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DOD Problem Disbursements: Long-standing Accounting Weaknesses Result in Inaccurate Records and Substantial Write-offs
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has recorded billions of dollars of disbursements and collections in suspense accounts because the proper appropriation accounts could not be identified and charged. DOD has also been unable to resolve discrepancies between its and Treasury's records of checks issued by DOD. Because documentation that would allow for resolution of these payment recording problems could not be found after so many years, DOD requested and received legislative authority to write off certain aged suspense transactions and check payment differences. The conference report (H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 107-772) that accompanied the legislation (Pub. L. No. 107-314) required GAO to review and report on DOD's use of this write-off authority."
Date:
June 2, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Mail Order Pharmacies: DOD's Use of VA's Mail Pharmacy Could Produce Savings and Other Benefits
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "There has been long-standing congressional interest in whether the Department of Defense (DOD) could use the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) system as a cost-effective alternative to beneficiaries picking up outpatient refill prescriptions at DOD military treatment facilities (MTF). To evaluate this possibility, DOD and VA conducted a pilot program in fiscal year 2003 in which a VA CMOP provided outpatient pharmaceutical refill services to DOD beneficiaries served through three MTFs. GAO was asked to estimate cost savings that could be achieved if DOD used VA's CMOP instead of MTF pharmacies for outpatient refill prescriptions, and what other benefits were achieved at the three pilot sites. To estimate potential cost savings and determine what other benefits were achieved, GAO reviewed pilot and pharmacy program documentation and interviewed DOD and VA officials responsible for purchasing and dispensing drugs. GAO also compared drug and administrative costs of dispensing outpatient refills through the fiscal year 2003 pilot program with the costs of dispensing the refills at the three DOD MTFs that participated in the pilot."
Date:
June 22, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Elections: Additional Data Could Help State and Local Elections Officials Maintain Accurate Voter Registration Lists
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Reports of ineligible persons registering to vote raised concerns about state processes for verifying voter registration lists. States base voter eligibility generally on the voter's age, U.S. citizenship, mental competence, and felon status. Although states run elections, Congress has authority to affect the administration of elections. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) sets a deadline for states to have a statewide voter registration list and list verification procedures. For this report, GAO selected seven states (AZ, CA, MI, NY, TX, VA, and WI) to represent a range of characteristics relevant to voter registrations, such as whether a statewide voter list existed prior to HAVA. This report discusses how these states verify voter registration eligibility; the challenges they face in maintaining accurate voter lists; the progress toward implementing HAVA registration requirements; and identifies federal data sources that might be used to help verify voter registration eligibility."
Date:
June 10, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Immigration Services: Better Contracting Practices Needed at Call Centers
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) bureau within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides toll-free telephone assistance through call centers to immigrants, their attorneys, and others seeking information about U.S. immigration services and benefits. As the volume of calls increased--from about 13 million calls in fiscal year 2002 to about 21 million calls in fiscal year 2004--questions were raised about USCIS's ability to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the information provided at call centers run by an independent contractor. This report analyzes: (1) the performance measures established by USCIS to monitor and evaluate the performance of contractor-operated call centers; (2) how performance measures were used to evaluate the contractor's performance; and (3) any actions USCIS has taken, or plans to take, to strengthen call center operations."
Date:
June 30, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Department of Homeland Security Needs to Fully Implement Its Security Program
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Homeland Security Act of 2002 mandated the merging of 22 federal agencies and organizations to create the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), whose mission, in part, is to protect our homeland from threats and attacks. DHS relies on a variety of computerized information systems to support its operations. GAO was asked to review DHS's information security program. In response, GAO determined whether DHS had developed, documented, and implemented a comprehensive, departmentwide information security program."
Date:
June 17, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Oil And Gas Development: Increased Permitting Activity Has Lessened BLM's Ability to Meet Its Environmental Protection Responsibilities
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Rising U.S. energy consumption and concerns about dependency on foreign energy sources have prompted the administration to aggressively pursue domestic oil and gas production, including production on public lands, which in turn has generated concern that the impacts of this activity may compromise the use of public land for other purposes. GAO determined (1) the extent to which the level of oil and gas development on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has changed in recent years, and how the change has affected BLM's ability to mitigate impacts; (2) what policy changes related to oil and gas development BLM recently made and how these policies affected BLM's environmental mitigation activities; and (3) what challenges BLM faces in managing its oil and gas program."
Date:
June 17, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-China Trade: Commerce Faces Practical and Legal Challenges in Applying Countervailing Duties
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Some U.S. companies allege that unfair subsidies are a factor in Chinese success in U.S. markets. U.S. producers injured by subsidized imports may normally seek countervailing duties (CVD) to offset subsidies, but the United States does not apply CVDs against countries, including China, that the Department of Commerce classifies as "nonmarket economies" (NME). In this report, GAO (1) explains why the United States does not apply CVDs to China, (2) describes alternatives for changing this policy, (3) explores challenges that would arise in applying CVDs, and (4) examines the implications for duty rates on Chinese products."
Date:
June 17, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
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.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Chemical Regulation: Options Exist to Improve EPA's Ability to Assess Health Risks and Manage Its Chemical Review Program
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Chemicals play an important role in everyday life, but some may be harmful to human health and the environment. Chemicals are used to produce items widely used throughout society, including consumer products such as cleansers, paints, plastics, and fuels, as well as industrial solvents and additives. However, some chemicals, such as lead and mercury, are highly toxic at certain doses and need to be regulated because of health and safety concerns. In 1976, the Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to authorize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to control chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. GAO reviewed EPA's efforts to (1) control the risks of new chemicals not yet in commerce, (2) assess the risks of existing chemicals used in commerce, and (3) publicly disclose information provided by chemical companies under TSCA."
Date:
June 13, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
National Mall: Steps Identified by Stakeholders Facilitate Design and Approval of Security Enhancements
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Mall in Washington, D.C., encompasses some of our country's most treasured icons and serves as a public gathering place for millions of visitors each year. The National Air and Space Museum, for example, was the most visited museum worldwide in 2003, hosting 9.4 million visitors. Federal agencies with facilities on the National Mall have begun implementing physical security enhancements to protect their facilities and the visiting public. This report responds to Congressional interest in the efforts and expenditures pertaining to these security enhancements and discusses (1) the physical security enhancements that have been implemented on the National Mall since September 11, 2001, the additional enhancements planned, and the costs of these enhancements; (2) the considerations given to incorporating access and aesthetics into the design and approval of these security enhancements, and how issues of access and aesthetics are perceived by visitors in relation to these enhancements; and (3) examples of how federal agencies are using key practices to implement the enhancements, and any challenges the agencies are experiencing in using these key practices. In commenting on a draft of this report, the Smithsonian Institution, …
Date:
June 14, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Child Welfare: Better Data and Evaluations Could Improve Processes and Programs for Adopting Children with Special Needs
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "On September 30, 2002, the most recent date for which Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) data were available, about 126,000 foster children were waiting to be adopted. Estimates suggest that a significant portion of these children had one or more special needs, such as a medical condition or membership in a minority group, that may discourage or delay their adoption. Federal support in the form of adoption subsidies and incentive payments to states is available to promote special needs adoption. This report (1) identifies the major challenges to placing and keeping special needs children in adoptive homes, (2) examines what states and HHS have done to facilitate special needs adoptions, and (3) assesses how well the Adoption Assistance Program and the Adoption Incentives Program have worked to facilitate special needs adoptions, and determines if changes might be needed."
Date:
June 13, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Data Quality: Improvements to Count Correction Efforts Could Produce More Accurate Census Data
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) conducted the Count Question Resolution (CQR) program to correct errors in the count of housing units as well as dormitories and other group living facilities known as group quarters. GAO was asked to assess whether CQR was consistently implemented across the country, paying particular attention to whether the Bureau identified census errors that could have been caused by more systemic problems. GAO also evaluated how well the Bureau transitioned to CQR from an earlier quality assurance program called Full Count Review."
Date:
June 20, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Identity Theft: Some Outreach Efforts to Promote Awareness of New Consumer Rights Are Under Way
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act of 2003 which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), contains provisions intended to help consumers remedy the effects of identity theft. For example, section 609(e) of the amended FCRA gives identity theft victims the right to obtain records of fraudulent business transactions, and section 609(d) requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop a model summary of identity theft victims' rights. This report provides information on (1) outreach efforts to inform consumers, businesses, and law enforcement entities about section 609(e); (2) the views of relevant groups on the provision's expected impact; and (3) FTC's process for developing its model summary of rights and views on the summary's potential usefulness."
Date:
June 30, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Workforce Investment Act: Substantial Funds Are Used for Training, but Little Is Known Nationally about Training Outcomes
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998 seeking to create a system connecting employment, education, and training services to better match job seekers to labor market needs. However, questions have been raised about how WIA funds are being used and, in particular, how much is being spent on training. Contributing to the concern about the use of WIA funds is the lack of accurate information about the extent to which WIA participants are enrolled in training activities. GAO was asked to determine (1) the extent to which WIA funds are used for training, (2) how local workforce boards manage the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITA) and what challenges they have encountered, and (3) what is known at the national level about outcomes of those being trained. In its comments, the Department of Labor (Labor) noted that some of our estimates on training conflicts with their estimates. Labor's estimate of the number of adults trained comes from their database and includes only those who had exited from the program. GAO's estimates represent a more complete and accurate picture than Labor's because they are …
Date:
June 29, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Intellectual Property: Key Processes for Managing Patent Automation Strategy Need Stengthening
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The volume and complexity of patent applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have increased significantly in recent years, lengthening the time needed to process patents. Annual applications have grown from about 185,000 to over 350,000 in the last 10 years and are projected to exceed 450,000 by 2009. Coupled with this growth is a backlog of about 750,000 applications. USPTO has long recognized the need to automate its patent processing and, over the past two decades, has been engaged in various automation projects. Accordingly, GAO was asked to, among other things, assess progress to date and any problems facing USPTO as it develops the capability to efficiently handle patent information electronically."
Date:
June 17, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Private Pensions: Government Actions Could Improve the Timeliness and Content of Form 5500 Pension Information
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Form 5500 is the primary source of information for both the federal government and the private sector regarding the operation, funding, assets, and investments of private pension and other employee benefit plans. Currently, the Department of Labor (Labor) requires about 3 years to provide certain usable Form 5500 information to the public, leading to complaints that the information is not timely. We have prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority, and it is intended to assist Congress in improving the timeliness and content of Form 5500 information. This report is addressed to the congressional committees of jurisdiction. It examines: (1) the information reported on the form and how it is used, (2) factors that affect the timeliness of Form 5500 information, and (3) issues affecting the content of the form."
Date:
June 3, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Information Technology: Federal Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing Initiatives to Improve Public Health Infrastructure
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "It has been almost 4 years since the anthrax events of October 2001 highlighted the weaknesses in our nation's public health infrastructure. Since that time, emerging infectious diseases have appeared--such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and human monkeypox--that have made our readiness for public health emergencies even more critical. Information technology (IT) is central to strengthening the public health infrastructure through the implementation of systems to aid in the detection, preparation for, and response to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Congress asked us to review the current status of major federal IT initiatives aimed at strengthening the ability of government at all levels to respond to public health emergencies. Specifically, our objectives were to assess the progress of major federal IT initiatives designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the public health infrastructure and describe the key IT challenges facing federal agencies responsible for improving the public health infrastructure."
Date:
June 10, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Cooperative Threat Reduction: DOD Has Improved Its Management and Internal Controls, but Challenges Remain
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Section 3611 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 mandates that GAO assess the Department of Defense's (DOD) internal controls for the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program and their effect on the program's execution. In addressing the mandate, we assessed DOD's management and internal controls over implementing CTR projects since 2003 by using the control standards for the federal government as criteria. In response to the mandate, we focused on those management and internal control areas considered most relevant to CTR project implementation: (1) building a management structure, (2) risk assessments, (3) performance measures, (4) program reviews, (5) communications, and (6) project monitoring. The Congress also mandated that GAO describe the status of DOD's implementation of legislative mandates covering the CTR program."
Date:
June 30, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Army Depot Maintenance: Ineffective Oversight of Depot Maintenance Operations and System Implementation Efforts
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Army depot maintenance activity group received about $2.6 billion of orders in fiscal year 2004 to repair helicopters, combat vehicles, and air defense systems. To perform this work, the group operates under the working capital fund concept, where customers are to be charged the anticipated costs of providing goods and services to them. GAO was asked to determine (1) if prices charged by the group have increased and, if so, why; (2) how the group allocates gains or losses incurred at the individual depot level; and (3) if the group exceeded its allowable carryover ceilings and the reasons for exceeding the ceilings. GAO was also asked to determine if the Army encountered problems implementing a new system, the Logistics Modernization Program (LMP), at the Tobyhanna Army Depot."
Date:
June 30, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Energy Savings: Performance Contracts Offer Benefits, but Vigilance Is Needed to Protect Government Interests
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government is the nation's largest energy consumer, spending, by latest accounting, $3.7 billion on energy for its 500,000 facilities. Upfront funding for energy-efficiency improvements has been difficult to obtain because of budget constraints and competing agency missions. The Congress in 1986 authorized agencies to use Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) to privately finance these improvements. The law requires that annual payments for ESPCs not exceed the annual savings generated by the improvements. GAO was asked to identify (1) the extent to which agencies used ESPCs; (2) what energy savings, financial savings, and other benefits agencies expect to achieve; (3) the extent to which actual financial savings cover costs; and (4) what areas, if any, require steps to protect the government's financial interests in using ESPCs."
Date:
June 22, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Groundwater Contamination: DOD Uses and Develops a Range of Remediation Technologies to Clean Up Military Sites
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To date, the Department of Defense (DOD) has identified nearly 6,000 sites at its facilities that require groundwater remediation and has invested $20 billion over the past 10 years to clean up these sites. In the past, DOD primarily used "pump-and-treat" technologies to contain or eliminate hazardous contaminants in groundwater. However, the long cleanup times and high costs of using pump-and-treat technologies often make them expensive and ineffective for groundwater remediation. As directed by Public Law 108-375 and as agreed, GAO (1) described current DOD groundwater remediation technologies and (2) examined whether any new technologies are being used or developed outside the department that may have potential for DOD's use and the extent to which DOD is researching and developing new approaches to groundwater remediation. GAO provided the Department of Defense with a draft copy of the report for its review and comment. DOD generally agreed with the contents stating that the report is an accurate summary of DOD's use and field tests of remedial technologies. DOD also provided technical clarifications that have been incorporated, as appropriate."
Date:
June 30, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Global Health: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Is Responding to Challenges but Needs Better Information and Documentation for Performance-Based Funding
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria--established as a private foundation in January 2002--is intended to rapidly disburse grants to recipients, including governments and nongovernmental organizations. The Global Fund has signed over 270 grant agreements and disbursed more than $1 billion. Governments provide most of its funding; the United States has provided almost one-third of the $3.7 billion the Global Fund has received. In May 2003, the President signed legislation directing the Comptroller General to monitor and evaluate Global Fund-supported projects. GAO reviewed grants that the Global Fund began disbursing before January 2004. This report (1) describes the Global Fund's process for managing grants and disbursing funds, (2) identifies factors that have affected grant performance, (3) reviews the basis and documentation of performance-based funding, and (4) notes recent refinements of Global Fund processes."
Date:
June 10, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management: Thousands of Civilian Agency Contractors Abuse the Federal Tax System with Little Consequence
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Tax abuses by contractors working for the Department of Defense, on which GAO previously reported, have led to concerns about similar abuses by those hired by civilian agencies. GAO was asked to determine if similar problems exist at civilian agencies and, if so, to (1) quantify the amount of unpaid federal taxes owed by civilian agency contractors paid through the Financial Management Service (FMS), (2) identify any statutory or policy impediments and control weaknesses that impede tax collections under the Federal Payment Levy Program (FPLP), and (3) determine whether there are indications of abusive or potential criminal activity by contractors with unpaid tax debts."
Date:
June 16, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Air Traffic Operations: The Federal Aviation Administration Needs to Address Major Air Traffic Operating Cost Control Changes
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Dating back to 1997, numerous reports have highlighted the need for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to better control the growth in its Air Traffic Services operating costs, which account for about $6.5 billion or over 80 percent of FAA's total annual operating costs. In February 2004, FAA established the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) to take over its entire Air Traffic operations and established cost control as a major focus. GAO was asked to determine: (1) What is ATO's financial outlook for its operations? (2) To what extent is ATO taking actions to control its operating costs? (3) What are some options ATO should consider in developing its cost control strategy?"
Date:
June 23, 2005
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
System:
The UNT Digital Library