Increasing colocation of services at a single site, as well as consolidating state workforce and welfare administrative agencies, could increase efficiencies, and several states and localities have undertaken such initiatives. However, implementation may pose challenges and little information is available about the strategies and results of these initiatives. To facilitate further progress in inc

ORR supports several approaches to providing cash, medical assistance, and social services to refugees through its Matching Grant, Publicly Administered, Wilson/Fish, and Public Private Partnership programs. The Matching Grant program, which is administered and partially funded by private voluntary organizations, features several design elements that set it apart from ORR's other programs. For ex

Due to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), both the number of--and funding for--federal employment and training programs have increased since our 2003 report, but little is known about the effectiveness of most programs. In fiscal year 2009, 9 federal agencies spent approximately $18 billion to administer 47 programs--an increase of 3 programs and roughly $5 billion

The decline in the number of poor families receiving cash assistance from 1995 to 2005 reflects declines in both the number of eligible families and in eligible families' participation. The strong economy of the 1990s, TANF's focus on work, and other factors contributed to increased family incomes and a decline in the number of eligible families. However, most of the caseload decline--about 87 pe

GAO estimates that at least 2.4 million young adults aged 18 through 26--or 6.5 percent of the non-institutionalized young adults in that age range-- had a serious mental illness in 2006, and they had lower levels of education on average than other young adults. The actual number is likely to be higher than 2.4 million because homeless, institutionalized, and incarcerated persons were not include

Labor could improve the way it administers the program in two key areas--the process it uses to allocate training funds and its tracking of program outcomes. Labor's process for allocating training funds presents two significant challenges to states. First, the amount states receive at the beginning of the fiscal year does not adequately reflect the current demand for training services in the sta

The process for enrolling trade-affected workers in the TAA program begins when a petition for TAA assistance is filed with Labor on behalf of a group of workers. Labor has generally processed these petitions in a timely manner, taking on average 32 days during the past 3 fiscal years. Once enrolled, trade-affected workers can access a variety of TAA benefits and services, including income suppor

During the past 3 fiscal years, the number of petitions certified has declined from about 1,700 in fiscal year 2004 to about 1,400 in 2006, covering an estimated 400,000 workers. The proportion of petitions certified has remained at about two-thirds. About 40 percent of the petitions were denied because workers were not involved in producing an article. While many certified workers receive traini

During the past 3 fiscal years, the number of petitions certified has declined from about 1,700 in fiscal year 2004 to about 1,400 in 2006, covering an estimated 400,000 workers. The proportion of petitions certified has remained at about two-thirds. About 40 percent of the petitions were denied because workers were not involved in producing an article. While many certified workers receive traini

In summary, we found that, while USDA uses various means to promote TAA for Farmers, the numbers of both petition submissions and certifications are lower in fiscal year 2006 than they were in 2005. USDA officials attribute the decline to the difficulty farmers and fishermen have in meeting the eligibility criteria. Out of 101 petitions submitted for the program to date, USDA reviewed the 64 that