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Student Loan Programs: As Federal Costs of Loan Consolidation Rise, Other Options Should Be Examined (open access)

Student Loan Programs: As Federal Costs of Loan Consolidation Rise, Other Options Should Be Examined

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government makes consolidation loans available to help borrowers manage their student loan debt. By combining loans into one and extending the repayment period, a consolidation loan reduces monthly repayments, which may lower default risk and, thereby, reduce federal costs of loan defaults. Consolidation loans also allow borrowers to lock in a fixed interest rate--an option not available for other student loans--and are available to borrowers regardless of financial need. GAO was asked to examine (1) how consolidation borrowers differ from nonconsolidation borrowers; (2) how federal costs have been affected by recent interest rate and loan volume changes; and (3) the extent to which repayment options--other than consolidation--are available to help simplify and reduce loan repayments."
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Overseas Presence: Rightsizing Framework Can Be Applied at U.S. Diplomatic Posts in Developing Countries (open access)

Overseas Presence: Rightsizing Framework Can Be Applied at U.S. Diplomatic Posts in Developing Countries

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since the mid-1990s, GAO has highlighted the need for the Department of State and other agencies to establish a systematic process for determining their overseas staffing levels. To support this long-standing need and in support of the President's Management Agenda, GAO developed a framework for assessing overseas workforce size and identified options for rightsizing. Because the framework was largely based on work at the U.S. embassy in Paris, GAO was asked to determine whether the rightsizing framework is applicable at U.S. embassies in developing countries. To accomplish this objective, we visited three U.S. embassies in West Africa--a medium-sized post in Dakar, Senegal; and two small embassies in Banjul, The Gambia; and Nouakchott, Mauritania--and applied the framework and its corresponding questions there."
Date: April 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radioactive Waste: DOE Has Acted to Address Delay in New Facility at Livermore Laboratory, but Challenges Remain (open access)

Radioactive Waste: DOE Has Acted to Address Delay in New Facility at Livermore Laboratory, but Challenges Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, generates radioactive and hazardous wastes in the course of its research dealing with nuclear weapons. The laboratory's new Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility is a $62 million complex that includes buildings designed for both temporarily storing waste and treating it for off-site disposal. Although construction was completed in 2001, the storage building did not begin operating until September 2002, and the treatment buildings remain unused to this day. GAO was asked to identify the cause of the delay in initiating storage and treatment operations at the facility, the effects of the delay in initiating treatment operations, and the steps taken to ensure that the latest estimated date for initiating treatment operations at the facility can be met."
Date: May 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Improvements Needed in Treasury's Security Management Program (open access)

Information Security: Improvements Needed in Treasury's Security Management Program

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of the Treasury relies heavily on information systems--and on the public's trust in its work. Information security is therefore critical to Treasury operations. In support of its annual audit of the government's financial statements, GAO assessed the effectiveness of (1) Treasury's information security controls in protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the department's systems and data and (2) Treasury's implementation of its departmentwide information security program. In assessing the adequacy of Treasury's information security program, GAO focused on the effectiveness of its departmentwide policies and processes, rather than on bureau-specific directives and guidance."
Date: November 14, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Airport and Airway Trust Fund: Financial Outlook Is Positive, but the Trust Fund's Balance Would Be Affected If Taxes Were Suspended (open access)

Airport and Airway Trust Fund: Financial Outlook Is Positive, but the Trust Fund's Balance Would Be Affected If Taxes Were Suspended

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The multibillion dollar Airport and Airway Trust Fund (Trust Fund) provides most of the funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Trust Fund relies on revenue from 10 taxes, including passenger ticket, fuel, and cargo taxes. Concerns about the financial outlook of the Trust Fund have emerged recently given the downturn in passenger air travel, requests from the airlines to suspend some of the Trust Fund taxes, and the need to reauthorize FAA's major programs in 2003. GAO was asked to determine (1) the projected financial outlook of the Trust Fund and (2) how a 1- year suspension of various taxes accruing to the Trust Fund (i.e., a tax holiday), would affect its financial status. We were asked to assess five potential tax holidays that would have begun on April 1, 2003, and ended on April 1, 2004. GAO used a model developed by FAA that made financial projections for the Trust Fund using expenditure assumptions that were based on (1) the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's May 2, 2003, and the House Subcommittee on Aviation's May 15, 2003, reauthorization proposals authorizing over …
Date: September 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Critical Infrastructure Protection: Challenges for Selected Agencies and Industry Sectors (open access)

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Challenges for Selected Agencies and Industry Sectors

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The explosive growth of computer interconnectivity is transforming the workings of our nation, its government, and its critical infrastructures. But with the enormous benefits of this interconnectivity comes a threat: both physical and cyber assets are potentially vulnerable to computer-based attack. In response, Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD 63, May 1998) called for a range of actions to improve the nation's ability to detect and respond to serious infrastructure attacks. For specific agencies under the Committee on Energy and Commerce's jurisdiction and for private-sector organizations for which these agencies have responsibilities, GAO was asked, among other things, to assess their progress and challenges in undertaking critical infrastructure protection (CIP) activities."
Date: February 28, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Food Stamp Employment and Training Program: Better Data Needed to Understand Who Is Served and What the Program Achieves (open access)

Food Stamp Employment and Training Program: Better Data Needed to Understand Who Is Served and What the Program Achieves

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since the late 1990s, many funding changes have been made to the Food Stamp E&T Program. In 1997, legislation required states to spend 80 percent of their funds on participants who lose their food stamp benefits if they do not meet work requirements within a limited time frame. The legislation also increased funds by $131 million to help states serve these participants. But spending rates for the program declined until, in 2001, states spent only about 30 percent of the federal allocation. In 2002, the Congress reduced federal funds to $110 million a year. While it is too soon to know the impact of these changes, GAO was asked to determine whom the program serves, what services are provided, and what is known about program outcomes and effectiveness."
Date: March 12, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Housing and Urban Development (open access)

Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Housing and Urban Development

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report addresses the major management challenges and program risks facing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as it works to carry out its multiple and highly diverse missions. The report discusses the actions that HUD has taken and that are under way to address the challenges GAO identified in its Performance and Accountability Series 2 years ago. Also, GAO summarizes the challenges that remain, new ones that have emerged, and further actions that GAO believes are needed."
Date: January 1, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Justice (open access)

Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Justice

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In its 2001 performance and accountability report on the Department of Justice, GAO identified five major management challenges. Justice has since made progress on (1) developing measurable performance targets in reducing illegal drugs and (2) improving management of its asset forfeiture program. However, three challenges remain and a fourth managing the FBI's transformation was added. GAO prepared this report to bring these major challenges to the attention of the Congress and Justice. This is part of a special series of reports on governmentwide and agency-specific issues."
Date: January 1, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Health Care: Oversight of the TRICARE Civilian Provider Network Should Be Improved (open access)

Defense Health Care: Oversight of the TRICARE Civilian Provider Network Should Be Improved

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Testifying before Congress in 2002, military beneficiary groups described problems accessing care from TRICARE's civilian medical providers. Providers also testified on their dissatisfaction with the TRICARE program, specifying low reimbursement rates and administrative burdens. The Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act of 2003 required GAO to review the oversight of the TRICARE network of civilian providers. Specifically, GAO describes how the Department of Defense (DOD) oversees the adequacy of the civilian provider network, evaluates DOD's oversight of the civilian provider network, and describes the factors that have been reported to contribute to network inadequacy. GAO analyzed TRICARE Prime--the managed care component of TRICARE. To describe and evaluate DOD's oversight, GAO reviewed and analyzed information from reports on network adequacy and interviewed DOD and contractor officials in 5 of 11 TRICARE regions."
Date: July 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations: Some Coordination Efforts Among Programs Providing Transportation Services, but Obstacles Persist (open access)

Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations: Some Coordination Efforts Among Programs Providing Transportation Services, but Obstacles Persist

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Millions of Americans are unable to provide their own transportation--or even use public transportation--for Medicaid appointments, Head Start classes, job training, or other services. Such "transportation disadvantaged" persons are often disabled, elderly, or low income. Various federal programs are authorized to provide transportation services to them. GAO was asked to (1) identify the federal programs that fund such transportation services and the amount spent on them, (2) assess the extent of coordination among the various programs, and (3) identify any obstacles to coordination and potential ways to overcome such obstacles."
Date: June 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Title I: Although Definitions of Administrative Expenditures Vary, Almost All Districts Studied Spent Less Than 10 Percent on Administration (open access)

Title I: Although Definitions of Administrative Expenditures Vary, Almost All Districts Studied Spent Less Than 10 Percent on Administration

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Because of concern about school district spending on administration, Congress directed GAO in two separate mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to (1) examine how school districts defined and spent Title I funds on administrative activities and (2) review Title I expenditures in at least six school districts. In response to these mandates, we are reporting on (1) how five studies define Title I administrative expenditures and what they found about the percentage of funds spent on these activities and (2) what proportion of Title I funds was spent on administrative activities compared with instructional and other activities in six school districts."
Date: April 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Park Service: Agency Needs to Better Manage the Increasing Role of Nonprofit Partners (open access)

Park Service: Agency Needs to Better Manage the Increasing Role of Nonprofit Partners

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Two types of nonprofit organizations, cooperating associations and friends groups, provide substantial support to the national parks. GAO was asked to report on (1) the number of park units supported by nonprofits and the amount of their contributions, (2) the revenue-generating activities of nonprofits and how they compete with park concessioners, (3) factors that contribute to competition between nonprofits and for-profit concessioners, and (4) how park managers are held accountable for meeting goals for nonprofit financial support."
Date: July 18, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Earned Income Credit: Qualifying Child Certification Test Appears Justified, but Evaluation Plan Is Incomplete (open access)

Earned Income Credit: Qualifying Child Certification Test Appears Justified, but Evaluation Plan Is Incomplete

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Earned Income Credit (EIC), a tax credit available to the working poor, has experienced high rates of noncompliance. Unlike many benefit programs, EIC recipients generally receive payments without advance, formal determinations of eligibility; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) checks some taxpayers' eligibility later. IRS estimated that tax year 1999 EIC overclaim rates, the most recent data available, to be between 27 and 32 percent of dollars claimed or between $8.5 billion and $9.9 billion. To address overclaims, IRS plans to test a new certification program. Because IRS's plans have garnered much attention, Congress asked us to (1) describe the design and basis for the EIC qualifying child certification program, (2) describe the current status of the program, including significant changes, and (3) assess whether the program is adequately developed to prevent unreasonable burden on EIC taxpayers and improve compliance so that the test should proceed."
Date: September 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dialysis Facilities: Problems Remain in Ensuring Compliance with Medicare Quality Standards (open access)

Dialysis Facilities: Problems Remain in Ensuring Compliance with Medicare Quality Standards

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) must rely on dialysis treatments to compensate for kidney failure. Currently, over 222,000 ESRD patients visit dialysis centers several times a week to have toxins removed from their bloodstreams. While dialysis care has improved overall, questions remain regarding the quality of care provided by some of the nation's roughly 4,000 ESRD facilities. We examined (1) the extent and nature of quality of care problems identified at dialysis facilities, (2) the effectiveness of state survey agencies in ensuring that quality issues are uncovered, corrected, and stay corrected, and (3) the extent to which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) funds, monitors, and assists state survey activities related to dialysis care."
Date: October 8, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicaid and SCHIP: States Use Varying Approaches to Monitor Children's Access to Care (open access)

Medicaid and SCHIP: States Use Varying Approaches to Monitor Children's Access to Care

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over 25 million children have health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Coverage alone, however, does not guarantee that services will be available or that children will receive needed care. GAO was asked to evaluate states' efforts to facilitate and monitor access to primary and preventive services for children in these jointly funded federal-state programs. The study surveyed 16 states, covering over 65 percent of the Medicaid and SCHIP population. GAO analyzed requirements relevant to managed care and fee-for-service (FFS) delivery systems, including the number and location of physicians and their availability to see beneficiaries, monitoring of health plan or physician compliance with these requirements, and collection and analysis of beneficiary service utilization data."
Date: January 14, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community and Economic Development Loans: Securitization Faces Significant Barriers (open access)

Community and Economic Development Loans: Securitization Faces Significant Barriers

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Community economic development (CED) lenders serve the credit needs of nonconventional borrowers and economically distressed areas across the nation. However, little is known about this industry, its ability to tap private sources of capital, and loan performance and volume in the industry. To provide information that would be helpful in considering the role that the federal government might play in facilitating the creation of a secondary market for CED loans, GAO was asked among other items to (1) determine the barriers to more widely securitizing CED loans and (2) identify options for overcoming these barriers and the likely implications of these options."
Date: October 17, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Infrastructure: Personnel Reductions Have Not Hampered Most Commissaries' Store Operations and Customer Service (open access)

Defense Infrastructure: Personnel Reductions Have Not Hampered Most Commissaries' Store Operations and Customer Service

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In response to concerns about the impact of proposed cuts in the Defense Commissary Agency's workforce, the House Armed Services Committee placed in its report on the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 a requirement that we evaluate the effect of the personnel reductions. Specifically, we assessed (1) the status of personnel reductions and how they have affected store operations and customer service, and (2) whether the agency uses a reliable methodology to measure customer satisfaction with its commissaries."
Date: March 6, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Deep Injection Wells: EPA Needs to Involve Communities Earlier and Ensure That Financial Assurance Requirements Are Adequate (open access)

Deep Injection Wells: EPA Needs to Involve Communities Earlier and Ensure That Financial Assurance Requirements Are Adequate

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Billions of gallons of hazardous liquid waste are injected into underground wells each year. These Class I hazardous deep injection wells are designed to inject waste into an area below the lowermost underground source of drinking water. EPA and the states grant permits to commercial operators to construct and operate these wells and must obtain public comments on the permits. Communities often raise concerns about well safety and other matters. GAO examined the extent to which EPA and the states (1) address these community concerns, (2) consider environmental justice issues, and (3) ensure that financial assurances adequately protect the taxpayer if bankruptcy occurs. GAO, among other things, examined the permit process in the four states that have commercial Class I wells."
Date: June 13, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Social Security Administration (open access)

Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Social Security Administration

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In its 2001 performance and accountability report on the Social Security Administration (SSA), GAO identified important issues relating to research capacity, its process for determining disability, management of a high-risk Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, future service delivery plans, and protection of information facing the agency. The information GAO presents in this report is intended to help to sustain congressional attention and an agency focus on continuing to make progress in addressing these challenges and ultimately overcoming them. This report is part of a special series of reports on governmentwide and agency-specific issues."
Date: January 1, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Potential Terrorist Attacks: Additional Actions Needed to Better Prepare Critical Financial Market Participants (open access)

Potential Terrorist Attacks: Additional Actions Needed to Better Prepare Critical Financial Market Participants

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "September 11 exposed the vulnerability of U.S. financial markets to wide-scale disasters. Because the markets are vital to the nation's economy, GAO assessed (1) the effects of the attacks on market participants' facilities and telecommunications and how prepared participants were for attacks at that time, (2) physical and information security and business continuity plans market participants had in place after the attacks, and (3) regulatory efforts to improve preparedness and oversight of market participants' risk reduction efforts."
Date: February 12, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Decennial Census: Methods for Collecting and Reporting Data on the Homeless and Others without Conventional Housing Need Refinement (open access)

Decennial Census: Methods for Collecting and Reporting Data on the Homeless and Others without Conventional Housing Need Refinement

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Bureau of the Census partnered with local governments, advocacy groups, and other organizations to help it enumerate people without conventional housing. Counting this population--which includes shelter residents and the homeless--has been a longstanding challenge for the Bureau. A number of organizations put substantial resources into an operation the Bureau called Service-Based Enumeration. In return, some expected the Bureau to provide data that would help them plan and deliver employment, health, and other services. However, the Bureau did not release the data as planned, which raised questions about the Bureau's decision-making on data quality issues. In response to a congressional request, GAO examined the Bureau's decision-making process behind its change in plans."
Date: January 17, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2002 and 2001 Financial Statements (open access)

Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2002 and 2001 Financial Statements

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Created in 1933 to insure bank deposits and promote sound banking practices, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) plays an important role in maintaining public confidence in the nation's financial system. In 1989, legislation to reform the federal deposit insurance system created three funds to be administered by FDIC: the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, which protect bank and savings deposits, and the FSLIC Resolution Fund, created to close out the business of the former Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. GAO is responsible for obtaining reasonable assurance about whether FDIC's financial statements for the funds are presented fairly, whether it maintains effective internal controls, and whether FDIC has complied with selected laws and regulations."
Date: March 28, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United Nations: Early Renovation Planning Reasonable, but Additional Management Controls and Oversight Will Be Needed (open access)

United Nations: Early Renovation Planning Reasonable, but Additional Management Controls and Oversight Will Be Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The United Nations (U.N.) estimates that its planned renovation of the seven buildings on the Headquarters complex could cost almost $1.2 billion. As the host country and the largest contributor to the United Nations, the United States has a significant interest in this project. This report (1) assesses the reasonableness of the U.N. process to develop the renovation plans, (2) analyzes the potential cost to the United States, (3) identifies critical milestones before construction can begin, and (4) discusses efforts to monitor and oversee the project."
Date: May 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library