Skip to main content

Millions Can Be Saved by Improving the Productivity of State and Local Governments Administering Federal Income Maintenance Assistance Programs

AFMD-81-51 Published: Jun 05, 1981. Publicly Released: Jun 05, 1981.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

GAO reviewed three State-administered Federal income maintenance programs whose administrative costs are fully paid or shared by the Federal Government: the Unemployment Insurance (UI), Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and Food Stamp programs. The objective of the review was to demonstrate that many opportunities exist for improving productivity in State and local management of Federal income maintenance programs and that these improvements can reduce costs and improve efficiency and enhance program effectiveness. In addition, changes needed in these Federal assistance programs to promote productivity improvement were identified.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture should use the data generated by those systems to allocate administrative funds to States.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture should use the data generated by those systems to allocate administrative funds to States.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of the Office of Management and Budget should develop, with the assistance and support of the Office of Personnel Management, an interagency program to explore the potential for establishing incentive systems in Federal assistance programs for State and local governments. Participants in this effort should include representatives from State and local governments and appropriate public interest groups.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Personnel Management The Director of the Office of Personnel Management should place priority on efforts to assist State and local governments develop measurement and incentive programs for individuals and managers to improve their administration of Federal assistance programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Personnel Management The Director of the Office of Personnel Management should work with Federal agencies, overseeing assistance programs that are administered by State and local governments, to improve and monitor those agencies' technical assistance efforts in productivity improvement.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should seek authority from Congress to develop and fund demonstration projects testing approaches for providing States incentives for making productivity improvements in the Unemployment Insurance, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and Food Stamp programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should seek authority from Congress to develop and fund demonstration projects testing approaches for providing States incentives for making productivity improvements in the Unemployment Insurance, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and Food Stamp programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Labor The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should seek authority from Congress to develop and fund demonstration projects testing approaches for providing States incentives for making productivity improvements in the Unemployment Insurance, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and Food Stamp programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should report to the Office of Management and Budget on successful incentive systems for State and local governments so that effective incentives can be shared and transferred to other assistance programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should report to the Office of Management and Budget on successful incentive systems for State and local governments so that effective incentives can be shared and transferred to other assistance programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Labor The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should report to the Office of Management and Budget on successful incentive systems for State and local governments so that effective incentives can be shared and transferred to other assistance programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should take actions necessary to correct deficiencies in the Cost Model Management System and to refine the system as a productivity improvement program. Corrective actions needed include (1) improving control over both the cost model studies and operational and cost improvement projects and (2) using the system in the budget process.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should work with States, through technical assistance programs, to eliminate inefficient procedures and identify other opportunities for improving the productivity in administering these programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should work with States, through technical assistance programs, to eliminate inefficient procedures and identify other opportunities for improving the productivity in administering these programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Labor The Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture should work with States, through technical assistance programs, to eliminate inefficient procedures and identify other opportunities for improving the productivity in administering these programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Agriculture The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture should develop and implement systematic approaches to measure, analyze, and improve the productivity of State and local governments administering the Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Food Stamp programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture should develop and implement systematic approaches to measure, analyze, and improve the productivity of State and local governments administering the Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Food Stamp programs.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of the Office of Management and Budget should require, where appropriate through the budget process, that Federal agencies develop systematic approaches to help State and local governments improve their productivity in administering Federal assistance programs and that agencies use the data generated by these systems to justify future budget requests.
Closed
GAO has no information on the actions taken in response to this recommendation.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Cost controlstate relationsFood relief programsIncome maintenance programsLocally administered programsProductivity in governmentState-administered programsUnemployment insurance benefitsWelfare benefitsFederal assistance programs