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Technology Assessment: Exposure Notification, Benefits and Challenges of Smartphone Applications to Augment Contact Tracing, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "With the emergence and rapid global spread of COVID-19 [[coronavirus disease 2019], smartphone apps have been developed to supplement manual contact tracing, which is a public health measure used to slow the spread of infectious disease. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to conduct a technology assessment of exposure notification apps. This report discusses (1) the benefits of exposure notification apps; (2) the current level of deployment in the U.S.; (3) challenges affecting their use; and (4) policy options that may help address these challenges for future use. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed agency documentation, met with officials from several federal agencies, and conducted a review of technical and policy literature. GAO also interviewed representatives from companies involved in the development of exposure notification apps, public health organizations, federally funded research and development centers, and academic researchers. In addition, GAO analyzed information from a selection of states. GAO is identifying policy options in this report. GAO received technical comments on a draft of this report from five federal agencies and five organizations included in the review, which it incorporated as appropriate."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09-09
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Health Care Capsule: Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
From the Document: "Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups. This capsule pulls together information from past GAO [Government Accountability Office] reports to provide examples of health disparities, barriers that can contribute to disparities, and federal efforts to address these disparities."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Government Performance Management: Key Considerations for Implementing Cross-Agency Priority Goals and Progress Addressing GAO Recommendations, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The nation faces unprecedented challenges that require the federal government to perform better, be more responsive to the American people, and achieve greater results. GPRAMA [GPRA [Government Performance Results Act of 1993] Modernization Act of 2010] provides important tools that can help decision makers address crosscutting challenges facing the federal government. GPRAMA includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to periodically report on the act's implementation. This report (1) identifies key considerations that can facilitate CAP [cross-agency priority] goal implementation; and (2) assesses OMB [Office of Management and Budget]'s and agencies' progress in addressing GAO recommendations related to GPRAMA."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Aircraft Noise: FAA Could Improve Outreach Through Enhanced Noise Metrics, Communication, and Support to Communities, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "As part of its effort to modernize the National Airspace System, FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] has been implementing new flight paths using satellite-based navigation, called PBN [performance-based navigation], at airports across the country. GAO [Government Accountability Office] reviewed FAA's implementation of PBN with regard to noise and FAA's related public outreach activities. This report discusses: (1) how FAA assesses potential noise impacts for proposed PBN changes; (2) the extent to which FAA's noise impact analysis conveys expected changes; and (3) FAA's community outreach related to PBN and actions to improve this outreach."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Addressing Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication: Progress in Enhancing Government Effectiveness and Achieving Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Financial Benefits, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "The federal government continues to respond to and recover from significant public health and economic challenges battling the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. While the size and scope of these efforts demand strong accountability and continued agility, opportunities also exist for achieving billions of dollars in financial savings and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a wide range of federal programs in other areas. GAO [Government Accountability Office] has responded with annual reports to a statutory provision directing it to identify and report on federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives--either within departments or government-wide. These entities and initiatives have duplicative, overlapping, or fragmented goals or activities, as well as additional opportunities to achieve cost savings or enhance revenue collection. This report discusses the progress Congress and executive branch agencies have made in addressing actions GAO identified in its 2011 to 2021 reports. Additionally, the report provides examples of open actions where further steps by Congress and executive branch agencies could yield significant financial and non-financial benefits."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Broadband: FCC is Taking Steps to Accurately Map Locations That Lack Access, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Broadband is critical for commercial, educational, and social functions. While most Americans have access to broadband, many still do not--a gap known as the digital divide. To help close this divide, federal programs provide funding to support broadband deployment in unserved areas. According to FCC [Federal Communications Commission], these programs rely on data FCC collects from broadband providers to identify which areas are and are not served to target their limited funds. However, GAO [Government Accountability Office] has raised concerns about FCC's data for lacking accuracy and overstating service. FCC has been measuring broadband deployment by counting an entire census block as served if a provider reports that it offers service to at least one location in the census block. This method can overstate the extent of broadband deployment if the data show that a census block has broadband but not all locations in the census block are actually served. FCC began an effort in 2017 to improve its broadband data, and, in 2020, the Broadband DATA [Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability] Act required FCC to develop a location fabric. The Broadband DATA Act included a provision for GAO to assess key data sources that may be used to develop a location fabric. This report (1) describes FCC's progress in developing a location fabric; and (2) describes challenges stakeholders identified that FCC faces in developing a location fabric."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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National Weather Service: Additional Actions Needed to Improve the Agency's Reform Efforts, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "Extreme weather events, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, have caused major damage and loss of life in the United States. NWS [National Weather Service] is responsible for developing weather forecasts and issuing warnings to help protect life and property from such events. NWS has determined that it needs to reform its operations and workforce to effectively carry out this responsibility and to improve its provision of services to emergency managers and other partners. GAO was asked to review NWS's reform efforts under the Evolve Program. This report examines, among other things, the actions NWS has taken under the Evolve Program and the extent to which it has followed selected leading practices for effective agency reforms. GAO reviewed relevant NWS documents, interviewed officials, and assessed the Evolve reform efforts against selected leading practices."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Satellite Communications: DOD Should Explore Options to Meet User Needs for Narrowband Capabilities, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "DOD has invested $7.4 billion to develop, build, and begin delivering MUOS [Mobile User Objective System]. However, longstanding gaps between the fielding of the satellite system and compatible user terminals have limited DOD's ability to fully use the system. The Senate Armed Services Committee report to the bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 contained a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review DOD's use of MUOS capabilities and any plans for a MUOS follow-on capability. In this report, GAO (1) provides information on the extent to which DOD is using MUOS advanced communications capabilities; (2) assesses DOD's challenges and steps taken in transitioning to these capabilities, and (3) assesses efforts DOD has underway to meet future narrowband satellite communications needs. This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in June 2021. Information that DOD deemed to be sensitive has been omitted."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Export-Import Bank: Status of End-Use Monitoring of Dual-Use Exports as of August 2021
From the Document: "The mission of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is to support the export of U.S. goods and services through loans, loan guarantees, and insurance, thereby supporting U.S. jobs. EXIM's charter contains a general prohibition on support for defense articles and services, with limited exceptions. [...] An earlier law that granted EXIM's dual-use authority included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office], in conjunction with EXIM, to report annually on the end uses of dual-use exports supported by EXIM during the second preceding fiscal year. This report (1) examines the status of EXIM's monitoring of dual-use exports that it continued to finance in fiscal year 2019, as of August 2021; and (2) identifies any new dual-use exports that EXIM financed in fiscal year 2020."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09-01
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Defense Budget: DOD Has Adopted Practices to Manage Within the Constraints of Continuing Resolutions, Report to Congressional Committees
From the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Highlights: "For 11 of the past 12 fiscal years, DOD has operated under a CR [Continuing Resolution] for some part of the fiscal year. CRs provide funding for agencies to continue operating when Congress has not enacted its regular appropriation acts before the beginning of the new fiscal year. From fiscal years 2010 through 2021--with the exception of fiscal year 2019 during which there was no CR--DOD has operated under CRs ranging from 76 to 216 days. DOD officials have stated publicly that delays in knowing when and how much funding will ultimately be available for the fiscal year hampers the military services' ability to accomplish key mission requirements and carry out management functions. The conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2020 included a provision for GAO to review the effects of CRs on DOD. This report examines, among other things, (1) the effects of constraints on the military services' spending and acquisitions during CRs, and what practices they use to minimize these effects; (2) how DOD personnel prepare for and operate under CRs; and (3) DOD's hiring of civilian personnel during CRs."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Electronic Health Records: DOD Has Made Progress in Implementing a New System, but Challenges Persist, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "DOD relies on multiple legacy electronic health record systems to create, maintain, and manage patient health information. DOD has determined that these systems, implemented over the past 3 decades, require modernization and replacement. The department has sought to replace these legacy systems with a comprehensive, real-time electronic health record. The conference report accompanying the 'Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019' and 'Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019' included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review DOD's electronic health record deployment. GAO's objectives were to (1) determine what progress DOD has made toward implementing a new electronic health record system, and (2) identify the challenges and key risks to MHS [Military Health System] GENESIS implementation and what steps DOD is taking to address them."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Climate Resilience: Options to Enhance the Resilience of Federally Funded Roads and Reduce Fiscal Exposure, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "Changes in the climate pose a risk to the safety and reliability of the U.S. transportation system, according to the 2018 'Fourth National Climate Assessment'. Congress authorized about $45 billion per year in federal funding for roads through 2021 and appropriated about $900 million per year in disaster assistance for fiscal years 2016 through 2020. In 2013, GAO [Government Accountability Office] included 'Limiting the Federal Government's Fiscal Exposure by Better Managing Climate Change Risks' on its High-Risk List. Enhancing climate resilience--acting to reduce potential losses by planning for climate hazards such as extreme rainfall--can help manage climate risks. GAO was asked to review climate resilience efforts for federally funded roads. This report examines (1) FHWA [Federal Highway Administration]'s climate resilience efforts and (2) options to further enhance them. GAO reviewed FHWA documents and a non-generalizable sample of projects that used FHWA's climate resilience resources, analyzed the content of 53 reports and pieces of legislation to identify options, interviewed stakeholders and agency officials, and analyzed options and FHWA efforts using GAO's October 2019 'Disaster Resilience Framework'."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Paycheck Protection Program: Program Changes Increased Lending to the Smallest Businesses and in Underserved Locations, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic resulted in significant turmoil in the U.S. economy, leading to temporary and permanent business closures and high unemployment. In response, in March 2020, Congress established PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] under the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act and ultimately provided commitment authority of approximately $814 billion for the program over three phases. When initial program funding ran out in 14 days, concerns quickly surfaced that certain businesses were unable to access the program, prompting a series of changes by Congress and SBA [Small Business Administration]. The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to monitor the federal government's efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. GAO has issued a series of reports on this program, and has made a number of recommendations to improve program performance and integrity. This report describes trends in small business and lender participation in PPP."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Coast Guard: A More Systematic Process to Resolve Recommended Actions Could Enhance Future Surge Operations, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The U.S. Coast Guard has multimission responsibilities to support response efforts and help protect life, property, and the environment. The Coast Guard must often rely on surge operations to reduce the impacts of catastrophic events, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017. The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review the Coast Guard's surge capacity to respond to catastrophic events. This report addresses (1) the number of major surge operations the Coast Guard conducted from 2007 through 2020, and what personnel and assets it used to support these operations; (2) the extent the Coast Guard documents lessons learned and best practices from its major surge operations and resolves related recommended actions; and (3) how surge operations have affected the Coast Guard's ability to conduct its statutory missions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Missile Warning Satellites: Comprehensive Cost and Schedule Information Would Enhance Congressional Oversight, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The U.S. Space Force plans to spend around $14.4 billion over the next 5 years to develop the Next Gen OPIR [Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared] system, comprised of satellites and a ground system to detect and track missiles, among other things. The Air Force experienced significant problems when it developed the predecessor to Next Gen OPIR--it was roughly 9 years late and cost more than three times its initial estimate. A report to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 contained a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review Next Gen OPIR efforts. This report (1) identifies the challenges Next Gen OPIR acquisition efforts face and the extent to which the Space Force is addressing them, and (2) assesses the extent to which Next Gen OPIR capabilities will address missions supported by the current system. GAO reviewed program documentation, acquisition strategies, and Air Force and DOD acquisition guidance, and interviewed DOD officials. GAO assessed this information against acquisition and collaboration best practices. Information that DOD deemed to be sensitive has been omitted."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel: Congressional Action Needed to Break Impasse and Develop a Permanent Disposal Solution, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "Commercial spent nuclear fuel is extremely dangerous if not managed properly. About 86,000 metric tons of this fuel is stored on-site at 75 operating or shutdown nuclear power plants in 33 states, an amount that grows by about 2,000 metric tons each year. The NWPA [Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982], as amended, requires DOE [Department of Energy] to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and specifies that the only site that may be considered for the permanent disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel is a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. However, in 2010, DOE terminated its efforts to license a repository at Yucca Mountain, and Congress stopped funding activities related to the site. Since then, policymakers have been at an impasse on how to meet the federal disposal obligation, with significant financial consequences for taxpayers. This report examines actions that experts identified as necessary to develop a solution for spent nuclear fuel disposal."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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National Credit Union Administration: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen Oversight, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "NCUA [National Credit Union Administration] oversees federally insured credit unions and administers the NCUSIF [National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund] (which insures the accounts of credit union members). Credit union failures--145 from 2010 through 2020--resulted in more than $1.55 billion in losses to the NCUSIF. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review MLRs [material loss reviews] and make recommendations to improve NCUA's supervision of credit unions. Among its objectives, this report examines (1) credit union failures since 2010, and (2) NCUA use of supervisory information for deteriorating credit unions and its reporting on failures."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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U.S. Postal Service Primer: Answers to Key Questions About Reform Issues, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "USPS [United States Postal Service] is the largest postal service in the world, delivering an estimated 49 percent of all mail sent globally and playing a critical role in the nation's communications and commerce. Congress designed USPS to be a self-sustaining entity that, like a business, would cover its operating costs primarily with revenues from selling certain products and services. However, starting in fiscal year 2007, USPS's expenses began exceeding its revenue. This has led to total net losses of $87 billion from fiscal years 2007 through 2020, and $188 billion in total unfunded liabilities and debt as of the end of fiscal year 2020. GAO [Government Accountability Office] created this primer to help explain why USPS's financial condition has deteriorated so dramatically and to discuss some options for addressing the situation."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "In 2017, USDA combined three of its agencies under the FPAC [Farm Production and Conservation] mission area to, among other things, improve customer service for farmers, ranchers, and foresters. For fiscal year 2020, FPAC reported obligating a total of $229 million on IT [information technology] investments to support its mission. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was requested to review USDA's IT modernization efforts to improve customer service for farmers and ranchers. For this report, GAO examined the extent to which (1) USDA and FPAC are effectively overseeing the development of Farmers.gov; and (2) FPAC's IT workforce planning, efforts to reduce duplication and overlap, and customer service are consistent with leading practices."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Electricity Grid Resilience
From the Document: "Presidential Policy Directive 21 established national policy on critical infrastructure and resilience in February 2013. The directive defines resilience as the ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and to withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions. Such disruptions include naturally occurring threats or incidents, deliberate attacks, and accidents. This brief draws from recent GAO [Government Accountability Office] reports on natural and human-caused risks to the electricity grid. It also highlights GAO recommendations that had not been implemented as of September 2021."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Northern Triangle of Central America: The 2019 Suspension and Reprogramming of U.S. Funding Adversely Affected Assistance Projects, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "The U.S. has funded assistance to the Northern Triangle of Central America for many years. This assistance aims to promote prosperity, good governance, and security in the region; to address the causes of migration; and to combat transnational crime. In March 2019, the administration suspended foreign assistance funding from the Northern Triangle countries until the governments in the region agreed to take actions to reduce the number of migrants coming to the U.S. border. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review the effects of the 2019 suspension and reprogramming of assistance funding to the Northern Triangle. This report (1) identifies the funding appropriated by Congress for the Northern Triangle that was suspended and reprogrammed to other countries, and how the approach to U.S. assistance to the region changed after March 2019; (2) examines the effects of suspending and reprogramming assistance funding on project implementation; and (3) examines the extent to which the suspension and reprogramming of assistance funding affected the ability of U.S. agencies to meet their foreign assistance performance targets for the region."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Youth Homelessness: HUD and HHS Could Enhance Coordination to Better Support Communities, Report to the Chairwoman, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "Youth homelessness is a widespread problem, with one recent study estimating that one in 10 young adults experience some form of homelessness over the course of a year--such as living on the streets or in a shelter or temporarily staying with others. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to study youth homelessness. This report examines, among other things, HUD [Departments of Housing and Urban Development]'s and HHS [Health and Human Services]'s coordination to address youth homelessness and challenges communities face in serving youth through HUD and HHS programs. GAO analyzed federal agency documents related to homelessness efforts; conducted structured interviews with a nongeneralizable sample of 24 local homelessness providers, selected to reflect communities of different sizes and with different types of programs for youth; and interviewed other local program staff, youth homelessness researchers and advocates, and federal officials."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09
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Military Justice: DOD and Coast Guard Improved Collection and Reporting of Demographic and Nonjudicial Punishment Data, but Need to Study Causes of Disparities
From the Document: "In May 2019, we issued a report on whether there are racial, ethnic, or gender disparities in the military justice system. Among other things, we found that: [1] The military services did not collect consistent information about race, ethnicity, and gender in their investigations, military justice, and personnel databases, which limited their ability to identify disparities. [2] Our analysis of available data found that Black, Hispanic, and male servicemembers were more likely than White or female servicemembers to be the subjects of investigations recorded in databases used by the military criminal investigative organizations, and to be tried in general and special courts-martial in all of the military services when controlling for attributes such as rank and education. [3] Race and gender were not statistically significant factors in the likelihood of a conviction in general and special courts-martial for most military services, and minority servicemembers were either less likely to receive a more severe punishment than White servicemembers or there was no difference among racial groups. [4] The Department of Defense (DOD) had taken some steps to study disparities, but had not comprehensively evaluated the causes of racial or gender disparities in the military justice system. We made 11 recommendations as a result of our findings, three of which were enacted into law in section 540I(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-30
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Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program: Bureau of Justice Assistance in Compliance with Offset and Reporting Requirements for 9/11-Related Claims
From the Document: "Public safety officers--law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians, among others--who die or become totally and permanently disabled after a line-of-duty injury are eligible for benefits from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program. The PSOB program provides a one-time, lump-sum payment to eligible public safety officers or their surviving family members. The lump-sum payment amount for a disability or death occurring during fiscal year 2021 was $370,376. Since fiscal year 2013, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), which administers the PSOB program, approved more than 2,300 death and disability claims and provided over $570 million to eligible officers and their families."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-24
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Additional Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Homeland Security
From the Document: "On August 13, 2021, the Comptroller General sent [Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas] a letter regarding GAO's [Government Accountability Office] recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and to call [...] attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority. This supplemental letter is to inform you that we are adding two new recommendations related to domestic intelligence and information sharing from our August 2021 report on DHS's special event designations as related to the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. These two additional recommendations bring the total number of priority recommendations to 40."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Johnson, Charles Michael
2021-08-23
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Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Homeland Security [August 13, 2021]
From the Document: "[T]he purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) implementation of GAO [Government Accountability Office]'s recommendations and to call your personal attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority. In November 2020, we reported that on a government-wide basis, 77 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented. DHS's recommendation implementation rate was 84 percent. As of March 2021, DHS had 464 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-13
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U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund: Estimated Lump Sum Catch-Up Payments
From the Document: "The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of people. In 2015, the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act (Terrorism Act) was enacted, which established the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (Fund) to provide compensation for persons injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism. In May 2016, the Attorney General appointed a Special Master to administer the Fund. U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) personnel support the Fund. To date, the Fund has allocated approximately $3.3 billion in three payment rounds, which began in 2017, 2019, and 2020. In 2019, the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund Clarification Act (Clarification Act) amended the groups of individuals who were eligible to claim payments from the Fund. [...] The Sudan Claims Resolution Act includes provisions for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to (1) estimate lump sum catch-up payments to eligible 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents that would result in the percentage of claims received from the Fund being equal to the percentage of claims of 9/11 family members received from the Fund; and (2) estimate amounts of lump sum catch-up payments for 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents. [...] In summary, we [GAO] estimated that lump sum catch-up payments to 5,364 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents in our population would total about $2.7 billion."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-11
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Private Health Coverage: Results of Covert Testing for Selected Sales Representatives Listed on Healthcare.gov
From the Document: "Since 2014, millions of consumers have purchased individual market health insurance plans through the health insurance exchanges--or marketplaces--established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). PPACA directed each state to establish an exchange--referred to as a state-based exchange--or elect to use the federally facilitated exchange established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each year the exchanges offer an open enrollment period during which eligible consumers may enroll in or change their coverage. Consumers enroll in the federally facilitated exchange through HHS's healthcare.gov [hyperlink] website, and some state-based exchanges have chosen to also use this website for enrollment. [...] You requested that we perform additional work to obtain insights on the marketing and sales practices of sales representatives who are listed on healthcare.gov [hyperlink]. In this report, we describe the results of covert tests we conducted involving selected sales representatives listed on healthcare.gov [hyperlink] when contacted by our undercover investigators stating that they had preexisting conditions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-10
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Capitol Attack: Special Event Designations Could Have Been Requested for January 6, 2021, but Not All DHS Guidance is Clear [Revised August 09, 2021]
From the Document: "In the months leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, there were reported efforts to organize large groups of protestors to travel to Washington, D.C., to dispute the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. [...] Questions have been raised about the extent to which necessary steps were taken to adequately secure the Capitol Complex, and share intelligence information. [...] We have a body of work underway that examines the preparation, coordination, and response on January 6, that we will begin issuing over the next several months, (see appendix III for additional details). We were asked to review, among other things, coordination between federal and local entities for security and emergency support for events at the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas on January 6, 2021[.]. Specifically, this report examines the extent to which federal, state, and local government entities requested an NSSE [National Special Security Event] or SEAR [Special Event Assessment Rating] designation for the planned events of January 6, 2021 to include: (1) the definition of an NSSE and its designation process; (2) the definition of SEAR and its designation process; (3) the characteristics of past NSSE and SEAR events; (4) the applicability of NSSE and SEAR designations to the events of January 6 and the extent to which they were considered; and, (5) why NSSE and SEAR designations were not considered for the events of January 6."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-09
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Human Trafficking: DOD Should Address Weaknesses in Oversight of Contractors and Reporting of Investigations Related to Contracts, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "GAO [government Accountability Office] and DODIG [Department of Defense Office of Inspector General] reports on overseas U.S. military operations have highlighted TIP [trafficking in persons] among foreign workers employed on contracts. Congress included a provision in the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 for GAO to review DOD's efforts to combat TIP related to contracts. This report examines, among other things: the extent to which selected DOD components have implemented oversight and training requirements for CTIP [combating trafficking in persons] in contracts and the extent to which selected DOD components have tracked and reported investigations of TIP incidents in contracts from fiscal years 2015 through 2020. GAO analyzed federal laws, and DOD guidance, regulations, contracts, and data related to CTIP. GAO also interviewed DOD officials, including Army and Navy officials responsible for overseeing contracts in U.S. Southern Command. GAO is making six recommendations to improve DOD oversight of contractors' CTIP efforts and reporting of TIP in contracts: two to strengthen guidance on oversight, one to reinstate requirements on reporting the percentage of people trained, and three to clarify guidance for reporting on TIP investigations. DOD concurred with all of the recommendations."
United States. General Accounting Office
2021-08-04
