Special Education: The Attorney Fees Provision of Public Law 99-372

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the impact of the attorney fees provision of P.L. 99-372 between 1984 and 1988, focusing on the: (1) number of administrative decisions that states issued, including information on the prevailing parties and types of complaints; (2) number of civil actions for the period, including information on the prevailing parties and types of complaints; (3) amount of attorney fees and other costs awarded to prevailing parties, time spent in the disputes, and expenses that parents and education agencies incurred; and (4) experience of educational agencies in resolving complaints informally.