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National Park Service: Status of Efforts to Develop Better Deferred Maintenance Data (open access)

National Park Service: Status of Efforts to Develop Better Deferred Maintenance Data

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Beginning in the 1980s, the National Park Service spent $11 million to develop and implement a maintenance management system. The system was eventually terminated because it failed to provide park managers with all the information they needed to manage their deferred maintenance workload. In 1998, the Park Service started a new asset management process to provide a systematic method for documenting deferred maintenance needs and tracking progress in reducing the amount of deferred maintenance. GAO found that the Park Service has made progress in developing a new asset management process. When finally implemented, the process should provide the agency with a (1) reliable inventory of its assets; (2) process for reporting on the condition of each asset; and (3) systemwide methodology for estimating deferred maintenance costs for each asset. Although the new process is promising, its success cannot be determined until staff in each of the park units are trained and the new asset management process is fully and properly implemented."
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Postal Service: Accounting for Postretirement Benefits (open access)

U.S. Postal Service: Accounting for Postretirement Benefits

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "A 1992 GAO report found that the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) use of the pay-as-you-go basis of accounting for the postretirement health benefit costs of employers participating in multiemployer plans was in accordance with existing private sector generally accepted accounting principles. GAO recently concluded that that report did not adequately consider the potential accounting ramifications of USPS's unique statutory obligations, which are not applicable to other multiemployer plans--both pension and other postretirement benefit plans. Given this, combined with the economic and competitive environment USPS now faces, ongoing efforts to transform USPS to address its financial and operational challenges, and both the Congress's and the public's call for more information and transparency in financial reporting, GAO concludes that now is an opportune time for USPS to reassess how best to account for and disclose this significant financial obligation."
Date: September 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Management: New Management Reform Program Still Evolving (open access)

Defense Management: New Management Reform Program Still Evolving

A briefing report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Secretary of Defense announced a new business transformation program in 2001 with the intent of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Department of Defense business operations. Concerned that the previous administration's Defense Reform Initiatives (DRI) could not be successful without many years of sustained effort, the Senate Committee on Armed Services issued a September 2001 report directing GAO to assess which DRI initiatives have been carried forward. In completing this assessment, GAO also examined the management structure and types of initiatives contained in the new business transformation program. Also at the request of the Committee, more detailed information on the status of the logistics reform and electronic business/electronic commerce initiatives is provided in the GAO report. GAO interviewed officials involved with the former DRI initiatives, as well as officials operating at all levels of the new business transformation program. In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with GAO's findings."
Date: December 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Courthouse Construction: Information on Courtroom Sharing (open access)

Courthouse Construction: Information on Courtroom Sharing

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, concerns have been raised that new courtrooms continue to be built for district judges, even though existing courtrooms appear to be under used. The judiciary wants to maintain its one-judge, one-courtroom policy because of concerns about the effect of shared courtroom space on judicial administration. The judiciary has not, however, determined whether courtroom sharing may be possible among senior judges--the likeliest candidates for such an arrangement because of their reduced caseloads. Some active and senior judges in areas with a courtroom shortage are currently sharing space. Many of these judges oppose courtroom sharing because they believe that it interferes with the courts business and harms the judicial process. The judiciary plans to have some senior judges share space in future courthouse projects. Significant courtroom sharing appears unlikely in the near future, even among senior judges."
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Overseas Schools: Compensation Adequate for Recruiting and Retaining Well-Qualified Teachers (open access)

DOD Overseas Schools: Compensation Adequate for Recruiting and Retaining Well-Qualified Teachers

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) overseas schools educate more than 70,000 children of military service members and DOD civilian employees throughout the world. In order to ensure the continued success of this school system, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 directed GAO to assess whether the DOD overseas teachers' compensation package is adequate to recruit and retain qualified teachers. The act also required GAO to determine whether any revisions to the law governing DOD overseas teachers' salaries were advisable."
Date: December 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans Affairs: Sustained Management Attention Is Key to Achieving Information Technology Results (open access)

Veterans Affairs: Sustained Management Attention Is Key to Achieving Information Technology Results

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made important progress in raising corporate awareness of the department's information technology (IT) needs and in taking actions to improve key areas of IT performance. Nevertheless, the department has significant work to accomplish in order to use IT investments to improve mission performance. VA has taken important steps in laying the groundwork for an integrated, departmentwide enterprise architecture--a blueprint for evolving its information systems and developing new systems that optimize their mission value--by establishing crucial executive support and a strategy to define produces and processes essential to its development. VA has also strengthened its department-level information security program by requiring greater management accountability from senior executives, through mandated information security performance standards. In addition, Veterans Health Administration managers and clinicians have shown good progress in expanding their use of the decision support system to facilitate clinical and financial decisionmaking. However, many aspects of the department's IT environment remain troublesome. The department continues to report pervasive computer security challenges, including access and other general control weaknesses. Moreover, in pursuing critical information systems investments, the Veterans Benefits Administration has not addressed …
Date: June 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Challenges Remain in Setting Payments for Medical Equipment and Supplies and Covered Drugs (open access)

Medicare: Challenges Remain in Setting Payments for Medical Equipment and Supplies and Covered Drugs

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare has paid higher than market rates for various medical equipment and supplies and often considerably higher than provider acquisition costs for Medicare-covered outpatient drugs. Congress has enacted a series of legislative changes affecting payment methods and payment adjustment authority for medical equipment and supplies and outpatient drugs since the late 1980s. However, progress in setting appropriate rates has been mixed, owing, in part, to various constraints faced by the agency responsible for administering Medicare--the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Because of the program's size, scope, and role as a public payer, Medicare has limited options to set and adjust payments for medical equipment, supplies and outpatient drugs. Medicare's method of paying for medical equipment and supplies is through fee schedules that remain tied to suppliers' historical charges to Medicare rather than market prices. Medicare's payment approaches lack flexibility to keep pace with market changes, and, as a result, Medicare often pays higher prices than other public payers. Previous efforts to lower Medicare's overly generous payments suggest several lessons. First, payment changes are most effectively implemented when the process used to set or adjust a rate …
Date: June 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Privacy: Status of State Actions on Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's Privacy Provisions (open access)

Financial Privacy: Status of State Actions on Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act's Privacy Provisions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Subtitle A of Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) of 1999 requires that each financial institution, which is defined to include most insurance providers or companies, has "an affirmative and continuing obligation to respect the privacy of its customers and to protect the security and confidentiality of those customers' nonpublic personal information." This prohibits the disclosure of consumers' nonpublic personal information to any entity that is not an affiliate of, or related by common ownership or control, to the institution unless the consumer is given an opportunity to opt out of such disclosure. Also, financial institutions must provide consumers with privacy notices that explain the institution's policies and practices for disclosure. Subtitle A calls upon federal regulators to (1) issue regulations implementing disclosure-related requirements and (2) establish standards for safeguarding the privacy and integrity of customer information and records. The act also requires state insurance authorities to enforce its provisions by adopting regulations for both information disclosure and information safeguards. As of March 2002, all of the states and the District of Columbia have acted to ensure that insurance companies under their jurisdiction meet Subtitle …
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicaid and SCHIP: Recent HHS Approvals of Demonstration Waiver Projects Raise Concerns (open access)

Medicaid and SCHIP: Recent HHS Approvals of Demonstration Waiver Projects Raise Concerns

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "States provide health care coverage to about 40 million uninsured, low-income adults and children under two federal-state programs--Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). To receive federal funding, states must meet statutory requirements, including providing certain levels of benefits to specified populations. Under section 1115 of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) can waive many of the statutory requirements in the case of experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects likely to promote program objectives. Since August 2001, HHS has approved four of 13 waiver proposals from states to either expand health insurance to uninsured populations or extend pharmacy coverage to low-income seniors, consistent with the new goals. Of the nine proposals still under review, five seek to expand coverage to uninsured populations, while four would provide pharmacy benefits for low-income seniors. GAO has both legal and policy concerns about the extent to which the approved waivers are consistent with the goals and fiscal integrity of Medicaid and SCHIP. The legal concern is that HHS has allowed Arizona to use unspent SCHIP funding to cover adults without children, despite SCHIP's …
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Transfers: Use by Federal Payment Recipients Has Increased but Obstacles to Greater Participation Remain (open access)

Electronic Transfers: Use by Federal Payment Recipients Has Increased but Obstacles to Greater Participation Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2001, the Department of the Treasury made 764 million payments valued at $549 billion to beneficiaries of federal programs, primarily programs administered by the Social Security Administration. Of these payments, 76 percent were made using electronic funds transfers (EFTs), potentially saving the government millions of dollars in costs associated with disbursing paper checks. In 1996, Congress passed legislation which required that federal payments except tax refunds be made electronically as of January 1999. The act also required that each person affected by this mandate have access to an account at a financial institution at a reasonable cost and with certain consumer protections. To meet this requirement, Treasury developed the Electronic Transfer Account (ETA). Most recipients of federal benefits have their payments deposited electronically. The number of recipients using EFT climbed steadily throughout the 1990s, rising from around half to more than three-quarters of all beneficiaries. Treasury and the Social Security Administration (SSA) have undertaken activities to increase the use of direct deposit, including developing marketing material and directly notifying check recipients of the advantages of using EFT, particularly safety and convenience. Although information describing the …
Date: September 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Commissaries: Additional Small Business Opportunities Should Be Explored (open access)

Defense Commissaries: Additional Small Business Opportunities Should Be Explored

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Some grocery supermarket companies have been charging food product manufacturers "slotting fees" to place products in stores and have involved large product manufacturers in making decisions about what products to sell. These practices have raised concerns about anticompetitive behavior and may be adversely affecting small businesses. GAO was asked (1) if the Defense Commissary Agency is using these practices in managing military commissaries; (2) what proportion of products sold by commissaries are produced by small businesses; and (3) if small businesses face barriers in selling products through commissaries and how opportunities for small business could be improved."
Date: December 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Performance Management Systems: IRS's Systems for Frontline Employees and Managers Align with Strategic Goals but Improvements Can Be Made (open access)

Performance Management Systems: IRS's Systems for Frontline Employees and Managers Align with Strategic Goals but Improvements Can Be Made

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) established critical job responsibilities for group managers and frontline employees that align with each of the agency's three strategic goals. In the group managers' performance management system, all of the supporting behaviors clearly align with the critical job responsibilities. However, for frontline employees, the supporting behaviors do not always align with IRS's description of the critical job responsibilities. Misalignments occur when (1) supporting behaviors reflect concerns not expressed in the description, (2) supporting behaviors that relate to a responsibility are located under other responsibilities, or (3) no supporting behavior exists to support the description. Raters provided feedback on the three critical job responsibilities related to IRS's organizational goals in 90 percent or more of evaluations and provided feedback on leadership and equal employment opportunity in 70 percent of the evaluations. IRS senior executives have no firm plans to monitor how well the group managers' and frontline employees' systems are being implemented or to assess whether changes need to be made, even though IRS's management processes call for obtaining data on how well programs are achieving their goals."
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intercity Passenger Rail: Amtrak Needs to Improve Its Decisionmaking Process for Its Route and Service Proposals (open access)

Intercity Passenger Rail: Amtrak Needs to Improve Its Decisionmaking Process for Its Route and Service Proposals

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In light of its continuing financial deterioration and its stated goal of eliminating federal operating assistance by December 2002, Amtrak undertook several steps to improve its financial condition, including changing in its routes and services. Amtrak has been unsuccessful in implementing its Network Growth Strategy to shift its route and service plans for new routes and expanded services on the freight tracks over which it operates. Two years after announcing the new strategy, Amtrak has only implemented three routes, one of which was later canceled. Amtrak still plans to implement the remaining three routes, although later than planned. Increased mail and express revenues were the cornerstone of the new strategy. However, Amtrak overestimated the mail and express revenue expected. According to Amtrak, this overestimation occurred because (1) it had no empirical basis for its revenue estimates and (2) express shippers were reluctant to enter into contracts for service that did not yet exist. Six of the planned route actions were canceled because Amtrak overestimated the revenues associated with them. Amtrak was unable to reach agreement with freight railroads because they were concerned about (1) Amtrak's plans …
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gun Control: Opportunities to Close Loopholes in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (open access)

Gun Control: Opportunities to Close Loopholes in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) searches state criminal history records to prevent gun sales to ineligible persons. GAO found that state firearm laws and procedures may affect how these records are used by NICS. Each of the six states GAO surveyed had some mechanism by which persons with criminal convictions could have their rights to own a firearm restored. The six states typically require a waiting period before someone can apply for relief, and some criminal convictions make a person ineligible for restoration. In 26 states, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has determined that a concealed carry permit may exempt permit holders from an NICS background check when they are buying a firearm. This situation underscores the need to carefully screen applications and monitor permit holders to ensure their eligibility to own firearms. The six states used various approaches to make it easier to identify individuals convicted of domestic violence. Despite these efforts, NICS failed to detect more than 2,800 persons convicted of domestic violence who bought firearms during the first three years the system was in operation."
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Trade: Mitigating National Security Concerns under Exon-Florio Could Be Improved (open access)

Defense Trade: Mitigating National Security Concerns under Exon-Florio Could Be Improved

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Exon-Florio amendment to the Defense Production Act authorizes the President to suspend or prohibit foreign acquisitions, mergers, or takeovers of U.S. companies if (1) there is credible evidence that a foreign controlling interest might threaten national security and (2) legislation, other than Exon-Florio and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, does not adequately or appropriately protect national security. The President delegated the authority to review foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies to an interagency group, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The Committee initiates investigations only when it cannot identify potential mitigation measures in the review period to resolve national security issues arising from the acquisitions or when it needs time beyond the 30-day review to negotiate potential mitigation measures and the companies involved are not willing to request withdrawal of their notification. The Committee's process for implementing Exon-Florio contains the following weaknesses that may have limited effectiveness: (1) the Committee has not established interim protections before allowing withdrawal when concerns were raised and the acquisition had already been completed (2) agreements between the Committee and companies contained nonspecific language that may make …
Date: September 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Missile Defense: Knowledge-Based Decision Making Needed to Reduce Risks in Developing Airborne Laser (open access)

Missile Defense: Knowledge-Based Decision Making Needed to Reduce Risks in Developing Airborne Laser

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Air Force launched an acquisition program to develop and produce a revolutionary laser weapon system, known as the Airborne Laser, in 1996. Being developed for installation in a modified Boeing 747 aircraft, it is intended to destroy enemy ballistic missiles almost immediately after their launch. The Air Force originally estimated development costs at $2.5 billion and projected fielding of the system in 2006. However, by August 2001, the Air Force determined that the development cost estimate rose 50 percent to $3.7 billion, and the fielding date slipped to 2010. The Department of Defense transferred responsibility for the Airborne Laser in October 2001 to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Subsequently, the Defense Secretary designated the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization as the Missile Defense Agency and granted the agency expanded responsibility and authority. The Air Force was unable to meet the Airborne Laser's original cost and schedule goals because it did not fully understand the level of effort that would be required to develop the critical system technology needed to meet the user's requirements. The Missile Defense Agency's new strategy for developing the Airborne Laser incorporates some …
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard: Strategy Needed for Setting and Monitoring Levels of Effort for All Missions (open access)

Coast Guard: Strategy Needed for Setting and Monitoring Levels of Effort for All Missions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The September 11th attacks affected the scope of activities of many federal agencies, including the Coast Guard. Homeland security, a long-standing but relatively small part of the Coast Guard's duties, took center stage. Still, the Coast Guard remains responsible for many other missions, such as helping stem the flow of drugs and illegal migration, protecting important fishing grounds, and responding to marine pollution. GAO was asked to review the Coast Guard's current efforts and future plans for balancing resource levels among its many missions."
Date: November 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Private Pensions: IRS Can Improve the Quality and Usefulness of Compliance Studies (open access)

Private Pensions: IRS Can Improve the Quality and Usefulness of Compliance Studies

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) studied 401(k) plan compliance with Internal Revenue Code requirements for tax-qualified plans. GAO found that IRS's estimates of noncompliance were inaccurate. The study, which audited a sample of 401(k) plans, did not provide information on the severity of the compliance violations identified and did not determine the number of plan participants or the amount of assets associated with noncompliance errors. Only 27 of the 73 study questions identified as compliance indicators conclusively demonstrated whether a plan was compliant or not. Consequently, the 44 percent reported to have one or more instances of noncompliance is at best an upper limit on the extent of noncompliance found. IRS has chosen specific types of private pension plans to study in a manner similar to the one conducted on 401(k) pension plans. The data that IRS collects will be analyzed to determine the prevalence and types of noncompliance among the plans studied."
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Pollution: Emissions from Older Electricity Generating Units (open access)

Air Pollution: Emissions from Older Electricity Generating Units

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Although fossil fuels--coal, natural gas, and oil--account for more than two thirds of the nation's electricity, generating units that burn these fuels are major sources of airborne emissions that pose health and environmental risks. To limit emissions and protect air quality, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from a variety of sources including electricity generating units that burn fossil fuels, other industrial sources, and automobiles. Older electricity generating units--those that began operating before 1972--emit 59 percent of the sulfur dioxide, 47 percent of the nitrogen oxides, and 42 percent of all electricity produced by fossil-fuel units. Units that began operating in or after 1972 are responsible for the remainder of the emissions and electricity production. For equal quantities of electricity generated, older units, in the aggregate, emitted twice as much sulfur dioxide and 25 percent more nitrogen oxides than newer units which must meet the new source standards for these substances. Older and newer units emitted about the same amount of carbon dioxide for equal quantities of electricity generated. Of the older units, those in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southeast …
Date: June 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
SEC Enforcement: More Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Disgorgement Collections (open access)

SEC Enforcement: More Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Disgorgement Collections

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Every year investors lose money to individuals and corporations that violate federal securities laws. One mission of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to deter such violations and return lost funds to investors. SEC's primary tool is the disgorgement order, which requires violators to give up money obtained through securities law violations. In order for disgorgement to succeed, SEC must have an effective disgorgement collection program. Although the courts have ordered billions of dollars in disgorgement in the last decade, concerns exist about SEC's success in collecting these funds. For several reasons, SEC's disgorgement collection rate is not an adequate measure of the effectiveness of SEC's disgorgement program. First, while SEC data showed a collection rate of 14 percent for the $3.1 billion in disgorgement ordered in 1995-2001--compared with the 50 percent collection rate GAO reported in its 1994 report--GAO found that the rate varied widely from year to year and was influenced by large individual disgorgement orders. Second, the data used to calculate the collection rate was not reliable because of weaknesses in entering and updating information in SEC's disgorgement tracking database. Third, factors …
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Inventory: Improved Industrial Base Assessments for Army War Reserve Spares Could Save Money (open access)

Defense Inventory: Improved Industrial Base Assessments for Army War Reserve Spares Could Save Money

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Army's approach to assessing wartime spare parts industrial base capability does not use current data from industry. Instead, the Army uses historical parts procurement data because its prior efforts to collect current data from industry were not successful due to poor response rates. GAO identified a program in the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) that has several attributes reflecting sound management practices for reliable industrial base capability assessments. Although DLA's program is in its early stages of implementation, DLA has been able to successfully collect current data directly from private industry on thousands of parts. Further, DLA is analyzing that data to identify actual or potential parts availability problems."
Date: July 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security: Progress Made; More Direction and Partnership Sought (open access)

Homeland Security: Progress Made; More Direction and Partnership Sought

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Enhancing homeland security is a complex effort that involves all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories; thousands of municipalities; and countless private entities. Since September 11, the nation has taken many actions to combat terrorism and enhance homeland security. It is well known that the U.S. military is conducting operations in Afghanistan. Various legislative and executive branch actions to enhance homeland security have been taken or were underway prior to and since September 11. Government and nongovernment activities are looking to the Office of Homeland Security for further guidance on how to better integrate their missions and more effectively contribute to the overarching homeland security effort. Having a common definition can help avoid duplication of effort and gaps in coverage by identifying agency roles and responsibilities. Although the agencies are looking for guidance, they also want to ensure that their unique missions are factored in as guidance is developed. At the same time, some agencies are unsure what they should be doing beyond their traditional missions. Once the national strategy is issued, federal, state, and local government agencies and private sector groups will need to …
Date: March 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Workforce Investment Act: Coordination Between TANF Programs and One-Stop Centers Is Increasing, but Challenges Remain (open access)

Workforce Investment Act: Coordination Between TANF Programs and One-Stop Centers Is Increasing, but Challenges Remain

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) brought most federally funded employment and training services into a single, one-stop center system. Coordination between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs and one-stop centers has increased since the act was implemented in 2000. Nearly all states reported some coordination at either the state or the local level. Most often, coordination took one of two forms: colocation, in which a client accesses TANF programs at the local one-stop, or referrals and electronic links to off-site programs. Despite progress, states and localities continue to report problems because of infrastructure limitations and varying program definitions and reporting requirements. Some of these challenges could be overcome through state and local innovation, but others will be resolved only through federal intervention. Early evidence suggests that states and localities are increasing their efforts to bring services together to fit local needs. As states and localities have begun to recognize the shared goals of the workforce and welfare systems, they have developed ways to coordinate services."
Date: March 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Languages: Workforce Planning Could Help Address Staffing and Proficiency Shortfalls (open access)

Foreign Languages: Workforce Planning Could Help Address Staffing and Proficiency Shortfalls

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies' foreign language needs have increased during the past decade because of increasing globalization and the changing security environment. At the same time, agencies have seen significant reductions-in-force and no-growth or limited-growth environments during the last decade. As a result, some agencies now confront an aging core of language-capable staff while recruiting and retaining qualified new staff in an increasingly competitive job market. The four agencies GAO reviewed reported shortages of translators and interpreters and other staff, such as diplomats and intelligence specialists, with foreign language skills. These shortfalls varied depending on the agency, job position, language, and skill level. The agencies reported using a range of strategies to address their staffing shortfalls, such as providing employees with language training and pay incentives, recruiting employees with foreign language skills, hiring contractors, or taking advantage of information technology. One of the four agencies has adopted a strategic approach to its workforce planning efforts. In contrast, the other three agencies have yet to pursue overall strategic planning in this area."
Date: March 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library