Management of the Department of State Office of Passport Services Needs To Be Improved
ID-81-39
Published: Aug 06, 1981. Publicly Released: Aug 06, 1981.
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Highlights
GAO reviewed the Department of State's Office of Passport Services, the Travel Document Issuance System (TDIS), the Passport Files Miniaturization (PFM) system, passport records storage, passport fraud programs, special handling fees, and the Passport Lookout System. The objective of the review was to evaluate the effectiveness of these functions within the Department.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of State | 1. The Secretary of State should restructure the system to use one standard design at a reduced number of passport processing centers. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 2. The Secretary of State should use the methodology provided by the 1977 Arthur D. Little, Inc., study on passport markets to continually review the geographic sources of potential market growth so that workloads can be maintained at appropriate levels. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 3. The Secretary of State should develop and implement a plan, when appropriate, to issue the new Travel Document Issuance System type passports for the Honolulu agency, the insular offices, and the overseas foreign service posts. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 4. The Secretary of State should direct that a technical team be formed to review the passport files miniaturization system to identify and correct design, operational, and technical problems that are impairing the system's efficiency. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 5. The Secretary of State should correct the passport files miniaturization system's programming and data entry. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 6. The Secretary of State should reestablish and clarify specific responsibility for passport records matters, including oversight of the passport files miniaturization system by the Foreign Affairs Information Center. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 7. The Secretary of State should direct that periodic inspections of the passport files miniaturization system be performed and inspection logs be maintained by Foreign Affairs Information Center. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 8. The Secretary of State should initiate a project to separate permanent records from disposable passport records. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 9. The Secretary of State should adjust the retention schedule from 100 years to 15 years for disposable passport records originating from 1925 to the first half of 1978. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 10. The Secretary of State should adjust the retention schedule for disposable passport records that have been microfilmed from 15 years to the validity period of a passport. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 11. The Secretary of State should establish a formal agreement with the various components of the Department of Justice to establish firm jurisdictional responsibility for the investigation of passport fraud. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 12. The Secretary of State should examine the possibility of entering into an agreement with the Postmaster General to investigate passport fraud cases using U.S. mails. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 13. The Secretary of State should begin passport fraud seminars for passport agents at insular offices. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 14. The Secretary of State should conduct more frequent or extended fraud seminars and related training for outside acceptance facilities. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 15. The Secretary of State should provide more timely and complete feedback to adjudicators on individual cases of suspected fraud. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 16. The Secretary of State should send fraud bulletins to foreign service posts and insular offices regularly. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 17. The Secretary of State should improve fraud statistical reporting from foreign service posts and passport agencies. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 18. The Secretary of State should implement recommendations in the Department's passport fraud report of June 3, 1980. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 19. The Secretary of State should amend passport application instructions to require special handling fees when special mailing services are either requested or required by the applicant. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 20. The Secretary of State should initiate a task force composed of Department personnel associated with computer, communication, and passport functions to comprehensively evaluate the adequacy of equipment, communication lines, and code identifiers of the Lookout computer system. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 21. The Secretary of State should purge unnecessary names from the Lookout database by effective annual reviews of the Lookout system. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 22. The Secretary of State should assign specific responsibility for the administration of both the computerized Lookout and Circular Post Lookout File to one office. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 23. The Secretary of State should send the three insular offices which do not have the equipment to screen applications through the computerized Lookout copies and updates of the Circular Post Lookout File. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 24. The Secretary of State should direct foreign service posts and insular offices to consistently and properly use the computerized Lookout or Circular Post Lookout Files. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
| Department of State | 25. The Secretary of State should establish an improved system of assuring that wanted Federal felons, individuals with applicable court ordered restrictions, and others are denied passports as required by law. |
Closed
Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
|
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Topics
Cost controlFederal records managementFraudImmigration information systemsInformation systemsLaw enforcementPassportsData entryCitizenshipVital records