Financial Reporting: Framework for Analyzing Federal Agency Financial Statements

GAO provided a framework for analyzing federal agency financial statements, focusing on the: (1) conceptual considerations related to federal agency financial characteristics and users' information needs; (2) financial attributes of federal agencies and programs; (3) measures and indicators for the financial attributes; and (4) tools for analyzing financial information. GAO also presented an: (1) analysis of the Department of Veterans Affairs' financial statements for fiscal years 1986 through 1989; and (2) example of a description and analysis narrative that could be prepared following the application of the analytical framework.