitive company data while monitoring the actions of remote workers, and (3) ensuring that telecommuting activities do not adversely affect profits. A number of state and federal laws and regulations were also cited as potential barriers to telecommuting by those GAO interviewed. However, several of those laws and regulations cited as potential barriers predate the move toward the more technological and information-based economy in which telecommuting has developed. Thus their application to telecommuting is evolving and is somewhat unclear at this time."

Date: July 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Electronic Government: Challenges Must Be Addressed With Effective Leadership and Management

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Advances in the use of information technology (IT) and the Internet continue to change the way that federal agencies communicate, use and disseminate information, deliver services, and do business. Electronic government (e-government) refers to the use of technology, particularly web-based Internet applications, to enhance the access to and delivery of government information and service to citizens, business partners, employees, other agencies, and entities. This testimony discusses the status of federal e-government initiatives, the key challenges facing the government in implementing these initiatives, and the chief information officer (CIO) approach proposed by the E-Government Act of 2001. GAO found that federal agencies have launched an array of e-government applications, including using the Internet to collect and disseminate information and forms; buy goods and services; submit bids and proposals; and apply for licenses, grants, and benefits. Many of these initiatives have the potential to increase the speed and efficiency with which citizens and businesses interact with the government. However, the government faces several challenges in transitioning to an electronic environment. Among other issues, the government must minimize the risks associated with the dissemination of personal information and …

Date: July 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

JFMIP: Core Financial System Requirements

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Core Financial System Requirements document is intended to assist agencies when reviewing new core financial systems and when improving or evaluating existing core financial systems. It provides the baseline functionality in order to support agency missions and comply with laws and regulations. The final issuance of this document will augment existing federal financial management system functional requirements used in assessing compliance with the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act."

Date: June 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Force Structure: Projected Requirements for Some Army Forces Not Well Established

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Army has made progress developing a sound basis for its force structure requirements. It has improved the rigor of its analysis through more realistic scenarios and the integration of Army plans and initiatives. It has also expanded the analysis to include requirements for the entire Army. However, the weaknesses GAO identified suggest that the Army still lacks a sound basis for its institutional force requirements and the forces needed for the strategic reserve, domestic support, and homeland defense. GAO's analysis of the institutional force requirements casts doubt on their accuracy and, by extension, the accuracy of the shortfall that the Army identified in this element. By developing more accurate estimates of institutional forces, this shortfall might be entirely eliminated. A sound basis for requirements is also hampered by the lack of criteria for the strategic reserve, domestic support, and homeland defense element of the Army's force structure. A clearer definition of their missions is needed to accurately estimate the forces that will be required."

Date: May 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

D.C. Criminal Justice System: Better Coordination Needed Among Participating Agencies

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Every criminal justice system faces coordination challenges. However, the unique structure and funding of the D.C. criminal justice system, in which federal and D.C. jurisdictional boundaries and dollars are blended, creates additional challenges. The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) has played a useful role in addressing such coordination challenges, especially in areas in which agencies perceived a common interest. However, CJCC's uncertain future could leave D.C. without benefit of an independent entity for coordinating the activities of its unique criminal justice system. Funding CJCC through any participating agency diminishes its stature as an independent entity in the eyes of several CJCC member agencies, reducing their willingness to participate. Without a requirement to report successes and areas of continuing discussion and disagreement to each agency's funding source, CJCC's activities, achievements, and areas of disagreement have generally been known only to its participating agencies. This has created little incentive to coordinate for the common good, and all too often agencies have simply "agreed to disagree" without taking action. Furthermore, without a meaningful role in cataloging multiagency initiatives, CJCC has been unable to ensure that criminal justice initiatives are coordinated among …

Date: May 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

2000 Census: Significant Increase in Cost Per Housing Unit Compared to 1990 Census

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The estimated $6.5 billion full-cycle cost of the 2000 decennial census is nearly double that of the 1990 census. When the full-cycle cost is divided by the number of American households, the cost per housing unit of the 2000 census was $56 compared to $32 per housing unit for the 1990 census. The primary reasons for the cost increases include the following: (1) in the 1990 census, field data collection cost was $16 per housing unit, while in the 2000 census it was $32 per housing unit; (2) in the 1990 census, technology costs were $5 per housing unit compared to $8 per housing unit for the 2000 census; and (3) the data content and products activity cost $3 per housing unit in 1990 and $5 per housing unit in 2000."

Date: December 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Contract Management: Update on DOD's Purchase of Black Berets

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Army announced in October 2000 that personnel would begin wearing berets eight months later. To meet the tight deadline for the production of 5 million berets at a cost of about $30 million, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) shortcut normal contracting procedures and waived restrictions that limit military purchases of some items, including clothing, to those produced in the United States or its possessions. Despite these efforts, DLA was unable to meet the Army's deadline, and it terminated three contracts because the contractors did not meet delivery requirements. So far, the Defense Department (DOD) has received about 2.1 million berets--less than 1 million of which were distributed to Army personnel. DOD still expects another 1.6 million berets to be delivered by September 2002. DOD has taken steps to ensure that proposed waivers are considered at an appropriate management level. DOD no longer allows the Under Secretary of Defense or the service secretaries to delegate their authority to approve waivers. Requests for waivers must also be supported by analyses of why alternatives that would not require a waiver were unacceptable."

Date: December 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Schools and Libraries Program: Update on State-Level Funding by Category of Service

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 expanded the traditional definition of universal service--affordable, nationwide telephone service--to include eligible schools and libraries. The act authorized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to begin a program to help these institutions acquire advanced telecommunications services in the following three areas: telecommunications, Internet access, and internal connections. This report discusses state-level data on the amount of funds committed to the three categories of eligible services for each of the program's first three years. GAO found that requests substantially exceeded the program's available funding level during the program's first and third years. Priority is given to funding telecommunications and Internet access requests, and then to internal connections. Applicants have requested nearly $5.2 billion in e-rate support, more than double the program's $2.25 billion funding cap. Because requests for telecommunications and Internet access services total about $1.7 billion, most of the nearly $3.5 billion in internal connections requests could go unfunded under the current funding cap priority rules."

Date: May 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Environmental Liabilities: DOD Training Range Cleanup Cost Estimates Are Likely Understated

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Because of concerns about the long-term budgetary implications associated with the environmental cleanup of the Department of Defense (DOD) training ranges, GAO examined (1) the potential magnitude of the cost to clean up these ranges in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, (2) the scope and reliability of DOD's training range inventory, and (3) the methodologies used to develop cost estimates. GAO found that DOD lacks complete and accurate data with which to estimate training range cleanup costs. DOD has not done a complete inventory of its ranges to fully identify the types and extent of unexploded ordnance present and the associated contamination. Recently, DOD began to compile training range data, but these initial efforts have been delayed because DOD did not issue formal guidance to the services for collecting the information until October 2000. Because DOD has not completed an inventory of its ranges, the services have used varying methods to estimate the size and condition of the ranges necessary to estimate the cost of cleanup for financial statement purposes. As a result, environmental liability costs are not consistently calculated and reported across the services."

Date: April 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Multifamily Housing: Issues Related to Mark-to-Market Program Reauthorization

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring (OMHAR) administers the mark-to-market program, which was created to preserve the affordability of low-income rental housing while reducing the long-term costs of Section 8 project-based assistance. Legislative authorization for both the mark-to-market program and OMHAR is scheduled to terminate on September 30, 2001. If the legislative authority for the mark-to-market program provided for in Subtitle A of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 is allowed to expire, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates it will have to reduce the rents to market levels of well over 1,000 properties without having the tools to mitigate the potential effects of such reductions. If the reduced rents do not provide sufficient revenues to cover the properties' operating expenses, mortgage payments, and repair needs, owners may be forced to reduce expenditures for maintenance or other operating expenses or may default on their mortgages. Such action could result in deteriorating property conditions and substantial claims against the Federal Housing Administration insurance fund, which, in turn, could adversely affect property residents and lead to a decrease in the …

Date: July 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Defense Logistics: Strategic Planning Weaknesses Leave Economy, Efficiency, and Effectiveness of Future Support Systems at Risk

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) Logistics Strategic Plan is not comprehensive enough and does not provide an adequate overall logistics strategy to effectively guide the defense components' logistics plans. The military services, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the U.S. Transportation Command each developed separate logistics transformation and other implementation plans to support the Department-wide Logistics Strategic Plan. However, these plans also have weaknesses and are not likely to improve the overall economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of logistics activities."

Date: October 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Army Training: Improvements Are Needed in 5-Ton Truck Driver Training and Supervision

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Instructor shortages are affecting the quality and quantity of Army truck driver training. Fort Leonard Wood, which trains about 90 percent of truck drivers, is especially affected by the instructor shortage. The result is that student drivers are not fully trained in all aspects of the instruction program when they graduate. If formal schools had enough instructors, they would presumably be able to teach the entire instruction program. The student imbalance between the schools at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Bliss creates an ineffective use of resources. If the annual student load were more equally distributed between the two schools, student graduates from Fort Leonard Wood might receive more complete training. The formal schools are not adhering to the instruction program, which calls for some training with trucks carrying cargo. Furthermore, no training is provided on how to pull equipment. Similarly, students are not being trained to drive under different weather and surface conditions. Because annual check rides and sustainment are not always being performed, unsafe driving habits may go undetected. Although performing and recording check rides and sustainment may be time-consuming, these procedures can save …

Date: April 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Report

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Aviation Rulemaking: Incomplete Implementation Impaired FAA's Reform Efforts

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the results of GAO's review of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) rulemaking process and ways to improve its efficiency. GAO found that the time FAA took to formally initiate a rule in response to a congressional mandate or a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation varied widely. Between fiscal year 1995 and fiscal year 2000, FAA initiated most such rules within two years, but some rules were initiated many years later. During the entire six-year period GAO reviewed FAA's median time for the final rule phase--about 15 months--was comparable to that of four other federal regulatory agencies. Over a shorter, more recent period, FAA took longer to complete this phase. In 1998, FAA developed reforms to address problems the pace of rulemaking, including the timing of management's involvement, the administration of the process, and human capital management issues. However, the reforms have yet to shorten the rulemaking process because they have not been fully or effectively implemented. Shifting priorities, some brought about by external events and some by internal circumstances, have continued to delay the pace of rulemaking. In addition, difficult policy issues have sometimes remained …

Date: July 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library

(open access)

Securing America's Borders: INS Faces Information Technology Planning and Implementation Challenges

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Information technology (IT) management process controls are predictors of organizational success in developing, acquiring, implementing, operating, and maintaining IT systems and related infrastructure. GAO found that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has not implemented practices associated with effective IT investment and enterprise architecture management. Furthermore, these investments are not aligned with an agencywide blueprint that defines the agency's future operational and technological plans. INS does not know whether its ongoing investments are meeting their cost, schedule, and performance commitments."

Date: October 11, 2001

Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.

Object Type: Text

System: The UNT Digital Library