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Navy Working Capital Fund: Backlog of Funded Work at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Was Consistently Understated (open access)

Navy Working Capital Fund: Backlog of Funded Work at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Was Consistently Understated

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) has hundreds of millions of dollars of funded work that its working capital fund activities did not complete before the end of the fiscal year. Reducing the amount of workload carryover at fiscal year-end is a key factor in the effective management of Department of Defense (DOD) resources and in minimizing the "banking" of funds for work to be performed in subsequent years. GAO was asked to analyze SPAWAR's carryover balances. GAO assessed the accuracy of the budgeted amounts, the accuracy of the reported actual carryover balance, and the reliability of underlying financial data on which reported actual carryover is based."
Date: July 1, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation Security: Federal Action Needed to Help Address Security Challenges (open access)

Transportation Security: Federal Action Needed to Help Address Security Challenges

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The economic well being of the U.S. is dependent on the expeditious flow of people and goods through the transportation system. The attacks on September 11, 2001, illustrate the threats and vulnerabilities of the transportation system. Prior to September 11, the Department of Transportation (DOT) had primary responsibility for the security of the transportation system. In the wake of September 11, Congress created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) within DOT and gave it primary responsibility for the security of all modes of transportation. TSA was recently transferred to the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS). GAO was asked to examine the challenges in securing the transportation system and the federal role and actions in transportation security."
Date: June 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Humanitarian Assistance: Protecting Refugee Women and Girls Remains a Significant Challenge (open access)

Humanitarian Assistance: Protecting Refugee Women and Girls Remains a Significant Challenge

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Women and children refugees, who comprise 80 percent of the estimated 12 million refugees worldwide, are among the world's most vulnerable populations. They are subject to gender-based violence, including physical harm, rape, and unequal access to humanitarian assistance. GAO was asked to (1) assess efforts by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protect refugees, especially with regard to women and girls; (2) determine what steps U.N. and international organizations have taken to prevent sexual exploitation of refugee women by humanitarian workers; and (3) describe U.S. government efforts to support adequate protection for vulnerable populations."
Date: May 23, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Education: DOD Needs to Align Academy Preparatory Schools' Mission Statements with Overall Guidance and Establish Performance Goals (open access)

Military Education: DOD Needs to Align Academy Preparatory Schools' Mission Statements with Overall Guidance and Establish Performance Goals

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Each year, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy combined spend tens of millions of dollars to operate preparatory schools that provide an alternative avenue for about 700 students annually to gain admission to the service academies. Service academy officials screen all applicants to identify those who they believe could succeed at the academies but who would benefit from more preparation. The Department of Defense (DOD) pays the full cost of providing this preparation. GAO was asked to review the three service academy preparatory schools, and this report specifically assesses (1) the adequacy of their current mission statements, (2) the effectiveness of these schools in accomplishing their missions, and (3) the effectiveness of DOD oversight of these schools."
Date: September 10, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Equal Employment Opportunity: SSA Region X's Changes to Its EEO Process Illustrate Need for Agencywide Procedures (open access)

Equal Employment Opportunity: SSA Region X's Changes to Its EEO Process Illustrate Need for Agencywide Procedures

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Employees at the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Region X--which covers Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington--expressed concern about the Region's equal employment opportunity (EEO) process for employment discrimination complaints. GAO was asked to (1) provide information for fiscal years 1997 through 2001 on the composition of the Region X workforce and for personnel actions such as promotions, awards, and adverse actions by EEO group; (2) describe the EEO complaint process in Region X and any changes to it; (3) assess whether the Region's process is consistent with federal regulations and related guidance; and (4) assess the familiarity with the EEO process of the Region's employees and their attitude toward it."
Date: July 16, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation Research: Actions Needed to Improve Coordination and Evaluation of Research (open access)

Transportation Research: Actions Needed to Improve Coordination and Evaluation of Research

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for coordinating and ensuring the evaluation of DOT research programs to promote the efficient use of departmental research funds, which in fiscal year 2002 totaled over $1 billion. RSPA is also responsible for conducting multimodal research that cuts across different modes of transportation. The House Committee on Appropriations directed GAO to examine RSPA's coordination and evaluation of research within DOT and the status of its own multimodal research."
Date: May 1, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Student Financial Aid: Monitoring Aid Greater Than Federally Defined Need Could Help Address Student Loan Indebtedness (open access)

Student Financial Aid: Monitoring Aid Greater Than Federally Defined Need Could Help Address Student Loan Indebtedness

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over half of the $80.4 billion in financial aid provided to college students in the 2000-01 school year came from the federal government in the form of grants and loans provided under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). To help finance their education, students and families may have received other funds from states, private groups or lenders, and/or the schools themselves. We initiated this study to, among other things, determine how often federal financial aid recipients received aid that was greater than their federally defined need and what cost or other implications might result from changing HEA to limit such aid."
Date: April 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business: The National Veterans Business Development Corporation's Progress in Providing Small Business Assistance to Veterans (open access)

Small Business: The National Veterans Business Development Corporation's Progress in Providing Small Business Assistance to Veterans

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999 (Act) created the National Veterans Business Development Corporation (The Veterans Corporation) to address perceived gaps in providing small business and entrepreneurship assistance to veterans. The Act requires GAO to review The Veterans Corporation. GAO described The Veterans Corporation's (1) efforts to provide small business assistance to veterans, including service-disabled veterans; (2) use of and controls over federal funds in providing these services; and (3) efforts to become financially self- sufficient."
Date: April 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Bureau of the Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2003 and 2002 Schedules of Federal Debt (open access)

Financial Audit: Bureau of the Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2003 and 2002 Schedules of Federal Debt

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO audited the Bureau of Public Debt's schedule of Federal Debt for fiscal years 2003 and 2002. GAO found that (1) the Schedules of Federal Debt were presented fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles; (2) the Bureau had effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations related to the Schedule of Federal Debt for fiscal year 2003; and (3) there was no reportable noncompliance in fiscal year 2003 with a selected provision of a law GAO tested."
Date: November 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Personnel: Navy Actions Needed to Optimize Ship Crew Size and Reduce Total Ownership Costs (open access)

Military Personnel: Navy Actions Needed to Optimize Ship Crew Size and Reduce Total Ownership Costs

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The cost of a ship's crew is the single largest incurred over the ship's life cycle. One way to lower personnel costs, and thus the cost of ownership, is to use people only when it is cost-effective--a determination made with a systems engineering approach called human systems integration. GAO was asked to evaluate the Navy's progress in optimizing the crew size in four ships being developed and acquired: the DD(X) destroyer, T-AKE cargo ship, JCC(X) command ship, and LHA(R) amphibious assault ship. GAO assessed (1) the Navy's use of human systems integration principles and goals for reducing crew size, and (2) the factors that may impede the Navy's use of those principles."
Date: June 9, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Highway Infrastructure: Perceptions of Stakeholders on Approaches to Reduce Highway Project Completion Time (open access)

Highway Infrastructure: Perceptions of Stakeholders on Approaches to Reduce Highway Project Completion Time

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Constructing, improving, and repairing roads is fundamental to meeting the nation's mobility needs. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) supplies most of the money (about $20 billion in fiscal year 2003), and state departments of transportation are primarily responsible for completing projects. Many federal and state agencies (called resource agencies) help ensure that environmental and other concerns are considered. These and other organizations have recognized that the time it takes to complete complex federally funded highway projects is too long--in some cases nearly 20 years. GAO was asked to report the views of knowledgeable officials on the most promising approaches for reducing completion time for federally funded highway projects. GAO obtained the views of 33 officials from federal, state, and private organizations with interests in federally funded roads."
Date: April 9, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ambulance Services: Medicare Payments Can Be Better Targeted to Trips in Less Densely Populated Rural Areas (open access)

Ambulance Services: Medicare Payments Can Be Better Targeted to Trips in Less Densely Populated Rural Areas

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently implemented a Medicare ambulance fee schedule in which providers are paid a base payment per trip plus a mileage payment. An adjustment is made to the mileage rate for rural trips to account for higher costs. CMS has stated that this rural adjustment may not sufficiently target providers serving sparsely populated rural areas. The Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) directed GAO to examine rural ambulance costs. GAO identified factors that affect ambulance costs per trip, examined how these factors varied across geographic areas, and analyzed whether Medicare payments account for geographic cost differences. GAO used survey data on ambulance providers and Medicare claims data."
Date: September 19, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Administration: Workforce Planning Needs Further Development for IRS's Taxpayer Education and Communication Unit (open access)

Tax Administration: Workforce Planning Needs Further Development for IRS's Taxpayer Education and Communication Unit

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Strategic workforce planning helps ensure that agencies have the right people with the right skills in the right positions to carry out the agency mission both in the present and future. The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Taxpayer Education and Communication (TEC) unit within its Small Business and Self- Employed Division assists some 45 million small business and self-employed taxpayers. Given the number of taxpayers it is to assist and changes in its priorities and strategies, GAO was asked to determine whether TEC has a workforce plan that conforms to critical elements for what should be in a plan and how it should be developed and implemented."
Date: May 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Business Systems Modernization: Important Progress Made to Develop Business Enterprise Architecture, but Much Work Remains (open access)

DOD Business Systems Modernization: Important Progress Made to Develop Business Enterprise Architecture, but Much Work Remains

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop an enterprise architecture and a transition plan that meets certain requirements. The act also directed DOD to have a process for controlling its system investments. As required by the act, GAO assessed DOD's actions to comply with the act's requirements and recently issued a report to congressional defense committees. This report provides further details of GAO's assessment results regarding (1) the extent to which DOD's actions complied with the requirements of the act and (2) DOD's plans for further development and implementation of its architecture."
Date: September 19, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Livestock Agriculture: Increased EPA Oversight Will Improve Environmental Program for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (open access)

Livestock Agriculture: Increased EPA Oversight Will Improve Environmental Program for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress is concerned that waste from animal feeding operations continues to threaten water quality. In light of this concern, GAO was asked to review the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) administration of its regulatory program for animal feeding operations and to determine the potential challenges states and EPA may face when they begin to implement the revisions to this program. GAO surveyed all EPA regional offices and four states with large numbers of animal feeding operations that may be subject to EPA regulations."
Date: January 16, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Embassy Construction: Process for Determining Staffing Requirements Needs Improvement (open access)

Embassy Construction: Process for Determining Staffing Requirements Needs Improvement

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The 1998 terrorist attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa highlighted security deficiencies in diplomatic facilities, leading the Department of State to embark on an estimated $16 billion embassy construction program. The program's key objective is to provide safe, secure, and cost-effective buildings for employees overseas. Given that the size and cost of new facilities are directly related to agencies' anticipated staffing needs, it is imperative that future requirements be projected as accurately as possible. GAO was asked to (1) assess whether State and other federal agencies have adopted a disciplined process for determining future staffing requirements and (2) review cost-sharing proposals for agencies with overseas staff."
Date: April 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tobacco Use And Public Health: Federal Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use among Youth (open access)

Tobacco Use And Public Health: Federal Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use among Youth

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that, on average, over 440,000 deaths and $76 billion in medical expenditures were attributable to cigarette smoking each year from 1995 through 1999. Reducing tobacco-related deaths and the incidence of disease, along with the associated costs, represents a significant public health challenge for the federal government. Most adults who use tobacco started using it between the ages of 10 and 18. According to a Surgeon General's report, if children and adolescents can be prevented from using tobacco products before they become adults, they are likely to remain tobacco-free for the rest of their lives. GAO was asked to provide information on federal efforts to prevent and reduce youth smoking. Specifically, this report describes (1) federal programs, research, and activities that aim to prevent and reduce tobacco use among youth, (2) the efforts of federal departments and agencies to monitor their programs, and (3) the coordination among federal departments and agencies in efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use among youth."
Date: November 21, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security: Risks Facing Key Border and Transportation Security Program Need to Be Addressed (open access)

Homeland Security: Risks Facing Key Border and Transportation Security Program Need to Be Addressed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to establish a program to strengthen management of the pre-entry, entry, status, and exit of foreign nationals who travel to the United States. The goals of the program, known as the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT), are to facilitate legitimate trade and travel, enhance national security, and adhere to U.S. privacy laws and policies. By congressional mandate, DHS is to develop and submit for approval an expenditure plan for US-VISIT that satisfies certain conditions, including being reviewed by GAO. GAO was asked to determine, among other things, whether the plan satisfies these conditions and to provide observations about the plan and DHS's management of the program."
Date: September 19, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bioterrorism: Preparedness Varied across State and Local Jurisdictions (open access)

Bioterrorism: Preparedness Varied across State and Local Jurisdictions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Much of the response to a bioterrorist attack would occur at the local level. Many local areas and their supporting state agencies, however, may not be adequately prepared to respond to such an attack. In the Public Health Improvement Act that was passed in 2000, Congress directed GAO to examine state and local preparedness for a bioterrorist attack. In this report GAO provides information on state and local preparedness and state and local concerns regarding the federal role in funding and improving preparedness. To gather this information, GAO visited seven cities and their respective state governments, reviewed documents, and interviewed officials. Cities are not identified because of the sensitive nature of this issue."
Date: April 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Numbers: Improved SSN Verification and Exchange of States' Driver Records Would Enhance Identity Verification (open access)

Social Security Numbers: Improved SSN Verification and Exchange of States' Driver Records Would Enhance Identity Verification

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since September 11, 2001, more attention has been focused on the importance of identifying people who use false identity information or documents to obtain a driver license. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers states a service to verify social security numbers (SSNs) collected during the driver licensing process. This report examines states' use of SSA's verification service, factors that may affect the usefulness of the service, and other tools states use or need to verify identity."
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dietary Supplements: Review of Health-Related Call Records for Users of Metabolife 356 (open access)

Dietary Supplements: Review of Health-Related Call Records for Users of Metabolife 356

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Dietary supplements containing ephedra, such as Metabolife 356, have been associated with serious adverse health-related events. In a February 28, 2003, announcement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed that dietary supplements containing ephedra include a statement on their label warning that "Heart attack, stroke, seizure, and death have been reported after consumption of ephedrine alkaloids." GAO was asked to review health-related call records that Metabolife International--the manufacturer of Metabolife 356--collected from consumers from May 1997 through July 2002. Most of the records were from calls to a consumer phone line the company maintained. Metabolife International voluntarily provided the call records to GAO. Specifically, GAO (1) examined the extent to which consumer information in the call records was comprehensive, interpretable, and consistently recorded, (2) counted the number of call records reporting types of adverse events that FDA had identified in 1997 as serious or potentially serious, and (3) compared GAO's findings to those of six other reviews of the call records, including one by Metabolife International."
Date: March 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Accounting Firm Consolidation: Selected Large Public Company Views on Audit Fees, Quality, Independence, and Choice (open access)

Accounting Firm Consolidation: Selected Large Public Company Views on Audit Fees, Quality, Independence, and Choice

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The largest accounting firms, known as the "Big 4," currently audit over 78 percent of U.S. public companies and 99 percent of public company annual sales. To address concerns raised by this concentration and as mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, on July 30, 2003, GAO issued a report entitled Public Accounting Firms: Mandated Study on Consolidation and Competition, GAO-03-864. As part of that study, GAO surveyed a random sample of 250 public companies from the Fortune 1000 list; preliminary findings were included in the July report. This supplemental report details more comprehensively the 159 responses we received through August 11, 2003, focusing on (1) the relationship of their company with their auditor of record in terms of satisfaction, tenure relationship, and services provided; (2) the effects of consolidation on audit fees, quality, and independence; and (3) the potential implications of consolidation for competition and auditor choice."
Date: September 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aviation Safety: FAA Needs to Update Curriculum and Certification Requirements for Aviation Mechanics (open access)

Aviation Safety: FAA Needs to Update Curriculum and Certification Requirements for Aviation Mechanics

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The safety of millions of airline passengers depends in part on aviation mechanics--known as A&P mechanics--that are certified to inspect, service, and repair the aircraft's body (airframe) and/or engine (powerplant). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) establishes the requirements to become certified as an A&P mechanic. Concerns have been raised in the aviation industry about having a sufficient number of A&P mechanics over the long term. GAO was asked to determine how many aircraft mechanics and service technicians the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects will be employed in 2010, and the reasonableness of that projection; the sources that supply and train A&P mechanics and the likelihood that they will provide a sufficient number through 2010; and what is being done by FAA and the aviation industry to ensure that the skills of A&P mechanics are sufficient to work on technologically advanced aircraft?"
Date: March 6, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Acquisition Management: Agencies Can Improve Training on New Initiatives (open access)

Acquisition Management: Agencies Can Improve Training on New Initiatives

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government is dramatically changing the way it purchases goods and services by relying more on judgment and initiative versus rigid rules for making purchasing decisions. Congress has enacted a series of reforms to help the government adapt to this environment. GAO was asked to assess strategies agencies are using to ensure that their acquisition workforces are receiving the training needed to operate in a changing business environment. In doing so, GAO looked at the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Defense (DOD). GAO also looked at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) because it is exempt from federal acquisition laws, giving it greater flexibility and discretion."
Date: January 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library