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Veterans Affairs: Posthearing Questions Concerning the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs Providing Seamless Health Care Coverage to Transitioning Veterans (open access)

Veterans Affairs: Posthearing Questions Concerning the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs Providing Seamless Health Care Coverage to Transitioning Veterans

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "On October 16, 2003, GAO testified before Congress at a hearing on whether DOD and VA are providing seamless health care coverage to transitioning veterans. This letter responds to a request thst we provide answers to follow-up questions from the hearing."
Date: November 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
GAO Forum on Governance and Accountability: Challenges to Restore Public Confidence in U.S. Corporate Governance and Accountability Systems (open access)

GAO Forum on Governance and Accountability: Challenges to Restore Public Confidence in U.S. Corporate Governance and Accountability Systems

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "On December 9, 2002, GAO convened a governance and accountability forum to discuss challenges facing regulators, the accounting profession, and boards of directors and management of public companies in effectively implementing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related regulatory actions to improve public confidence in U.S. corporate governance and accountability systems. Major accountability breakdowns recent years, exacerbated in the last 2 years by the unprecedented massive breakdowns and bankruptcy of Enron and WorldCom, have contributed to the decline in investor confidence in U.S. capital markets. The forum focused on the four interrelated areas of corporate governance, the financial reporting model, the accounting profession, and regulation and enforcement that the accountability breakdowns have surfaced as critical areas to be strengthened. Addressing these challenges will involve the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. In general, there must be the proper incentives, transparency, and accountability mechanisms in place to ensure the effectiveness of any system. As a result, these overarching principles were considered in connection with the issues discussed. Forum participants included individuals from federal and state government, the private sector, standards setting and oversight bodies, and a variety of …
Date: January 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Telecommunications: Issues Related to Competition and Subscriber Rates in the Cable Television Industry (open access)

Telecommunications: Issues Related to Competition and Subscriber Rates in the Cable Television Industry

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over 70 million American households receive television service from a cable television operator. In recent years, rates for cable service have increased at a faster pace than the general rate of inflation. GAO agreed to (1) examine the impact of competition on cable rates and service, (2) assess the reliability of information contained in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) annual cable rate report, (3) examine the causes of recent cable rate increases, (4) assess the impact of ownership affiliations in the cable industry, (5) discuss why cable operators group networks into tiers, and (6) discuss options to address factors that could be contributing to cable rate increases."
Date: October 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contract Management: OFPP Policy Regarding Share-in-Savings Contracting Pursuant to the E-Government Act of 2002 (open access)

Contract Management: OFPP Policy Regarding Share-in-Savings Contracting Pursuant to the E-Government Act of 2002

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In January 2003, we issued two reports that provide insight regarding the share-in-savings (SIS) provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002: one on critical elements of training for new acquisition initiatives and one on commercial practices that foster successful SIS contracting. As follow-up to these reports, we are writing to underscore the need for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) to ensure (1) that members of the federal acquisition workforce understand and appropriately apply this new authority and (2) that appropriate data are collected and available to meet mandated reporting requirements regarding the effective use of SIS contracting. SIS contracting represents a significant change in the way the federal government acquires information technology. In our report on improving training for new acquisition initiatives, we emphasized the importance that industry and government experts place on training to successfully implement such change. Training on this information technology acquisition initiative will be essential to its effective implementation. In our report on SIS contracting, we highlighted the federal government's limited experience with SIS contracting as well as conditions that fostered successful implementation in commercial SIS contracts."
Date: March 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Forest Service: Information on Appeals and Litigation Involving Fuels Reduction Activities (open access)

Forest Service: Information on Appeals and Litigation Involving Fuels Reduction Activities

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal fire community's decades old policy of suppressing wildland fires as soon as possible has caused a dangerous increase in vegetation density in our nation's forests. This density increase combined with severe drought over much of the United States has created a significant threat of catastrophic wildfires. In response to this threat, the Forest Service performs activities to reduce the buildup of brush, small trees, and other vegetation on national forest land. With the increased threat of catastrophic wildland fires, there have been concerns about delays in implementing activities to reduce these "forest fuels." Essentially, these concerns focus on the extent to which public appeals and litigation of Forest Service decisions to implement forest fuels reduction activities unnecessarily delay efforts to reduce fuels. The Forest Service does not keep a national database on the number of forest fuels reduction activities that are appealed or litigated. Accordingly, GAO was asked to develop this information for fiscal years 2001 and 2002. Among other things, GAO was asked to determine (1) the number of decisions involving fuels reduction activities and the number of acres affected, (2) the number …
Date: October 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Disability: Reviews of Beneficiaries' Disability Status Require Continued Attention to Achieve Timeliness and Cost-Effectiveness (open access)

Social Security Disability: Reviews of Beneficiaries' Disability Status Require Continued Attention to Achieve Timeliness and Cost-Effectiveness

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security Administration (SSA) has had difficulty in conducting timely reviews of beneficiaries' cases to ensure they are still eligible for disability benefits. SSA has been taking steps to improve the cost-effectiveness of its review process. SSA has linked the review process to eligibility for a new benefit that provides return-to-work services. This report looks at SSA's ability to stay current with future reviews, identifies potential improvements to the review process, and assesses the review process--return-to-work link."
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Airport Passenger Screening: Preliminary Observations on Progress Made and Challenges Remaining (open access)

Airport Passenger Screening: Preliminary Observations on Progress Made and Challenges Remaining

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Passenger screening is critical to the security of our nation's aviation system, particularly in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is tasked with securing all modes of transportation, including the screening of airline passengers. TSA has met numerous requirements in this regard, such as deploying more than 50,000 federal screeners at over 440 commercial airports nationwide. To determine whether TSA's passenger screening program is achieving its intended results, GAO is conducting an ongoing evaluation of TSA's efforts to (1) ensure that passenger screeners are effectively trained and supervised, (2) measure screener performance in detecting threat objects, and (3) implement and evaluate the contract screening pilot program."
Date: September 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Judgeships: General Accuracy of District and Appellate Judgeship Case-Related Workload Measures (open access)

Federal Judgeships: General Accuracy of District and Appellate Judgeship Case-Related Workload Measures

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO appeared before the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, House Committee on the Judiciary to discuss the results of our review and assessment of case-related workload measures for district court and courts of appeals judges. Biennially, the Judicial Conference of the United States, the federal judiciary's principal policymaking body, assesses the judiciary's needs for additional judgeships. If the Conference determines that additional judgeships are needed, it transmits a request to Congress identifying the number, type (courts of appeals, district, or bankruptcy), and location of the judgeships it is requesting. In assessing the need for additional district and appellate court judgeships, the Judicial Conference considers a variety of information, including responses to its biennial survey of individual courts, temporary increases or decreases in case filings, and other factors specific to an individual court. However, the Conference's analysis begins with the quantitative case-related workload measures it has adopted for the district courts and courts of appeals--weighted case filings and adjusted case filings, respectively. These two measures recognize, to different degrees, that the time demands on judges are largely a function of both the number and complexity of …
Date: June 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Further Efforts Needed to Fully Implement Statutory Requirements in DOD (open access)

Information Security: Further Efforts Needed to Fully Implement Statutory Requirements in DOD

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) faces many risks in its use of globally networked computer systems to perform operational missions--such as identifying and tracking enemy targets--and daily management functions--such as paying soldiers and managing supplies. Weaknesses in these systems, if present, could give hackers and other unauthorized users the opportunity to modify, steal, inappropriately disclose, and destroy sensitive military data. GAO was asked, among other things, to discuss DOD's efforts to protect its information systems and networks from cyber attack, focusing on its reported progress in implementing statutory information security requirements."
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Infectious Diseases: Gaps Remain in Surveillance Capabilities of State and Local Agencies (open access)

Infectious Diseases: Gaps Remain in Surveillance Capabilities of State and Local Agencies

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Recent challenges, such as the SARS outbreak and the anthrax incidents in the fall of 2001, have raised concerns about the nation's preparedness for a large-scale infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorism event. In order to be adequately prepared for such a major public health threat, state and local public health agencies need to have several basic capabilities, including disease surveillance systems, laboratory facilities, communication systems and a sufficient workforce. GAO was asked to examine the capacity of state and local public health agencies and hospitals to detect and report illnesses or conditions that may result from a large-scale infectious disease outbreak or bioterrorism event. This testimony is based largely on recent work, including a report on state and local preparedness for a bioterrorist attack; preliminary findings from current work on updates of bioterrorism preparedness at the state and local levels; and findings from a survey GAO conducted on hospital emergency department capacity and emergency preparedness."
Date: September 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Travel Cards: Internal Control Weaknesses at DOD Led to Improper Use of First and Business Class Travel (open access)

Travel Cards: Internal Control Weaknesses at DOD Led to Improper Use of First and Business Class Travel

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Ineffective oversight and management of the Department of Defense's (DOD) travel card program, which GAO has previously reported on, have led to concerns about DOD's use of first and business class airfares. GAO was asked to (1) identify the magnitude of premium class travel, (2) determine if DOD's key internal control activities operated effectively and provide examples of control breakdowns, and (3) assess DOD's monitoring and key elements of the control environment."
Date: October 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Older Workers: Employment Assistance Focuses on Subsidized Jobs and Job Search, but Revised Performance Measures Could Improve Access to Other Services (open access)

Older Workers: Employment Assistance Focuses on Subsidized Jobs and Job Search, but Revised Performance Measures Could Improve Access to Other Services

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Some economists predict that by 2030, the United States could experience a labor shortage of 35 million workers. As the shortage approaches, one option available is to encourage people to work beyond traditional retirement ages, especially because people who are age 55 or older will constitute nearly a third of the poppulation. Accordingly, increasing demands will be made on the workforce development system to help ensure that older workers are provided opportunities to help address the anticipated labor shortage. Concerned that the existing workforce development system may not meet the needs of older workers, the Subcommittee's Ranking Minority Member asked GAO to determine the extent that older workers are enrolled in federal employment and training programs, what services are provided, and how performance measures affect such services."
Date: January 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Formula Grants: 2000 Census Redistributes Federal Funding Among States (open access)

Formula Grants: 2000 Census Redistributes Federal Funding Among States

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2000, about $283 billion in federal grant money was distributed to state and local governments by formula, about half of it through four formula grant programs--Medicaid, Foster Care Title IV-E, Adoption Assistance, and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). States receive money based in part on factors such as annual population estimates derived from the previous decennial census, which is conducted by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. GAO was asked to measure the effect that using the 2000 census data has on redistributing funding for federal formula grant programs. To do this, GAO analyzed the change in the U.S. and state populations between 1999 and 2000 that was the result of correcting prior population estimates and estimated for the four programs the extent of any redistribution of federal funding among states."
Date: February 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fiscal Exposures: Improving the Budgetary Focus on Long-Term Costs and Uncertainties (open access)

Fiscal Exposures: Improving the Budgetary Focus on Long-Term Costs and Uncertainties

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO and other budget experts have discussed that the current time horizons and content of the federal budget could be enhanced to more comprehensively reflect the government's commitments or signal emerging problems. GAO was asked to (1) provide information on the range and nature of responsibilities, programs, and activities that may explicitly or implicitly expose the government to future spending and (2) present and discuss options for increasing the attention paid to these items in the budget and budget process. GAO recommends that OMB report annually on fiscal exposures. Where possible, OMB should report the estimated costs-"exposure level"-of certain activities in the Program and Financing schedules of the budget. In a few select areas, the ultimate objective might be to include costs directly in the budget when doing so would enhance up-front control of spending. Congress may wish to consider exploring options for improving the budgetary information and the attention given to fiscal exposures. If more explicit congressional consideration is desired, as estimates improve, Congress may wish to develop budget process mechanisms that prompt more deliberation."
Date: January 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
FEMA Cerro Grande Claims: Payments Properly Processed, but Reporting Could Be Improved (open access)

FEMA Cerro Grande Claims: Payments Properly Processed, but Reporting Could Be Improved

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Cerro Grande Fire Assistance Act (CGFAA) mandated that GAO annually audit all claim payments made to compensate the victims of the Cerro Grande Fire in northern New Mexico. For this third report on this topic, GAO determined whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is now a part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, (1) paid fire claims in accordance with applicable guidance and (2) implemented corrective actions to address prior GAO recommendations, including determining if FEMA properly reported claim payments to the Congress."
Date: December 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: Capacity Planning and Management Oversight Need Improvement (open access)

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: Capacity Planning and Management Oversight Need Improvement

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) provides federal law enforcement training for 75 Partner Organizations (agencies) primarily at four domestic facilities located at Glynco, Ga; Artesia, N. Mex.; Charleston, S.C.; and Cheltenham, Md.. Given the post-terrorist attack security environment, coupled with the increased demand for training, concerns have been raised about FLETC's continued ability to meet this training demand. Because of these concerns, GAO was asked to issue a report on (1) how FLETC plans to meet the projected demand for training; (2) FLETC's ability to efficiently coordinate and schedule training activities; and (3) whether oversight and governance structures provide the guidance it needs to address its capacity and planning challenges."
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Competitive Sourcing: Implementation Will Be Challenging for Federal Agencies (open access)

Competitive Sourcing: Implementation Will Be Challenging for Federal Agencies

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In May 2003, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a revised Circular A-76, which represents a comprehensive set of changes to the rules governing competitive sourcing--one of five governmentwide items in the President's Management Agenda. Determining whether to obtain services in-house or through commercial contracts is an important economic and strategic decision for agencies, and the use of Circular A-76 is expected to grow throughout the federal government. In the past, however, the A-76 process has been difficult to implement, and the impact on the morale of the federal workforce has been profound. Concerns in the public and private sectors were also raised about the timeliness and fairness of the process for public-private competitions. It was against this backdrop that the Congress enacted legislation mandating a study of the A-76 process, which was carried out by the Commercial Activities Panel, chaired by the Comptroller General of the United States. This testimony focuses on how the new Circular addresses the Panel's recommendations reported in April 2002, the challenges agencies may face in implementing the new Circular A-76, and the need for effective workforce practices to help ensure …
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Long-Term Commitments: Improving the Budgetary Focus on Environmental Liabilities (open access)

Long-Term Commitments: Improving the Budgetary Focus on Environmental Liabilities

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Although environmental liabilities resulting from federal programs and activities represent the third largest category of the federal government's liabilities, the current cash- and obligation-based budget does not provide information on estimated cleanup costs before waste-producing assets are purchased. As a result, policymakers do not have the opportunity to weigh the full costs of a proposal with their judgment of its benefits. The Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget asked GAO to examine and report on various ways budgeting might be improved for environmental cleanup costs, including some of the benefits, limitations, and challenges associated with each."
Date: January 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Operations: Contractors Provide Vital Services to Deployed Forces but Are Not Adequately Addressed in DOD Plans (open access)

Military Operations: Contractors Provide Vital Services to Deployed Forces but Are Not Adequately Addressed in DOD Plans

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) uses contractors to provide a wide variety of services for U.S. military forces deployed overseas. We were asked to examine three related issues: (1) the extent of contractor support for deployed forces and why DOD uses contractors; (2) the extent to which such contractors are considered in DOD planning, including whether DOD has backup plans to maintain essential services to deployed forces in case contractors can no longer provide the services; and (3) the adequacy of DOD's guidance and oversight mechanisms in managing overseas contractors efficiently."
Date: June 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disaster Assistance: Federal Aid to the New York City Area Following the Attacks of September 11th and Challenges Confronting FEMA (open access)

Disaster Assistance: Federal Aid to the New York City Area Following the Attacks of September 11th and Challenges Confronting FEMA

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, resulted in one of the largest catastrophes this country has ever experienced. The federal government has been a key participant in the efforts to provide aid after the attacks, and it has been providing the New York City area with funds and other forms of assistance. The magnitude of the disaster in New York and the size and scope of the federal government's response in aiding the city has generated significant interest in the nature and progress of this federal assistance. This testimony focuses on (1) how much and what types of assistance the federal government provided to the New York City area following the September 11 terrorist attacks, (2) how the federal government's response to this disaster differed from previous disaster response efforts, and (3) the ongoing challenges FEMA faces as it, and its mission, are subsumed into the Department of Homeland Security."
Date: September 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Disability: Reviews of Beneficiaries' Disability Status Require Continued Attention to Improve Service Delivery (open access)

Social Security Disability: Reviews of Beneficiaries' Disability Status Require Continued Attention to Improve Service Delivery

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security Administration (SSA) has had difficulty in conducting timely reviews of beneficiaries' cases to ensure they are still eligible for disability benefits. SSA has been taking steps to improve the cost-effectiveness of its review process. SSA has linked the review process to eligibility for a new benefit that provides return-to-work services. This testimony looks at SSA's ability to stay current with future reviews, identifies potential improvements to the review process, and assesses the review process--return-to-work link."
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Disability Claims Processing: Social Security Administration's Accelerated Strategy Faces Significant Risks (open access)

Electronic Disability Claims Processing: Social Security Administration's Accelerated Strategy Faces Significant Risks

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Providing benefits to disabled individuals is one of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) most important service delivery obligations--touching the lives of about 10 million individuals. In recent years, however, providing this benefit in a timely and efficient manner has become an increasing challenge for the agency. This past January, in fact, GAO designated SSA's disability programs as highrisk. Following a prior unsuccessful attempt, the agency is now in the midst of a major initiative to automate its disability claims functions, taking advantage of technology to improve this service. Seeking immediate program improvements, SSA is using an accelerated approach--called AeDib--to develop an electronic disability claims processing system. At the request of the Subcommittee on Social Security, House Committee on Ways and Means, GAO is currently assessing the strategy that underlies SSA's latest initiative to develop the electronic disability system. For this testimony, GAO was asked to discuss its key observations to date regarding the AeDib initiative, including strategy, risks, and stakeholder involvement. GAO plans to discuss more fully the results of this continuing review in a subsequent report"
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Justice Outcome Evaluations: Design and Implementation of Studies Require More NIJ Attention (open access)

Justice Outcome Evaluations: Design and Implementation of Studies Require More NIJ Attention

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Policy makers need valid, reliable, and timely information on the outcomes of criminal justice programs to help them decide how to set criminal justice funding priorities. In view of previously reported problems with selected outcome evaluations managed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), GAO assessed the methodological quality of a sample of completed and ongoing NIJ outcome evaluation grants."
Date: September 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans Benefits Administration: Process for Preventing Improper Payments to Deceased Veterans Can Be Improved (open access)

Veterans Benefits Administration: Process for Preventing Improper Payments to Deceased Veterans Can Be Improved

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2002, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) paid about $22.4 billion in disability compensation to over 2.6 million veterans and their survivors and about $3.3 billion in pension benefits to about 581,000 veterans and their survivors. To ensure that VBA makes proper payments under these programs, we reviewed the effectiveness of VBA efforts to prevent payments to deceased veterans by matching its Compensation and Pension (C&P) Master Records database of current beneficiaries with the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Death Master File."
Date: July 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library