Indian Health Service: Action Needed to Ensure Equitable Allocation of Resources for the Contract Health Service Program (open access)

Indian Health Service: Action Needed to Ensure Equitable Allocation of Resources for the Contract Health Service Program

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: June 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Trade: Concerns Over Biotechnology Challenge U.S. Agricultural Exports (open access)

International Trade: Concerns Over Biotechnology Challenge U.S. Agricultural Exports

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the challenges facing U.S. agricultural biotechnology products in international trade. GAO found that new regulations and guidelines that may restrict U.S. exports of crops with a large biotech component are being enacted or considered by some U.S. trading partners and are also under discussion in various international organizations. These actions address approval, labeling, and traceability of agricultural biotech products. U.S. corn and soybean exports are most threatened by new foreign regulatory measures because of their biotech content. Although U.S. soybean exports have not yet experienced disruptions, U.S. corn exports have been largely shut out of the European Union (EU) market because U.S. farmers are producing some biotech varieties that have not been approved for marketing in the EU. U.S. agricultural biotech exports face several significant challenges in international markets. First, as the single major producer of biotech products, the United States has been relatively isolated in its efforts to maintain access to markets for these products. Second, in many parts of the world, consumer concerns are growing about the safety of biotech foods, which have led key market countries to implement or consider …
Date: June 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Securities Arbitration: Actions Needed to Address Problem of Unpaid Awards (open access)

Securities Arbitration: Actions Needed to Address Problem of Unpaid Awards

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on issues relating to the arbitration process in the securities industry, focusing on: (1) whether arbitration forums had implemented recommendations made in GAO's 1992 report and whether the changes were effective; (2) how investors fared in award decisions; and (3) the extent to which investors were paid the amounts awarded by arbitration panels."
Date: June 15, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Acquisitions: Resolving Development Risks in the Army's Networked Communications Capabilities Is Key to Fielding Future Force (open access)

Defense Acquisitions: Resolving Development Risks in the Army's Networked Communications Capabilities Is Key to Fielding Future Force

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Army has embarked on a major transformation of its force. Central to this transformation is the Future Combat Systems (FCS), a $108 billion effort to provide warfighters with the vehicles, weapons, and communications needed to identify and respond to threats with speed, precision, and lethality. Establishing reliable, robust communications and networking capabilities is key to FCS's success. Each of the systems integral to the FCS communications network--the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), and the System of Systems Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE)--rely on significant advances in current technologies and must be fully integrated to realize FCS. Given the complexity and costs of this undertaking, GAO was asked to review each of these key development efforts to identify any risks that may jeopardize the successful fielding of FCS."
Date: June 15, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Managing for Results: A Guide for Using the GPRA Modernization Act to Help Inform Congressional Decision Making (open access)

Managing for Results: A Guide for Using the GPRA Modernization Act to Help Inform Congressional Decision Making

Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: June 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans Affairs: Implementation of Temporary Residence Adaptation Grants (open access)

Veterans Affairs: Implementation of Temporary Residence Adaptation Grants

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As of May 2009, approximately 34,000 service members had been wounded in action as part of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. In response to concerns about the assistance that service members injured in combat receive when they transition back into civilian life, Congress has enacted several laws to improve the benefits available to veterans and service members, including the Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006. This act authorized the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand its previously existing adaptive housing assistance grants to include eligible individuals temporarily living in a home owned by a family member, known as Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grants. Section 101 of the Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006 mandated us to submit to Congress an interim report by June 15, 2009, and a final report by June 15, 2011, on VA's implementation of TRA. This interim report describes the number and characteristics of TRA grants and grant recipients and provides information on VA's policies and processes for providing the grants."
Date: June 15, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard: Observations on Agency Performance, Operations and Future Challenges (open access)

Coast Guard: Observations on Agency Performance, Operations and Future Challenges

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Coast Guard's fiscal year 2007 budget request total $8.4 billion, an increase of 4 percent ($328 million) over the approved budget for fiscal year 2006 and a slowing of the agency's budget increases over the past 2 fiscal years. This testimony, which is based on both current and past GAO work, synthesizes the results of these reviews as they pertain to meeting performance goals, adjusting to added responsibilities, acquiring new assets (especially the Deepwater program--to replace or upgrade cutters and aircraft, and the Rescue 21 program--to modernize rescue communications), and meeting other future challenges."
Date: June 15, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intermodal Transportation: Challenges to and Potential Strategies for Developing Improved Intermodal Capabilities (open access)

Intermodal Transportation: Challenges to and Potential Strategies for Developing Improved Intermodal Capabilities

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Mobility--that is, the movement of passengers and goods through the transportation system--is critical to the nation's economic vitality and the quality of life of its citizens. However, increasing passenger travel and freight movement has led to growing congestion in the nation's transportation system, and projections suggest that this trend is likely to continue. Increased congestion can have a number of negative economic and social effects, including wasting travelers' time and money, impeding efficient movement of freight, and degrading air quality. U.S. transportation policy has generally addressed these negative economic and social effects from the standpoint of individual transportation modes and local government involvement. However, there has been an increased focus on the development of intermodal transportation. Intermodal transportation refers to a system that connects the separate transportation modes--such as mass transit systems, roads, aviation, maritime, and railroads--and allows a passenger to complete a journey using more than one mode. This testimony is based on GAO's prior work on intermodal transportation, especially intermodal ground connections to airports, and addresses (1) the challenges associated with developing and using intermodal capabilities and (2) potential strategies that could help public decision makers …
Date: June 15, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security: Distribution of Benefits and Taxes Relative to Earnings Level (open access)

Social Security: Distribution of Benefits and Taxes Relative to Earnings Level

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Under the current Social Security benefit formula, retired workers receive benefits that equal about 50 percent of pre-retirement earnings for a low-wage worker but only about 30 percent for a relatively high-wage worker. Factors other than earnings also influence the distribution of benefits, including the program's provisions for disabled workers, spouses, children, and survivors. Changes in the program over time also affect the distribution of benefits across generations. Social Security faces a long-term structural financing shortfall. Program changes to address that shortfall could alter the way Social Security's benefits and revenues are distributed across the population and affect the income security of millions of Americans. To gain a better understanding of the distributional effects of potential program changes, the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging asked us to address (1) how to define and describe "progressivity," that is, the distribution of benefits and taxes with respect to earnings level, when assessing the current Social Security system or proposed changes to it; (2) what factors influence the distributional effects of the current Social Security program; and (3) what would be the …
Date: June 15, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program: GAO Comments on Key Task Force Findings and Recommendations (open access)

VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program: GAO Comments on Key Task Force Findings and Recommendations

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report responds to a request by the Ranking Minority Member, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for an analysis of the findings and recommendations contained in the March 2004 report of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Task Force on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E). The mission of the VR&E program is to provide comprehensive services and assistance necessary to enable veterans with service-connected disabilities and employment handicaps to become employable, then obtain and maintain stable and suitable employment. We agreed to review and comment on the Task Force report's key findings and recommendations and make general observations about these findings and recommendations in light of our previous and ongoing work in the area."
Date: June 15, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Software: Review of Defense Report on Software Development Best Practices (open access)

Defense Software: Review of Defense Report on Software Development Best Practices

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) report on its efforts to adopt management best practices for software development and acquisition, focusing on whether: (1) it satisfied the Senate Committee on Armed Service's directive; and (2) the information included was accurate and complete."
Date: June 15, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wood Utilization: Federal Research and Product Development Activities, Support, and Technology Transfer (open access)

Wood Utilization: Federal Research and Product Development Activities, Support, and Technology Transfer

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "More wood is consumed every year in the United States than all metals, plastics, and masonry cement combined. To maximize their use of wood, forest product companies rely on research into new methods for using wood. At least 12 federal agencies have provided support to wood utilization research and product development activities, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)-funded wood utilization research centers, which historically have specifically targeted support to these activities. GAO was asked to identify (1) the types of wood utilization research and product development activities federal agencies support and how these activities are coordinated; (2) the level of support federal agencies made available for these activities in fiscal years 2004 and 2005, and changes in the level of support at the Forest Service and at the CSREES-funded wood utilization research centers for fiscal years 1995 through 2005; and (3) how the federal government transfers the technologies and products from its wood utilization research and product development activities to industry. GAO provided a draft of this report to the 12 federal agencies for review …
Date: June 15, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Numbers: Federal Actions Could Further Decrease Availability in Public Records, though Other Vulnerabilities Remain (open access)

Social Security Numbers: Federal Actions Could Further Decrease Availability in Public Records, though Other Vulnerabilities Remain

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Various public records in the United States, including some generated by the federal government, contain Social Security numbers (SSN) and other personal identifying information that could be used to commit fraud and identity theft. Public records are generally defined as government agency-held records made available to the public in their entirety for inspection, such as property records and court records. Although public records were traditionally accessed locally in county courthouses and government record centers, in recent years, some state and local public record keepers have begun to make these records available to the public through the Internet. While it is important for the public to have access to these records, concerns about the use of information in these records for criminal purposes have been raised. In 2006, these concerns were heightened when an Ohio woman pled guilty to conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft as the leader of a group that stole citizens' personal identifying information from a local public record keeper's Web site and other sources, resulting in over $450,000 in losses to individuals, financial institutions, and other businesses. Although we previously reported on …
Date: June 15, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DHS Science and Technology: Additional Steps Needed to Ensure Test and Evaluation Requirements Are Met (open access)

DHS Science and Technology: Additional Steps Needed to Ensure Test and Evaluation Requirements Are Met

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, GAO has reported on challenges the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has faced in effectively managing major acquisitions, including programs which were deployed before appropriate testing and evaluation (T&E) was completed. In 2009 and 2010 respectively, DHS issued new T&E and acquisition directives to address these challenges. Under these directives, DHS Science and Technology Directorate's (S&T) Test & Evaluation and Standards Office (TES) is responsible for overseeing T&E of DHS major acquisition programs--that is, those with over $300 million in life-cycle costs--to ensure that T&E and certain acquisitions requirements are met. GAO was asked to identify (1) the extent to which TES oversees T&E of major acquisitions; and (2) what challenges, if any, TES officials report facing in overseeing T&E across DHS components. GAO reviewed DHS directives and test plans, interviewed DHS officials, and reviewed T&E documentation from a sample of 11 major acquisition programs from each of 11 different DHS components. The results of the sample cannot be generalized to all DHS programs, but provided insights."
Date: June 15, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Passport Issuance: Current Situation Results in Thousands of Passports Issued to Registered Sex Offenders (open access)

Passport Issuance: Current Situation Results in Thousands of Passports Issued to Registered Sex Offenders

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A U.S. passport allows the owner to travel freely both in and out of the country. Although passport recipients typically travel internationally for business or leisure, some passport recipients are using their passports to commit nefarious illegal activities outside this country. Specifically, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has documented cases of U.S. passport holders engaging in sex acts with children in foreign countries. Federal statutes authorize the Secretary of State to deny issuance of a passport in certain circumstances, such as for a conviction for international drug trafficking or arrearages in child support. GAO was asked to (1) determine, to the extent possible, the number of passport recipients who are registered sex offenders and (2) develop case study examples of passport recipients who are registered sex offenders. To do so, GAO compared fiscal year 2008 passport data from the Department of State (State) to data in DOJ's National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR). GAO also interviewed State officials. GAO selected 30 sex offenders, primarily based on geography, and performed investigations. In response to a draft of this report, DOJ had no comments. State expressed concerns about the …
Date: June 15, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Improvements Needed to Help Ensure Reliability of SBA's Performance Data on Procurement Center Representatives (open access)

Improvements Needed to Help Ensure Reliability of SBA's Performance Data on Procurement Center Representatives

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This letter responds to the mandate contained in Section 1312(c) of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, for GAO to conduct a study of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Procurement Center Representatives (PCR) and Commercial Market Representatives (CMR), including ways to improve their effectiveness. To fulfill this mandate, we provided congressional staff a briefing on the results of this work in meetings with them on March 22, 23, and 24, 2011. Each year, the federal government awards hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts for goods and services--more than $500 billion in fiscal year 2010 alone. It uses this buying power to maximize procurement opportunities for small businesses through long-standing policies such as set-asides and requiring large contractors to set goals for using small business subcontractors. SBA's PCRs and CMRs play an important role in helping ensure that small businesses gain access to contracting and subcontracting opportunities. In particular, a PCR's key responsibilities include reviewing proposed agency contract events--such as potentially bundled or consolidated contracts--and making set-aside recommendations to agency contracting officers (through informal and formal means), reviewing agency small business programs (surveillance reviews), and counseling small …
Date: June 15, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Food and Commodities: Federal Purchases and Major Regulations That Potentially Affect Prices Paid (open access)

Food and Commodities: Federal Purchases and Major Regulations That Potentially Affect Prices Paid

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the federal government's food and commodity purchases, focusing on: (1) details about federal agencies' purchases of food and agricultural commodities from fiscal year (FY) 1997 through FY 1999; and (2) information on major regulations that may affect the prices paid by these agencies for these products."
Date: June 15, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comments on the Government Waste Corrections Act of 1999 (open access)

Comments on the Government Waste Corrections Act of 1999

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the proposed legislation entitled the Government Waste Correction Act of 1999."
Date: June 15, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
2010 Census: Census Bureau Needs to Take Prompt Actions to Resolve Long-standing and Emerging Address and Mapping Challenges (open access)

2010 Census: Census Bureau Needs to Take Prompt Actions to Resolve Long-standing and Emerging Address and Mapping Challenges

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To conduct a successful census, it is important that the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) produce the most complete and accurate address file and maps for 2010. For this review, GAO's specific objectives were to determine the extent to which (1) the Bureau's efforts to modernize the address file and maps are addressing problems experienced during the 2000 Census, (2) the Bureau is managing emerging address file and map issues, (3) the Bureau is able to collect and transmit address and mapping data using mobile computing devices (MCD) equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology, and (4) the Bureau has a plan to update the address file and maps in areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. GAO reviewed the Bureau's progress in modernizing both the address file and maps."
Date: June 15, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Crop Insurance: More Needs To Be Done to Reduce Program's Vulnerability to Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (open access)

Crop Insurance: More Needs To Be Done to Reduce Program's Vulnerability to Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) administers the federal crop insurance program in partnership with private insurers. In 2005, the program cost $2.7 billion, including an estimated $117 million in losses from fraud, waste, and abuse. The Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (ARPA) provided new tools to monitor and control abuses, such as providing RMA sanction authority to address program abuse and having USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) inspect farmers' fields. This testimony is based on GAO's September 30, 2005, report, Crop Insurance: Actions Needed to Reduce Program's Vulnerability to Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (GAO-05-528). GAO assessed (1) USDA's processes to address fraud, waste, and abuse, and (2) the extent to which the program's design makes it vulnerable to abuse."
Date: June 15, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of the Interior: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges (open access)

Department of the Interior: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the Department of the Interior's fiscal year 2000 performance report and fiscal year 2002 performance report plan required by the Government Performance and Results Act. Specifically, GAO discusses Interior's progress in achieving the following four outcomes: (1) maintaining the health of federally managed land, water, and renewable resources; (2) ensuring visitors' satisfaction with the availability, accessibility, diversity, and quality of national parks; (3) meeting the federal government's responsibility to preserve and protect Indian trust lands and resources; and (4) ensuring the safe and environmentally sound development of mineral resources. GAO could not judge the agency's progress in promoting the health of federally managed land, water, and renewable resources because the goals Interior has reported do not foster a broad or departmentwide approach to measuring progress. Although the Park Service's strategies for continuing to meet and exceed its visitor satisfaction and visitor education goals appear clear and reasonable, the agency's fiscal year 2002 performance plan lacks information on the strategic human capital management strategies to achieve this outcome. GAO cannot judge the Bureau of Indian Affairs' progress in protecting Indian trust lands and resources …
Date: June 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health and Human Services: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges (open access)

Health and Human Services: Status of Achieving Key Outcomes and Addressing Major Management Challenges

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the Department of Health and Human Service's (HHS) fiscal year 2000 performance report and fiscal year 2002 performance plan required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 to assess HHS' progress in achieving selected key outcomes that are important to its mission. It is difficult to fully assess the HHS' progress in fiscal year 2000 toward achieving the outcomes GAO reviewed because lags in reporting performance data are common for many of its components such as the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration. In some cases, the delays are associated with the need to obtain performance data from states and local organizations. Some HHS components are working to improve the timeliness of data submitted by others and, in some instances, have reported trend data to show that progress is being made. For example, both ACF and CDC supplied fiscal year 1999 performance data in their current performance reports--data that were not available until this year. It is likely that ACF's …
Date: June 15, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Systems Modernization: Results of Review of IRS' Initial Expenditure Plan (open access)

Tax Systems Modernization: Results of Review of IRS' Initial Expenditure Plan

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) initial Information Technology Investments Account (ITIA) expenditure plan, focusing on whether: (1) the plan satisfies the conditions specified in IRS' fiscal year 1998 and 1999 appropriations acts; (2) the plan is consistent with GAO's past recommendations on IRS' systems modernization; and (3) GAO's observations on the modernization efforts."
Date: June 15, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeownership: Information on Single-Family Loans Sold by HUD (open access)

Homeownership: Information on Single-Family Loans Sold by HUD

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the single family loans sold by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), focusing on the: (1) status of single-family loans sold; (2) ways in which HUD has ensured that the purchasers of these loans abide by the forbearance requirements contained in the loan sales agreements; and (3) changes HUD has made in the staffing resources used to service the loans it holds."
Date: June 15, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library