Reports News from the GAO http://www.gao.gov/browse/date/week Sat, 18 May 2013 19:52:52 -0400 GAO /images/gao_logo_rss.gif http://www.gao.gov/ Feed provided by GAO. Click to visit. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-557?source=ra The Department of Defense (DOD) continues efforts to establish a business enterprise architecture (a modernization blueprint) and transition plan and modernize its business systems and processes, in compliance with key provisions of the Ronald W. Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-647T?source=ra Interior's oversight of offshore resources. In July 2012, GAO reported on changes to the Department of the Interior's oversight of offshore oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon incident. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-334?source=ra Over time, Congress has modified how Medicare reimburses certain hospitals under the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS), which pays hospitals a flat fee per stay, set in advance, with different amounts for each type of condition. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-495R?source=ra According to our nationwide survey of state testing directors, all states reported that their policies and procedures included 50 percent or more of the leading practices to prevent test irregularities in the following five areas—security plans, security training, security breaches, test administration and protecting secure materials. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-631T?source=ra GAO's 2013 annual report identifies 31 new areas where agencies may be able to achieve greater efficiency or effectiveness. Seventeen areas involve fragmentation, overlap, or duplication. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-626T?source=ra Older adults are being financially exploited by strangers who inundate them with mail, telephone, or Internet scams; unscrupulous financial services professionals; and untrustworthy in-home caregivers. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-238?source=ra Management-level representation of minorities and women in the financial services industry and among federal financial agencies and Federal Reserve Banks (Reserve Banks) has not changed substantially from 2007 through 2011. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-379?source=ra The military departments' Corrosion Control and Prevention Executives (Corrosion Executives) coordinated with the Department of Defense's (DOD) Corrosion Policy and Oversight Office (Corrosion Office) on reviews of their respective strategic plans. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-431?source=ra Temporary Assistance for Needy Families' (TANF) role in providing cash assistance has evolved; fewer eligible families receive cash assistance and the composition of the caseload has changed. Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-417?source=ra Officials from leading companies GAO spoke with reported saving 4-15 percent over prior year spending through strategically sourcing the full range of services they buy--a process that moves away from numerous individual purchases to an aggregate approach. Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-554?source=ra In GAO’s audits of the Congressional Award Foundation’s (Foundation) financial statements for fiscal years 2012 and 2011, it found that the Foundation’s financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-293?source=ra GAO's analysis of resources devoted to the Department of Defense's (DOD) geographic combatant commands shows that authorized military and civilian positions and mission and headquarters-support costs have grown considerably over the last decade due to the addition of two new commands and increases in authorized positions at theater special operations commands. Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-436?source=ra The 21 communities surrounding the 23 Department of Defense (DOD) installations closed in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round have used strategies such as forming a local redevelopment authority and seeking federal grants to deal with the closures. Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-378?source=ra The 24 agencies participating in the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) made progress towards the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) goal to close 40 percent, or 1,253 of the 3,133 total federal data centers, by the end of 2015, but OMB has not measured agencies' progress against its other goal of $3 billion in cost savings by the end of 2015. Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-627T?source=ra The 24 agencies participating in the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative made progress towards the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) goal to close 40 percent, or 1,253 of the 3,133 total federal data centers, by the end of 2015, but OMB has not measured agencies’ progress against its other goal of $3 billion in cost savings by the end of 2015. Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-242?source=ra According to the National Research Council (NRC) and others, infrastructure such as roads and bridges, wastewater systems, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) centers are vulnerable to changes in the climate. Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-460?source=ra The Department of State's (State) Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) has reported on President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) treatment program results primarily in terms of (1) numbers of people on treatment directly supported by PEPFAR, (2) percentages of eligible people receiving treatment, and (3) percentages of people alive and on treatment 12 months after starting treatment. Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-420R?source=ra During its audit of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) fiscal year 2012 financial statements, GAO identified one new internal control deficiency that contributed to IRS's continuing material weakness in internal control over unpaid tax assessments as of September 30, 2012. Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-511R?source=ra In the conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, Congress directed DOD to provide an updated report on strategic seaport facilities used for military purposes, specifying that DOD must include (1) an assessment of the structural integrity and deficiencies of the port facilities and determination of the infrastructure improvements needed to directly or indirectly meet national security and readiness requirements; (2) an assessment of the impact on operational readiness if the improvements are not undertaken; (3) an identification of potential funding sources for the needed improvements from existing authorities; and (4) an opinion as to whether DOD has the necessary authority to support section 50302 of Title 46 of the United States Code. Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-255?source=ra The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) generally focus on many of the same broad topics and rely on agency safeguards, as well as on the scientific community's professional norms, to prevent inadvertent duplication of research projects within and between the agencies. Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-252?source=ra The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) most commonly addresses the cleanup of sites it has identified as eligible for the National Priorities List (NPL) by deferring oversight of the cleanup to approaches outside of the Superfund program. Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-434?source=ra GAO identified multiple data sources that could be used to develop measures to allocate Medicaid funding to states more equitably than the current funding formula--known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP)--which is based solely on per capita income (PCI). Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-371?source=ra Experts GAO interviewed offered varied opinions on which student financial aid requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, are the most burdensome. Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-610T?source=ra This statement today highlights the key findings of a report GAO released yesterday on the TWIC program that addressed the extent to which the results from the TWIC reader pilot were sufficiently complete, accurate, and reliable for informing Congress and the TWIC card reader rule. Thu, 09 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-509R?source=ra In brief:Our preliminary analyses indicates that as of February 2013 FAA staffed facilities are generally in fair to good condition based on their Facility Condition Indices (FCI); however, we found that (1) there is not one reliable source with information on the condition of FAA’s entire staffed facility portfolio and (2) the methods to determine facility condition vary so that information about the condition of one type of facility may not be comparable to that of other facility types. Thu, 09 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400