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After Action Report/Improvement Plan: Medical Services (MS-1) Drill, Clinton Power Station [June 28, 2018]
From the Executive Summary: "On June 28, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DRS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Region V, evaluated a Medical Services (MS-1) Drill at the Order of Saint Francis (OSF) St. Joseph Medical Center associated with the Clinton Power Station. The purpose of the MS-1 Drill was to assess the ability of off site agencies to respond to a medical emergency involving a potentially radiologically contaminated member of the public. The MS-1 Drill was held in accordance with DHS/FEMA policies and guidance concerning the exercise of State and local radiological emergency response plans (RERPs) and procedures. [...] The State and local organizations demonstrated knowledge of and adequately implemented organizational emergency response plans and procedures. There were no Level 1 Findings, Level 2 Findings or Plan Issues identified as a result of this drill and there were no previous Level 1 Findings, Level 2 Findings or Plan Issues to be corrected during this drill."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2018-09-03
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FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, September 2 - 8, 2018
This document is a compilation of all the FEMA Daily Operations Briefings from September 2 - 8, 2018. The FEMA Daily Operations Briefing provides an overview of the current emergency management situation nationwide and includes a summary of current significant events, weather activity, recent emergency declarations and projections for the coming week.
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2018-09-02?
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VA National Suicide Data Report 2005-2016
From the Introduction: "Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States, and Veteran suicide is a national concern. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to Veteran suicide prevention. VA collects, analyzes, and disseminates data to better understand Veteran suicide and inform suicide prevention initiatives. [...] The current report presents new findings about Veteran suicide based on National Death Index mortality data through 2016 for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report documents differences in suicide mortality between Veterans who have and have not recently used Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services and compares suicide rates among Veterans with rates among U.S. non-Veteran adults. It also includes key measures pertaining to Veteran suicide -- counts, rates, and breakdowns by suicide method -- followed by information for specific subpopulations, including various age groups, VHA users, women Veterans, and former Guard and Reserve members who were never federally activated."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs; United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Suicide Prevention
2018-09
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PrepTalks: Saving Lives After a Nuclear Detonation [video]
"Brooke Buddemeier's PrepTalk, 'Saving Lives After a Nuclear Detonation,' emphasizes the importance of sheltering after a nuclear detonation and provides emergency managers with tools to help citizens, responders, and city officials get ready."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
Buddemeier, Brooke R.
2018-09
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Facing Reality: The Benefits and Challenges of Facial Recognition for the NYPD
From the thesis abstract: "Facial recognition technology (FRT) and license plate readers (LPRs) are comparable technologies that share similar benefits and challenges. Many of the challenges associated with LPRs have already been mitigated, resulting in citizen acceptance and expanded use. Recent advancements in FRT, such as its use in real time, create new opportunities to leverage the technology for increased public safety. To what extent are LPRs and FRT analogous, and how can the use of LPRs by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) provide a roadmap for public support of real-time FRT? This thesis examines benefits and challenges that may arise if the NYPD considers using real-time FRT in the New York City subway system. Through comparative analysis, this thesis determines that real-time FRT could help law enforcement deter terrorism, prevent violent crime, identify wanted individuals, find missing persons as well as assist in mental health situations and post-event investigations. Real-time FRT can help the NYPD meet its mission by reducing fear, increasing resiliency, and adding a layer of protection for citizens riding in the New York City subway system."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Carter, Anthony M.
2018-09
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Prescription for Information Sharing Between Law Enforcement and the Medical Community to Improve Threat Assessments
From the thesis abstract: "Medical practitioners may have information that could be used to determine whether an individual poses a violent threat to the community. However, legal and cultural barriers often prevent information sharing between the medical field and law enforcement. This thesis examines the impact of laws and regulations such as HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996], FERPA [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act], 42 CFR [Code of Federal Regulations] Part 2, and state duty-to-warn laws, and recommends a legal analysis of these laws to determine whether modifications are necessary. It suggests that states could enact individual laws that mandate information sharing between the medical community and law enforcement for the purposes of threat assessment, which would then allow release of the information under HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2. It also suggests training for both law enforcement and the medical community to ensure they understand how to apply these laws, as well as joint exercises to enhance collaboration and trust."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Thibault, Amy L.
2018-09
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Oregon Trail: An Exploratory Case Study for Higher Education Emergency Management Programs
From the thesis abstract: "Institutions of higher education have underdeveloped emergency management programs despite academic research, industry surveys, and guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Education. This research set out to discover what recurring issues are commonly identified in higher education emergency management programs. These issues tended to fall into three broad categories: resources, planning, and engagement. An exploratory case study was then conducted on Oregon's Campus Resilience Consortium to see how this proposed model could address repetitive issues. The research found that Oregon's program is poised to strengthen continuity, communication, and collaboration among institutions across the state. Implementation concerns were identified."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Dunn, Kelly
2018-09
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DHS Acquisition Workforce: The Threat's Not Leaving, Why Are You?
From the thesis abstract: "To mitigate threats to our nation, homeland security operators depend on the acquisition workforce in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop, field, and sustain the technologies that help them accomplish their mission. Instability in the acquisition workforce can delay readiness of those technologies, giving adversaries a distinct advantage. This study defines the acquisition workforce, establishes a benchmark for instability, and determines whether the DHS acquisition workforce is unstable. The study uses data from DHS, industry, and other government sources to determine attrition rates and the primary causes leading to attrition during the last five years. Overlaying additional data, the study includes a comparative analysis and trend identification, and discusses staffing requirements, shortages, time to deliver an initial operational capability, and time to hire as critical contributors to instability. The results show that, based on the established benchmark, the acquisition workforce is stable; however, the same methodology applied at the component level shows that two DHS components are unstable. Finally, the thesis presents simple recommendations, such as establishing career models for the acquisition workforce, as well as more complex ways forward, such as consolidating the acquisition workforce."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Dumais, Wayne A.
2018-09
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Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Automated External Defibrillator Delivery in the Seattle King County Region Following Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
From the thesis abstract: "Using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to deliver a shock to a cardiac arrest patient before emergency medical services arrive increases the likelihood that the patient will survive. This thesis explores the possibility of using unmanned aerial systems (UASs, or drones) to deliver AEDs to patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Washington's Seattle/King County region--particularly in suburban and rural areas where traditional emergency response may be delayed. The researcher collected qualitative data on OHCA incidents in the region over a five-year period and ran simulated models to determine whether an AED-equipped UAS could arrive to a cardiac arrest patient faster than a traditional ground response. The research concluded that such UASs could be launched and maintained by a single organization, and could significantly decrease response times to the suburban and rural areas of the Seattle/King County region."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Tyerman, Aaron M.
2018-09
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Challenges Associated with Providing Efficient and Effective Fire Services to Large Arab-American Populations and the Resources Required to Meet Them
From the thesis abstract: "Challenges to effective service can be encountered when a predominantly white, Christian, Euro-ethnic, and male fire service encounters unfamiliar minority populations. While studies have been conducted to determine challenges that firefighters face in servicing certain minority groups, no studies have been published related to the challenges encountered when servicing a predominantly Arab-American minority population. This thesis collected data from a sample of firefighters employed by the City of Dearborn, home to the largest percentage of Arab-Americans outside of the Middle East. Firefighters were asked to identify not only the challenges encountered, but also the resources that would aid them in providing more effective service. The research concluded that Dearborn firefighters did encounter challenges when servicing Arab-American minority groups, which included language barriers and the lack of education on the role of the fire service within the community. Resources identified to improve service efficiency and effectiveness included increased collaboration with Arab-American community and religious leaders, educational programs, and the recruitment of bilingual staff."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Murray, Joseph P.
2018-09
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Five Country Research & Development Network Terrorism Prevention Meeting
From the Document: "The Five Country Research and Development (5RD) Terrorism Prevention Meeting was hosted by the United Kingdom Home Office's Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), in London, UK, September 10-13, 2018. The 5RD Terrorism Prevention Meeting convened researchers, policy makers, and operations from Australia, Canada, the United States, and the UK to share and coordinate changes in national priorities and research agendas, enumerate key 5RD research outputs and milestones achieved since the 2015 5RD Research Meeting to Counter Violent Extremism, and identify opportunities for future 5RD collaborations on terrorism prevention research. The meeting was organized around three overarching objectives designed to identify and address research priorities and gaps, reduce duplication of research efforts, and maximize collaboration across the 5RD nations: [1] Objective 1: Further develop an agreed-upon administrative structure and formalization of membership and communication plans. [2] Objective 2: Develop methods for recording 5RD activities and outputs that include reporting structure and output metrics. Activity tracking to accommodate past and future efforts. [3] Objective 3: Identify and articulate current shared R&D priorities in the context of changing policy and operational environments."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate
RTI International
2018-09
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Blockchain Testbed for DoD Applications
From the Abstract: "Although initially introduced to support the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, many blockchain technology applications have been envisioned. As a result, blockchain platforms have been created and others are under development. The Department of Defense (DoD) needs blockchain platform testbeds so that applications beyond cryptocurrency can be explored. To solve this problem, we decided to construct a small blockchain testbed. We developed criteria to aid in selecting a blockchain platform for use in a testbed. Then, we evaluated a set of blockchain platforms against our criteria, selected the highest-ranking platform, and used it to create the testbed. We installed and exercised applications provided by the platform's developers to test its behavior. Study of the services provided by the platform allowed us to propose the design of an application that could be tailored for DoD use. The selected blockchain platform, Hyperledger Fabric, was hosted in lightweight virtual machines called Docker containers and can be used for design and experimentation on applications and blockchain networks. This lowered the effort and resources required to configure and set up blockchain networks. Hyperledger Fabric is an example of a blockchain platform that can support more use cases beyond cryptocurrency."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Shaw, Markus R.
2018-09
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Shipment, Preservation, and Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs) in Environmental Matrices
From the Introduction: "Recent uses of chemical warfare agents (CWA) in the Middle East and United Kingdom have highlighted the need for methods to characterize the nature and extent of CWA contamination in the environment. CWA blister agents of concern include sulfur mustard (HD) and Lewisite (L), while nerve agents of concern include cyclohexyl sarin (GF), sarin (GB), soman (GD), and O-ethyl-S-(2-diisopropylamino-ethyl)- methyl-phosphonothiolate (VX). The lethality of these agents requires verified and sensitive sampling and analysis methods. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for remediating civilian areas contaminated with CWAs. Historically there were a lack of available environmental CWA methods, making sample collection, preservation, and analysis challenging. Furthermore, the number of anticipated samples collected during remediation would have undoubtedly overwhelmed laboratory capacity and capability and delayed results needed to support decision-making during decontamination and clearance."
United States. Environmental Protection Agency
2018-09
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Network Reliability and Security Risk Reduction: Final Report - Report on Best Practices and Recommendations to Mitigate Security Risks to Emerging 5G Wireless Networks v14.0
From the Executive Summary: "The telecommunications industry is preparing for the evolution of wireless networks to the next generation of technology, known as 5G [fifth generation]. This 5th generation of wireless networks represents perhaps the largest change we have seen in wireless networks since cellular was introduced. The migration away from traditional, engineered systems designed to support specific network functions in a point-to-point network architecture is moving to adopt an IT [information technology] architecture. As telecom networks are move [sic] into the data center, the future architecture uses IT technologies that have supported the Internet for many years. This brings about some challenges. This new architecture introduces many new attack vectors that the industry has not experienced before at the same time there is a sense of urgency among operators to complete the standards and begin implementation as quickly as possible. Operators around the world are gearing up for cloud deployments of their critical infrastructure."
Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council
2018-09
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National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters (NACCD): Pediatric Disaster Training Report
From the Introduction: "The PDTWG [Pediatric Disaster Training Working Group] identified several priority health, mental health and safety needs of children and youth during and after disasters. The aim of these recommendations (as a subset in advance of the full report) is to improve health and mental health professional, responder, emergency manager, teacher, childcare provider, family member, youth and the general public's knowledge and confidence to act to assess, treat and support children and youth (newborn-18 years old) during and after disasters. The PDTWG's goal is to identify strategies to support the overall health and safety needs of children in disasters and to help ensure health and mental health professionals, first responders, education personnel, childcare workers, and the public will respond effectively to their needs."
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
2018-09
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Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR): Joint NACCD and NBSB Future Strategies for Children Report
From the Introduction: "The US Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is tasked with protecting the health and safety of all Americans during emergencies and to foster their resilience to withstand and respond to the same. Given the criticality of this task as it relates to youth, the Office of the ASPR requested the National Advisory Committee for Children and Disasters (NACCD) to work with the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB, previously known as the National Preparedness and Response Science Board, NPRSB) to recommend future strategies the ASPR could utilize in advancing the health security of our nation's youth. Building on the National Preparedness and Response Science Board's (NPRSB) Future Strategies Report (2015), the National Advisory Committee for Children and Disasters (NACCD) worked with the NBSB to review projected trends and develop a prioritized set of future strategy recommendations and initial implementation steps for the ASPR, specific to children's needs in disasters."
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
2018-09
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National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters (NACCD): Metrics of Baseline Vulnerability in Pediatrics Health Care Services Report
From the Introduction: "The concept of a Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) rests on the aspiration of a strong and resilient local healthcare system that can withstand, respond to, and recover from disasters and public health crises. The different effects and recovery trajectories from the three major U.S. hurricanes of 2017 - Harvey, Irma, and Maria - invite inquiry as to why some areas can respond better and faster than others after disaster. A baseline assessment of vulnerabilities in healthcare delivery would be invaluable in predicting an area's need for outside assistance and prognosis over short, medium, and long-term timescales, enabling a more targeted direction of resources. The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) asked the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters (NACCD) to develop a list of metrics that could define the baseline status and vulnerability of an area's ability to deliver pediatric healthcare."
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
2018-09
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Failure of Oversight: How Republicans Blocked a Credible Investigation of the Trump Administration's Response to the 2017 Hurricanes, Democratic Staff Report, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, September 2018
From the Executive Summary: "The hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands last fall were one of the most devastating and deadly natural disasters in United States history. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina killed an estimated 1,100 people. In 2017, the hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2,975 people--more than the number of people killed in the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001."
United States. Congress. House
2018-09
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Cuba: U.S. Policy in the 115th Congress [September 1, 2018]
"Political and economic developments in Cuba and U.S. policy toward the island nation, located just 90 miles from the United States, have been significant congressional concerns for many years. Especially since the end of the Cold War, Congress has played an active role in shaping U.S. policy toward Cuba, first with the enactment of the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 (CDA; P.L. 102-484, Title XVII) and then with the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-114). Both measures strengthened U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba that had first been imposed in the early 1960s but also provided road maps for a normalization of relations, dependent upon significant political and economic changes in Cuba. Congress partially modified its sanctions-based policy toward Cuba when it enacted the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (TSRA; P.L. 106-387, Title IX) allowing for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2018-09-01
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Navigating Troubled Waters: How Leaders Can More Effectively Prepare Intelligence Enterprises for the Risks of Intelligence Efforts in Transparent Societies
From the thesis abstract: "For intelligence officials today, understanding the appropriate bounds of balancing security and liberty interests is more imperative than ever. Intelligence enterprises require the consent of their public stakeholders to be effective; running aground of public support threatens significant institutional harms. Leaders can avoid many of these harms if they develop a culture within their organizations that better balances security and liberty interests. This effort can ward off the dangers of a narrative discourse that advocates for 'prevention at all costs,' which leads to harmful extremes of disregarding public concerns over privacy, civil liberties, and the rule of law. This thesis uses a case study to review the social dynamics in the Bush Administration following 9/11, as a handful of policymakers secretly and unilaterally created and implemented aggressive surveillance programs. Using the social identity perspective, this thesis demonstrates the harms that may befall an organization intent on thwarting all other considerations to prevent a terrorist attack. Ultimately, this thesis provides a model for creating a culture that better balances security and liberty interests, and that ensures a better understanding of how stakeholders view an intelligence enterprise's authorities."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Dambly, Jeffrey
2018-09
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Suicide in Law Enforcement: Protecting Those Who Serve
From the thesis abstract: "The goal of this thesis was to identify effective suicide prevention protocols currently being used by law enforcement that can help leadership meet their organizations' needs. The research also reviewed suicide prevention protocols used by the military since both occupations are intrinsically connected by the psychological maladies they endure. Specifically, the thesis examined the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program and the Montreal police department's Together for Life suicide prevention program. Both programs used longitudinal studies that combined several suicide prevention protocols into their overall strategies. Metadata from each case study show that combining suicide prevention protocols creates a synergistic effect that results in fewer suicides over a measured period. Although the thesis also examined the effectiveness of individual protocols employed independently--including pre-employment psychological screenings, gatekeeper training, peer support programs, and employee assistance programs--this research was limited by insufficient metadata. Through a critical review of suicide prevention case studies and initiatives, this thesis identified best practices that may be tailored to the needs of law enforcement and the military."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Bernier, Raymond J.
2018-09
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Dual-System Problem in Complex Conflicts
From the Summary: "Conflicts are increasingly complex and unpredictable. The United States and its partners have not been unambiguously successful at the strategic level in most of the conflicts they have been engaged in since September 11, 2001. This is, in part, because conflicts are becoming more complex and, therefore, more unpredictable and volatile [...] In complex wars, it can be unclear what winning might even look like from the U.S. perspective. The U.S. policy system is also more complex than most leaders appreciate. The difficulty of operating in fragile and conflict environments is exacerbated by the fact that the U.S. policy system is also too complex to manage predictably. [...] The United States will not be effective in foreign conflicts until it gets a handle on this 'dual-system problem.' The ability of U.S. leaders to influence outcomes in crisis situations is restricted by the fact that not one but two complex systems--the domestic policy system and the foreign conflict--stand between their decisions and the real-world outcomes they want to influence."
Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute
Lamb, Robert D.; Gregg, Melissa R.
2018-09
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Security Role for the United States in a Post-ISIS Syria? Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Policy
From the Introduction: "Syria has become one of the most vexing and complex problems for U.S. strategic planners in recent times. Currently, the United States has about 2,000 troops in the northeastern part of the country whose primary mission has been to aid the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up primarily of Kurds and some Arab tribesmen, to fight ISIS. [...] The key questions are: What should the mission of these troops be now that ISIS is on its last legs and how long should they remain in Syria? Outside of the strictly military dimension, what purpose does and should these troops serve? Can the presence of these troops help foster U.S. leverage in Syria that would serve U.S. objectives outside of anti-ISIS campaign, such as reducing the Iranian military footprint in Syria and helping to bring back millions of refugees back to Syria? And what are the risks of keeping U.S. troops in Syria?"
Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute
Aftandilian, Gregory
2018-09
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PrepTalks: Public Works & Emergency Management - Restoring Life Line Services [video]
From the Webpage: "Philip Mann's PrepTalk, 'Public Works & Emergency Management: Restoring Lifeline Services' helps emergency managers and public works personnel understand the role of public works and public works role in response and recovery from disasters. The most important goal for response and recovery is 'to get our citizens back to their normal life,' Mann said, 'and to do that the most efficient way is if police, fire, and public works work together.'"
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
Mann, Philip R.
2018-09
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PrepTalks: Private Sector Resilience: It is All in the Supply Chain [video]
From the Webpage: "Dr. Yossi Sheffi's PrepTalk, 'Private Sector Resilience: It is All in the Supply Chain', explains the modes of failure in supply chain networks, explores new ways to think about disruptions, and showcases a General Motors case study on the complexities of supply chain management. 'Prior relationships between all elements of public sector and all elements of private sector are crucial', said Dr. Sheffi. 'Collaboration and communication is key to effective resilience and effective response.'"
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
Sheffi, Yossi
2018-09
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PrepTalks: Aligning Public and Private Supply Chains Following Disasters [video]
From the Webpage: "Dr. Jarrod Goentzel's PrepTalk, 'Aligning Public and Private Supply Chains for Disaster Response', demonstrates how the private sector has far more capacity to respond than the public sector, explains the role of emergency managers in supporting private sector supply chain restoration, and shows how analysis of supply chains can help with strategic and tactical preparedness and operational collaboration during a crisis."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
Goentzel, Jarrod D.
2018-09
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What Works to Prevent Violence Among Youth? A White Paper on Youth Violence, Crime, Prevention, and the Mexican Context
From the Executive Summary: "The goal of the report is to provide a framework for increasing the use of evidence-informed policy in youth violence prevention efforts across Mexico, with a focus on state and local levels. Where the existing evidence base is strong, there is a basis for adopting programs that have proven successful elsewhere. We also identify a category of interventions that have been adopted widely in Mexico but for which there is little clear evidence base (and in some cases, evidence that these interventions may be ineffective), and recommend that these be scaled down. Finally, we identify a set of challenges in the Mexican context for which there are no clear 'off-the-shelf ' solutions, and for these we try to identify promising opportunities for innovation. This report draws on an extensive literature review of over 264 studies. Throughout, we draw on evidence produced by studies that met a high bar for methodological standards: using randomized experimental or quasi-experimental methods with appropriately designed comparison groups. Randomized evaluations (often called randomized controlled trials, or RCTs), offer the highest quality of evidence because they provide us a clear basis for making causal claims about the impact of a program or intervention (that in the absence of randomization, we might worry was in fact a result of selection bias or other characteristics that were in some way linked to participation in the program). We have given the greatest weight to RCT evidence where it exists."
United States. Agency for International Development
2018-09
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Whistleblower Program: IRS Needs to Improve Data Controls for Some Award Determinations, Report to the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate
From the Highlights: "GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review how often and to what extent whistleblower claims involve cases where FBAR [Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts] penalties were also assessed. Among other objectives, this report (1) describes the extent to which FBAR penalties were included in whistleblower awards prior to the statutory change in definition of proceeds; (2) examines how IRS used whistleblower information on FBAR noncompliance, and how IRS responded to the statutory change in definition of proceeds; and (3) describes the purposes for which IRS collects and uses FBAR penalty data, and assesses controls for ensuring data reliability. GAO reviewed the files of 132 claims closed between January 1, 2012, and July 24, 2017, that likely included FBAR allegations; analyzed IRS data; reviewed relevant laws and regulations, and IRS policies, procedures and publications; and interviewed IRS officials."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2018-09
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Homeland Security Grant Program: Additional Actions Could Further Enhance FEMA's Risk-Based Grant Assessment Model, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "This report 1) describes SHSP (State Homeland Security Program) and UASI (Urban Area Security Initiative) grant awards during fiscal years 2008 through 2018, and factors affecting grant distributions; and 2) examines the steps that FEMA has taken to strengthen its risk assessment model for allocating preparedness grants, and any additional opportunities to improve the model. GAO (Government Accountability Office) analyzed the information in FEMA's model, and data on SHSP and UASI grant awards for fiscal years 2008 through 2018. GAO also interviewed FEMA and DHS officials and collected documents."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2018-09
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Cybersecurity: Office of Federal Student Aid Should Take Additional Steps to Oversee Non-School Partners' Protection of Borrower Information, Report to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "FSA [Federal Student Aid] administers billions of dollars in student financial aid, including loans and grants, to eligible college students. The processing of student aid is complex, and FSA relies on non-school partners to carry out various activities supporting the student aid process, such as loan repayment and collection. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review how FSA ensures the protection of PII [personally identifiable information] by its non-school partners. The objectives of this review were to (1) describe the roles of non-school partners and the types of PII shared with them and (2) assess the extent to which FSA policies and procedures for overseeing the non-school partners' protection of student aid data adhere to federal requirements, guidance, and best practices."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2018-09
