Department of Agriculture: Actions Needed To Enhance Paperwork Management and Reduce Burden

A study was undertaken which examines the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) paperwork management program and policies. To manage paperwork effectively, federal agencies need reliable information on the burden imposed on the public, the use made of the information requested, and the extent of duplicate reporting. To ascertain burden estimates, 87 USDA requirements were analyzed. How reasonable or reliable the estimates are is difficult to ascertain, since neither the USDA nor the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) made a comprehensive evaluation.