A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report describes the financial and management impact of increasing physician reimbursement rates in TRICARE -- the military's managed health care program. GAO found that changing the TRICARE reimbursement rate nationally to the 70th percentile of billed charges would be costly, inflationary, and largely unnecessary. Such an increase could cost the Defense Department (DOD) and its beneficiaries an additional $604 million annually with DOD paying most of this. In addition, an across-the-board increase is unnecessary because the vast majority of military beneficiaries are getting the care they need from military and civilian doctors who accept TRICARE's reimbursement rates. Nevertheless, access is impaired in some remote and rural areas. DOD's use of its existing authority to increase reimbursement rates in one of those areas--rural Alaska--has not encouraged civilian physicians to treat TRICARE beneficiaries."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Half of all beneficiaries in the Department of Defense's (DOD) Tricare health care program are women. With a health care system historically oriented towards men, DOD has had to work to ensure that its women beneficiaries receive the full range of medical services they are entitled to, including obstetrical and gynecological care and diagnostic services such as Pap smears and mammograms. TRICARE-covered benefits are in line with American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines and are comparable to women's health benefits offered by two of the largest health plans under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). DOD also requires some beneficiaries to share in the cost of their health care. Both DOD's and FEHBP's copayments, which are the same for men and women, vary depending on the plan option and the providers selected. Women beneficiaries report being satisfied with the health care benefits they receive under TRICARE. Some women beneficiaries, however, have expressed concerns about obtaining services when they are stationed overseas or in remote areas. Some active duty women are also concerned that command personnel may not understand women's health care needs."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses lessons learned from the Department of Defense's (DOD) TRICARE contracts and their implications for the future. TRICARE's successes and maturity reflect the ability of the DOD and its contractors to work within the current contract structure. However, it has not been easy, and there are important lessons from current contract shortcomings that need to be addressed in designing future TRICARE contracts. Most, including DOD, believe that the current contracts are too large, complex, and prescriptive in nature, limiting innovation and competition. Also, numerous adjustments to these contracts have created an unstable program, and program costs have been difficult to predict, contributing to annual funding shortfalls. Additionally, financial incentives, accountability, and data quality need to be strengthened to achieve greater efficiencies. To address these weaknesses, DOD redesigned its solicitation for the next round of TRICARE contracts; however, the initial issuance was withdrawn because of internal concerns and reservations about its costs and specifications. DOD is now reassessing how to structure the TRICARE contracts and is considering the views and recommendations of the Defense Medical Oversight Committee, a group formed to oversee TRICARE."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO prepared this report under its basic legislative responsibilities. Its objectives are threefold: (1) to examine the reserve forces' trends for facility maintenance and construction funding and the condition of their facilities, (2) to assess the likelihood that they will meet the Department of Defense's (DOD) objectives for improving facilities, and (3) to discuss the challenges in implementing two potential cost saving initiatives--joint construction projects and real property exchanges."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Recent cost increases in renovation projects to general and flag officer quarters raised questions about the services' management of the programs. GAO was asked to determine (1) how actual costs of renovation projects for general and flag officer housing compare to service budget estimates provided to Congress and (2) the primary reasons for any increases and the services' procedures to control cost increases. Additionally, GAO is presenting observations about the services' accountability over gifts provided to help renovate some general and flag officer quarters and the extent to which Department of Defense (DOD) guidance provides visibility and control over costs associated with renovation projects for privatized general and flag officer quarters."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1990 we have consistently identified the Department of Defense's (DOD) management of secondary inventory (spare and repair parts, medical supplies, and other items to support the operating forces) as a high-risk area because inventory levels were too high and management systems and procedures were ineffective. In addition, DOD has attributed readiness problems to parts shortages. Previously, we reported on the wide variety of reasons for inventory of spare parts being above or below the levels needed to satisfy current inventory requirements. This is one in a series of reports addressing defense inventory vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, and abuse. Congress asked that we specifically obtain the views about defense inventory imbalances from item managers, i.e., those who are responsible for maintaining the right amount of inventory."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As of September 1999, the Department of Defense (DOD) reported that it owned secondary inventory worth about $64 billion and that $9.4 billion of that inventory is more economical to retain than to dispose of and possibly repurchase later. This report focuses on whether DOD's economic retention decisions are sound. GAO found that military components (other than the Air Force) have developed models to help make economic retention decisions on secondary inventory. However, none of the components now use their economic retention models. Instead, they and the Air Force use ceilings to limit the amount of economic retention inventory they hold. Components have not properly documented their approaches to economic retention decisions. For example, common model factors vary and assumptions are inconsistent and out of date. In addition, DOD lacked sound analytical support for the maximum levels it now uses. As a result, the components cannot depend on their models or ceilings to determine retention inventory levels without review and improvement. They also have not reviewed their approaches annually. As a result, the Department does not have a sound basis for its approach to manage items …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "According to the current National Military Strategy the United States should be prepared to fight and win two nearly simultaneous wars in different parts of the world. Military policy calls for each of the services to acquire and maintain enough war material inventories to sustain a two-war scenario until the industrial base can resupply our armed forces. Because of limitations in the Army's process for determining war reserve spare parts requirements, however, the accuracy of the war reserve spare parts requirements and funding needs are uncertain. These limitations include (1) not using the best available data on the rate at which spare parts would be consumed during wartime for its war reserve spare parts requirements calculations, (2) having a potential mismatch between the Army's process for determining spare parts requirements for war reserves and how the Army plans to repair equipment on the battlefield, and (3) lacking a fact-based assessment of industrial base capacity to provide needed parts for the two-war scenario. Uncertainties are likely to persist for some time as the Army contemplates a significant transformation of its forces and other changes are considered affecting …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Changes in the Department of Defense's (DOD) mission can lead to changes in inventory requirements, which, in turn, determine the size of DOD's inventory. Since 1990, GAO has identified DOD's management of inventory as a high-risk area because levels of inventory were too high and management systems and procedures were ineffective. Furthermore, DOD has attributed readiness problems to parts shortages. In this report, GAO (1) provides information on changes in and make up of the department's inventory and (2) analyzes changes in inventory requirements, focusing on the Navy."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) has become increasingly aware that the use of more commercial and military electronic systems aboard ships, aircraft, and vehicles can cause unintended electromagnetic interactions among systems and harm operations. Such unintended interactions, called electromagnetic environmental effects, have already undermined mission effectiveness on many occasions. The new procurement procedures established by DOD are reasonable and could help prevent problems arising from radio frequency interference. The impact of these new procedures cannot be evaluated, however, until DOD has had a chance to apply its revised guidance to systems as they go through each acquisition decision milestone. DOD would then be able to demonstrate that the new procedures have (1) resulted in the review of relevant documents at each decision milestone to identify potential frequency problems, (2) prevented interference problems, and (3) improved the acquisition process. No DOD system had undergone the new procedures for all decision milestones at the time of GAO's review. The first of three pilot programs using the new acquisition guidance should be completed by January 2002 according to DOD officials. Consequently, GAO could not assess the programs' effectiveness."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Defense Security Cooperation Agency's (DSCA) decision to lower the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program's administrative fee from 3 percent to 2.5 percent, focusing on how the: (1) FMS program recovers its costs, as required by the Arms Export Control Act; and (2) projected sales levels made through the program will affect cost recovery in the future."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Export sales of defense-related products often include "offsets"-- industrial and commercial benefits, such as technology transfer, which U.S. companies provide to foreign governments as incentives or conditions for purchasing military goods and services. Over the past decade, offsets have increased and in 1998, they totaled about $3 billion per year. In December 2000, GAO reported that countries are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of offsets to achieve regional industrial and employment goals. In 1999, Congress established a National Commission to report on the extent and nature of offsets in international defense trade by October 2001. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was designated chair of the Commission. Congress also required the President to report, within 90 days after the Commission's final report, on the feasibility and desirability of seeking a multilateral treaty with international trading partners on standards for use of defense offsets. GAO's report responds to the congressional mandate for GAO to monitor and periodically report on the President's progress in reaching a multilateral treaty."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "DOD is in the midst of a major transformation effort including a number of initiatives to transform its forces and improve its business operations. DOD's legislative initiative would provide for major changes in civilian and military human capital management, make major adjustments in the DOD acquisition process, affect DOD's organization structure, and change DOD's reporting requirements to Congress, among other things. DOD's proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS) would provide for wide-ranging changes in DOD's civilian personnel pay and performance management, collective bargaining, rightsizing, and a variety of other human capital areas. The NSPS would enable DOD to develop and implement a consistent DOD-wide civilian personnel system. This testimony provides GAO's preliminary observations on aspects of DOD's legislative proposal to make changes to its civilian personnel system and discusses the implications of such changes for governmentwide human capital reform. This testimony summarizes many of the issues discussed in detail before the Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives on April 29, 2003."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report examines the working capital fund activities for the Department of Defense (DOD). GAO (1) identifies potential changes in current management processes or policies that, if made, would result in a more efficient operation and (2) evaluates various aspects of the DOD policy that allow Defense Working Capital Fund activities to carry over a 3-month level of work from one fiscal year to the next. GAO found that DOD lacks a sound analytical basis for its current 3-month carryover standard. DOD established a 3-month carryover standard for most working capital fund activity groups, although it has not done the analysis necessary to support the 3-month standard. Without a validation process, neither DOD nor congressional decisionmakers can be sure that the 3-month standard is providing activity groups with reasonable amounts of carryover to ensure a smooth transition from one fiscal year to the next or whether the carryover is excessive. In addition, carryover information currently reported under the 3-month standard is not comparable between services and is misleading to DOD and congressional decisionmakers. Specifically, results can differ markedly because the military services use different methods to …

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Commodity Credit Corporation's (CCC) new rule on the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program. GAO noted that: (1) the rule implements CCC's Farm Storage Facility Loan Program utilizing authority in the CCC Charter Act; (2) the program will provide financing for producers to build or upgrade farm storage and handling facilities; and (3) CCC complied with applicable requirements in promulgating the rule."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) financial management reform, focusing on the challenges and initiatives that are in place or planned."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the status of financial management at the Department of Defense (DOD), focusing on: (1) DOD's most serious financial management weaknesses; (2) the resulting impact on DOD's ability to effectively carry out its programs and operations; and (3) DOD's efforts to address these deficiencies."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Under the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997, the federal government has a goal of awarding at least 23 percent of prime, or direct, contracting dollars to small businesses each fiscal year. The Department of Energy (DOE), like other federal agencies, shares in the responsibility for meeting this goal. In fiscal year 2003, DOE spent $21.6 billion on prime contracts. More than 80 percent of this amount was spent on facility management contracts to manage and operate DOE's sites. Before 1999, DOE included subcontracts awarded by its facility management contractors when calculating its small business prime contracting achievements. In 1999, however, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy determined that DOE could no longer do so. This testimony discusses (1) the effect of the 1999 policy change on the amount of prime contract dollars that DOE will be required to direct to small businesses, (2) the steps that DOE has taken or plans to take to achieve its small business contracting goals, and (3) the likely implications for DOE's programs resulting from these changes."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the differences between GAO's 1998 report on the Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Tank Waste Remediation project and a 1998 report on the same project prepared by the Pacific Rim Enterprise Center, focusing on why the two reports reached substantially different conclusions about the growth in costs for the tank waste project."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE) is unusual among federal agencies in that it regulates and inspects its own facilities to protect the safety and health of its workers and of the communities surrounding its vast complex of research laboratories. With few exceptions, all other federal facilities must comply with national standards set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for nuclear safety and by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for worker safety and health. DOE asserts that, for the most part, its safety and health standards meet or exceed those promulgated for facilities regulated by NRC and OSHA. At DOE's 10 science laboratories, which are run by management and operating (M&O) contractors, the department and its contractors use a contract administration process to select standards appropriate to current worker hazards and public safety issues. Both DOE and the M&O contractors are involved in safety and health activities. DOE's field offices, most of which are located at the laboratories, provide continuous safety and health oversight of the M&O contractors. DOE headquarters offices provide policy guidance to the field offices and also conduct some oversight of the laboratories. Safety …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE) received $13.2 million in supplemental funding to replace equipment lost at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the May 2000 Cerro Grande fire. GAO reviewed the practices used by the contractor that runs the laboratory--the University of California (UC)--to determine whether it can benefit from modified purchasing practices. GAO found that UC can save money by (1) expanding its supply sources to include suppliers such as the General Services Administration and the Internet; (2) establishing mandatory maximum performance standards for computer purchases to avoid unjustified, costly, and unnecessary capabilities; and (3) increasing its use of a standard brand of computer and computer-related equipment to maximize volume discounts with selected suppliers."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) community assistance program for minimizing the impact of downsizing its contractor workforce, focusing on: (1) how much funding DOE had committed to spend and spent in support of its worker and community assistance program for fiscal years (FY) 1994 through 1998; (2) who received benefits during FY 1997 and FY 1998; (3) comparing DOE's separation benefits with the benefit packages of other federal and nonfederal organizations; and (4) what effect DOE's criteria had on determining which communities received assistance."

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) new rule on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. GAO noted that: (1) the rule contains key provisions of the new welfare block grant program enacted in 1996 by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the TANF program; (2) this program replaces the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program and the related programs known as the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program and the Emergency Assistance program; and (3) ACF complied with the applicable requirements in promulgating the rule."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed 31 completed Department of the Interior (DOI) contracts with outstanding balances, focusing on whether the outstanding balances were not needed for contract closeout and could be deobligated."