GAO’s recommendations database contains report recommendations that still need to be addressed.
GAO’s priority recommendations are those that we believe warrant priority attention.
We sent letters to the heads of key departments and agencies, urging them to continue focusing on these issues.
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Our recommendations help congressional and agency leaders prepare for appropriations and oversight activities, as well as help improve government operations.
Moreover, when implemented, some of our priority recommendations can save large amounts of money, help Congress make decisions on major issues, and substantially improve or transform major government programs or agencies, among other benefits.
As of October 25, 2020, there are 4812 open recommendations, of which 473 are priority recommendations. Recommendations remain open until they are designated as Closed-implemented or Closed-not implemented.
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Recommendation: The Administrator for the Administration for Community Living (ACL) should establish an ongoing process to proactively share information and best practices with states about using National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) funds to serve older relative caregivers of children, especially in states with a relatively large share of grandparent caregivers. This could be achieved, for example, by leveraging regional office staff to share information from states and area agencies on aging that have successfully used this program to serve older relative caregivers. (Recommendation 2)
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Community Living Status: Open
Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Administrator of ACL should work with other relevant HHS officials to document the department's plan to focus on the specific nutritional needs of older adults in the 2025-2030 update of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which would include, in part, plans to identify existing information gaps on older adults' specific nutritional needs. (Recommendation 1)
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Community Living Status: Open
Comments: HHS agreed with this recommendation, stating that ACL plans to work with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and other relevant HHS officials and agencies to document HHS's plans to emphasize the specific and varying nutritional needs of older adults in the 2025-2030 update. HHS also stated that ACL plans to acquire the services of a registered dietician with specialized expertise in older adults' nutritional needs. We will consider closing this recommendation when these efforts are completed.
Recommendation: The Administrator of ACL should direct regional offices to take steps to ensure states are monitoring providers to ensure meal consistency with federal nutrition requirements for meals served in the congregate and home-delivered meal programs. (Recommendation 2)
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Community Living Status: Open
Comments: HHS agreed with this recommendation. HHS stated that ACL's program and evaluation offices will collaborate on the development of plans to ensure state compliance with federal requirements.
Recommendation: The Administrator of ACL should centralize information on promising approaches for making meal accommodations to meet the nutritional needs of older adult participants in the congregate and home-delivered meal programs, for example in one location on its National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging website, to assist providers' efforts. (Recommendation 4)
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Community Living Status: Open
Comments: HHS agreed with this recommendation. The agency stated that ACL will award a contract in fiscal year 2020 for a new National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging to, among other things, centralize information on promising approaches so nutrition services providers can access it easily. We will consider closing this recommendation when this effort is complete.
Recommendation: The Administrator of ACL should take steps to better centralize access to and promote awareness of information on promising practices or other useful information pertinent to serving rural older adults.
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Community Living Status: Open
Comments: HHS agreed with this recommendation, stating that it would encourage its resource centers to identify promising practices and other information specific to rural communities so that these resources would be searchable. In December 2019, ACL stated that it would continue to list all resource centers on its website so that anyone can find resources specific to any topic funded by ACL. The agency also noted that it would begin implementation of this action with new resource centers funded with FY 2020 appropriations. GAO continues to encourage ACL to centralize access to information pertinent to rural older adults by making it easily searchable across these websites or compiling it in other ways and promoting awareness of this information.
