Reports & Testimonies

Separation from the military is a particularly vulnerable time for service members. Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense jointly developed a separation health assessment that screens for certain mental health conditions. VA began administering the assessment in 2023. But the screening questions for some of the mental health conditions on the assessment weren't fully validated—meaning that they hadn't been tested or determined to be...

The Army is shifting focus from fighting insurgencies in the Middle East to preparing for potential large-scale combat operations. This shift means different priorities for its weapon systems—including long-range artillery and missiles. The Army's success in developing such systems rapidly has been mixed. One of four planned systems was canceled because of testing failures due to technology that wasn't yet ready. Our leading practices for...

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is responsible for protecting amateur athletes from emotional, physical, and sexual misconduct and abuse in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic communities. Congress requires that the Center be independent from the U.S. Olympic Committee in several ways. For example, former employees of the U.S. Olympic Committee must observe a 2-year "cooling-off period" before working or volunteering at the Center. The Olympic...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services struggled to lead the nation's testing efforts, which required close coordination with public and private stakeholders. This was one reason we added HHS's leadership of public health emergencies to our High Risk List. We convened a roundtable of 19 experts to discuss ways HHS could improve testing. This report outlines their nearly 100 suggestions...

We testified about the Department of Defense's efforts to reduce the risk of fraud. The scale and scope of its spending—including about $445 billion pledged in FY 2024 to contracts for new weapons, support services, and more—make it susceptible. However, DOD lacks a robust fraud risk management program, and its leadership hasn't shown a strong commitment to this issue. As a result, we recently expanded...

Advanced manufacturing quickly turns new materials and methods into products, like airplane parts 3D-printed on demand. The Manufacturing USA Program connects businesses, academic institutions, and others through 17 institutes that do research and development and train workers. The Departments of Commerce, Defense, and Energy sponsor the institutes—whose work can lead to new technologies. We found agencies could improve how they work with the institutes. Specifically...

Data breaches at federal agencies could compromise millions of Americans' sensitive information. To reduce the threat of identity fraud, the General Services Administration launched Login.gov—an online tool that many federal agencies use to verify the identities of their website users. Login.gov largely implemented federally-recommended data protection practices. However, it didn't fully implement procedures to test the integrity of its backup data. Such testing can help...

Federal entities accept credit, debit, and other payment cards for a range of goods and services, including postage stamps and train tickets. Doing so requires them to pay fees to card issuers, networks, and companies that facilitate the transactions. More than 85 federal entities paid about $784 million in payment card fees in FY 2023—about $1 per transaction. Though some found reducing costs challenging, entities...

The National Institutes of Health funded about $35 billion in external biomedical research in FY 2023 to support its mission of advancing the nation's health. NIH staff oversee such funds by reviewing financial and progress reports from the universities and other institutions that receive grants. But NIH didn't consistently take action when those reports were late. Also, NIH's component institutes and centers don't consistently track...

Many enrollees in Medicare Advantage, Medicare's private plan alternative, need behavioral health care for conditions such as depression and substance abuse. Some organizations require that providers get prior authorization to ensure it meets their criteria for payment. We found 8 of 9 selected organizations required authorization. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' oversight of prior authorization criteria doesn't target behavioral health services in...

States receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help administer school meals and other child nutrition programs. These funds can pay for staff salaries, trainings, and other expenses of overseeing and supporting participating schools. However, we found some states faced challenges in using these funds. The amount states receive is set by law and doesn't fully account for certain factors that affect...

In June 2022, we found shortfalls in the Air Force's process for determining where to permanently locate U.S. Space Command headquarters. Our report helped prompt the Air Force to reevaluate it. For the reevaluation, the Air Force reviewed requirements, selection criteria, costs, and senior officials' advice. We also assessed the reevaluation process against 11 selected "Analysis of Alternatives" best practices, which can increase transparency and...

The Department of Energy is responsible for disposing millions of cubic meters of radioactive waste from 15 cleanup sites across the country. Disposal options vary depending on how the waste was generated and the risks it poses. For example, some facilities can accept low-level radioactive waste, but there may be more waste than these facilities can currently handle. And there are no disposal options for...

This Q&A examines earn-and-learn opportunities, which can give individuals a mix of work experience and instruction on in-demand skills—while they earn a wage. We found at least 26 federal programs that can help provide these opportunities. For example, the Labor Department and state partners oversee Registered Apprenticeship Programs, which enrolled about 940,000 people in FY 2024. These programs can lead to higher pay, produce little...