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As of May 29, 2024, there are 5144 open recommendations that still need to be addressed. 411 of these are priority recommendations, those that we believe warrant priority attention. Learn more about our priority designation on our Recommendations page.

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4881 - 4900 of 5144 Recommendations, including 411 Priority Recommendations

Operational Contract Support: Actions Needed to Enhance the Collection, Integration, and Sharing of Lessons Learned

GAO-15-243
Cary Russell
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To help improve awareness of OCS roles and responsibilities and to collect OCS issues at the military services and the service component commands, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to establish an OCS training requirement for commanders and senior leaders.
Open

DOD concurred with our recommendation. As of November 2023, DOD has taken steps to focus OCS training to all planners, including those outside the logistics directorate. In December 2015, the Joint Staff J7 certified the Joint OCS Planning and Execution (JOPEC) course of instruction for Joint training. The Joint Staff, per this training certification, is working with the Joint Deployment Training Center and the Joint Force Staff College to provide student administrative and course catalog support for future JOPEC training. In August 2020, OSD officials stated that they have secured funding for

Defense Acquisitions: Better Approach Needed to Account for Number, Cost, and Performance of Non-Major Programs

GAO-15-188
Michael J. Sullivan
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To improve DOD's ability to collect and maintain reliable data on its acquisitions, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, in consultation with DOD components, to establish guidelines on what constitutes a "current" ACAT II or III program for reporting purposes; the types of programs, if any, that do not require ACAT designations; and whether the rules for identifying current MDAPs would be appropriate for ACAT II and III programs.
Open

DOD partially concurred with our recommendation and stated that it planned to review existing policy to see if revisions were needed. As of August 2023, DOD has yet to establish department-wide guidelines as we recommended. Starting in September 2018, DOD began providing the military departments with a capability to identify ACAT II and III programs using the Defense Acquisition Visibility Environment (DAVE) system. The DAVE system is now considered to be a trusted source for ACAT II and III program data. DOD, in consultation with the military departments, established standard data elements

Defense Logistics: Improvements Needed to Accurately Assess the Performance of DOD's Materiel Distribution Pipeline

GAO-15-226
Cary Russell
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To address the limitations of existing distribution performance metrics, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, in conjunction with TRANSCOM, to revise guidance to ensure that a customer wait time standard is established and used for the Marine Corps.
Open

DOD concurred with this recommendation. In September 2016, the Marine Corps established a Customer Wait Time (CWT) standard and developed CWT metrics that are in alignment with DOD policy. These changes were to be incorporated into Marine Corps policy through their normal Service procedures. In August 2020, the Marine Corps incorporated the CWT standard in its new policy document and began the internal coordination process. According to Marine Corps officials, in March 2021, due to the volume of comments they received during the coordination period, they sent the policy out for another round

Medicare: Payment Methods for Certain Cancer Hospitals Should Be Revised to Promote Efficiency

GAO-15-199
James Cosgrove
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Congress To help the Department of Health and Human Services better control spending and encourage efficient delivery of care, Congress should consider requiring Medicare to pay PCHs as it pays PPS teaching hospitals, or provide the Secretary with the authority to otherwise modify how Medicare pays PCHs. To generate cost savings from any reduction in outpatient payments to PCHs, Congress should also provide that all forgone outpatient payment adjustment amounts be returned to the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund.
Open

As of March 2024, no legislative action had been identified that changes how PCHs are paid for inpatient services, as GAO suggested in February 2015. The 21st Century Cures Act--enacted in December 2016--slightly reduces the additional payments to PCHs for outpatient services furnished on or after January 1, 2018, and returns savings to the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. However, the law does not substantively change how PCHs are paid for outpatient services, which differs from how Medicare pays PPS teaching hospitals (Pub. L. No. 114-255, § 16002, 130 Stat. 1033, 1325 (2016))

Improper Payments: TRICARE Measurement and Reduction Efforts Could Benefit from Adopting Medical Record Reviews

GAO-15-269
Vijay A. D'Souza
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2 Open Recommendations
2 Priority
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of Defense
Priority Rec.
To better assess and address the full extent of improper payments in the TRICARE program, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) to implement a more comprehensive TRICARE improper payment measurement methodology that includes medical record reviews, as done in other parts of its existing postpayment claims review programs.
Open

The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with our recommendation. The Defense Health Agency (DHA) had taken some actions, as of March 2024, to incorporate medical record reviews in its improper payment estimate. For example, DHA reported that it had completed 2 years of medical record reviews. However, it did not incorporate the reviews into its fiscal year 2020 or 2021 improper payment rate estimates due to challenges, according to the agency. For example, DHA reported a low response rate on its requests for medical records from TRICARE providers. DHA told GAO that it ultimately found that
Department of Defense
Priority Rec.
To better assess and address the full extent of improper payments in the TRICARE program, and once a more comprehensive improper payment methodology is implemented, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) to develop more robust corrective action plans that address underlying causes of improper payments, as determined by the medical record reviews.
Open

The Department of Defense concurred with our recommendation. The Defense Health Agency (DHA) reported in 2022 that the medical record reviews did not uncover identifiable root causes or trends to warrant corrective action plans. However, the reviews had significant documentation problems that could be addressed. Of the TRICARE claims that DHA sampled for medical record review in fiscal year 2021, 28 percent in the east TRICARE region and 67 percent in the west region had no or insufficient documentation returned for review. In 2024, GAO continues to believe a corrective action related to these

Contingency Contracting: Contractor Personnel Tracking System Needs Better Plans and Guidance

GAO-15-250
Cary Russell
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To help improve DOD, State, and USAID's ability to track contracts and contractor personnel in contingency operations and to help ensure that DOD possesses the capability to collect and report statutorily required information and to clarify responsibilities and procedures, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to update SPOT provisions during the process of updating operational contract support guidance.
Open

DOD concurred with our recommendation. In August 2018, the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness reported that an update of DOD Instruction 3020.41 is in progress, and will include updated SPOT provisions. However, as of September 2023, the updated instruction had not been issued and DOD officials stated that they are working to complete its publication and expect final issuance in the near future. We will continue to monitor the department's progress in this area and the recommendation will remain open at this time.

Geospatial Data: Progress Needed on Identifying Expenditures, Building and Utilizing a Data Infrastructure, and Reducing Duplicative Efforts [Reissued March 18, 2015]

GAO-15-193
David A. Powner
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Congress To increase coordination between various levels of government and reduce duplication of effort, resources, and costs associated with collecting and maintaining accurate address data, Congress should consider assessing the impact of the disclosure restrictions of Section 9 of Title 13 and Section 412 of Title 39 of the U.S. Code in moving toward a national geospatial address database. If warranted, Congress should consider revising those statutes to authorize the limited release of addresses, without any personally identifiable information, specifically for geospatial purposes. Such a change, if deemed appropriate, could potentially result in significant savings across federal, state, and local governments.
Open

No legislative action had been identified as of March 5, 2024. Addressing this action, which GAO suggested in February 2015, could increase coordination between various levels of government and reduce duplication of effort, resources, and costs associated with collecting and maintaining accurate address data.

Crop Insurance: In Areas with Higher Crop Production Risks, Costs Are Greater, and Premiums May Not Cover Expected Losses

GAO-15-215
Steve Morris
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Risk Management Agency To better inform Congress in the future about crop insurance program costs, reduce present costs, and ensure greater actuarial soundness, the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency should monitor and report on crop insurance costs in areas that have higher crop production risks.
Open

When we confirm what actions USDA has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Risk Management Agency To better inform Congress in the future about crop insurance program costs, reduce present costs, and ensure greater actuarial soundness, the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency should, as appropriate, increase its adjustments of premium rates in areas with higher crop production risks by as much as the full 20 percent annually that is allowed by law.
Open

USDA agreed with this recommendation. When we confirm what actions USDA has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Food Safety: Additional Actions Needed to Help FDA's Foreign Offices Ensure Safety of Imported Food

GAO-15-183
J. Alfredo Gómez
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1 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Recommendation Status
Food and Drug Administration
Priority Rec.
To help ensure the safety of food imported into the United States, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs should complete an analysis to determine the annual number of foreign food inspections that is sufficient to ensure comparable safety of imported and domestic food. If the inspection numbers from that evaluation are different from the inspection targets mandated in FSMA, FDA should report the results to Congress and recommend appropriate legislative changes.
Open

On March 25, 2020, GAO staff met with FDA officials to discuss the status of the recommendation. FDA officials said that they cannot meet the number of foreign inspections required under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) due to capacity constraints, and FDA's current strategy for the safety of imported food relies on a "cumulative oversight" approach involving multiple programs, in addition to foreign inspections. FDA officials said that it could be a number of years before these programs are fully implemented and that FDA will provide GAO with more specific status updates on the

Private Pensions: Participants Need Better Information When Offered Lump Sums That Replace Their Lifetime Benefits

GAO-15-74
Charles Jeszeck
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of the Treasury To provide participants with useful information and to provide for lump sums that are based on up-to-date assumptions, Treasury should review its regulations governing the information contained in relative value statements to ensure these statements provide a meaningful comparison of all benefit options, especially in instances where the loss of certain additional plan benefits may not be disclosed.
Open

Treasury generally agreed with this recommendation but did not provide specific comments on plans to address it. As of July 2023, Treasury has not implemented this recommendation.
Department of the Treasury To provide participants with useful information and to provide for lump sums that are based on up-to-date assumptions, Treasury should review the applicability and appropriateness of allowing sponsors to select a "lookback" interest rate for use in calculating lump sums associated with a lump sum window that can serve to advantage the interests of the sponsor.
Open

Treasury generally agreed with this recommendation but did not provide specific comments on plans to address it. As of July 2023, Treasury has not implemented this recommendation.
Department of the Treasury To provide participants with useful information and to provide for lump sums that are based on up-to-date assumptions, Treasury should establish a process and a timeline for periodically updating the mortality tables used to determine minimum required lump sums-- including a means for monitoring when experts' views may indicate that mortality tables may have become outdated, and for taking expedited action if warranted.
Open

Treasury generally agreed with this recommendation but did not provide specific comments on plans to address it. As of July 2023, Treasury has not implemented this recommendation.
Department of Labor To ensure that federal regulators have better information about lump sum windows and to better ensure that participants have ready access to key information they need to make a decision when presented with a lump sum offer, the Department of Labor should require plan sponsors to notify DOL at the time they implement a lump sum window offer, including the number and category of participants being extended the offer (e.g., separated vested; retiree) as well as examples of the materials provided to them.
Open

The Department of Labor (DOL) agreed that this type of information may be helpful in determining the extent to which lump sum window offers are made, as well as the types of disclosures the participants receive. However, as of July 2017, DOL reported that it has not identified authority under ERISA for it to impose such a requirement on plan sponsors either before or shortly after the plan offers the lump sum window. The agency states that ERISA expressly provides specific reporting and disclosure requirements. These include various filings, such as annual financial reports, reports upon plan
Department of Labor To ensure that federal regulators have better information about lump sum windows and to better ensure that participants have ready access to key information they need to make a decision when presented with a lump sum offer, the Department of Labor should coordinate with the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to clarify the guidance regarding the information sponsors should provide to participants when extending lump sum window offers and place the guidance on the agency's website. Guidance should include clear and understandable presentations of information, such as the relative value of the lump sum, the role and level of protections provided by PBGC, and the positive and negative ramifications of accepting the lump sum. Such guidance could also include promising practices for information materials from plan sponsors which are particularly effective in facilitating informed participant decision-making.
Open

The Department of Labor agreed with this recommendation, noting it is important to coordinate with the Treasury Department/IRS and PBGC to clarify the guidance regarding the information sponsors and other plan fiduciaries should provide to participants and beneficiaries when extending lump sum window offers. In 2016, the agency noted that the manner of publishing that guidance would be part of that coordination process. They may consider some formal public request for input (such as publishing a Request for Information in the Federal Register) and focus group or other field testing work. In

Federal Food Safety Oversight: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Planning and Collaboration

GAO-15-180
Steve Morris
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Congress Because challenges associated with the fragmented federal food safety system are long-standing, decision makers do not have an integrated perspective on federal food safety performance, and centralized mechanisms for broad-based collaboration have not been sustained, Congress should consider directing OMB to develop a government-wide performance plan for food safety that includes results oriented goals and performance measures and a discussion of strategies and resources.
Open

As of March 2024, Congress had not acted on this matter. OMB informed GAO in December 2022 that it had no plans to develop a government-wide performance plan for food safety. We continue to believe that such a plan is necessary for effective federal oversight of food safety. We will continue to follow up on this issue.
Congress Because challenges associated with the fragmented federal food safety system are long-standing, decision makers do not have an integrated perspective on federal food safety performance, and centralized mechanisms for broad-based collaboration have not been sustained, Congress should consider formalizing the FSWG through statute to help ensure sustained leadership across food safety agencies over time.
Open

As of March 2024, Congress had not acted on this matter.

Fair Labor Standards Act: Extending Protections to Home Care Workers

GAO-15-12
Andrew Sherrill
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Department of Labor Depending on the outcome of the litigation, the Secretary of Labor should take steps to ensure the agency will be positioned to conduct a meaningful retrospective review consistent with the Executive Order at an appropriate time. These steps should be taken in consultation with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and could include, for example, identifying metrics that could be used to evaluate the rule, and implementing a plan to gather and analyze the necessary data.
Open

The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) agreed with this recommendation. WHD continues to collect and analyze enforcement data from investigations within the home care industry consistent with practices for its overall enforcement portfolio. In addition, WHD and the Office of the Solicitor served as technical advisors to an evaluation project funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Policy and Evaluation analyzing state implementation of the home care rule and specifically, the rule's impact on self-directed home care programs. The evaluators

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: NRC Needs to Improve Its Cost Estimates by Incorporating More Best Practices

GAO-15-98
Frank Rusco
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1 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Recommendation Status
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Priority Rec.
To improve the reliability of its cost estimates, as NRC revises its cost estimating procedures, the NRC Chairman should ensure that the agency aligns the procedures with relevant cost estimating best practices identified in the GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide and ensure that future cost estimates are prepared in accordance with relevant cost estimating best practices.
Open

NRC generally agreed with the recommendation. NRC updated a draft of its cost estimating procedures in January 2020 to conform with agency-wide directives and provided it to the NRC Commissioners for their review. However, as of March 2024, NRC has not issued the final procedures. To fully implement this recommendation, NRC needs to issue its update to its cost estimating procedures to align with best practices identified in our cost estimating guide. By doing so, NRC will have better assurance that its cost estimates are reliable and that the NRC Commissioners have adequate information on
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