Recommendation: The Director of OPM should routinely track and report retention data for employees with disabilities and make such data available to federal agencies, including EEOC, through a centralized web portal—such as MAX.gov. For example, OPM could track and report such data by General Schedule level pay groupings, which could help pinpoint root causes that contribute to retention rates, inform assessments of government-wide progress on employee retention, and identify needed improvements. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Office of Personnel Management
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Attorney General of the United States should develop and implement policies and procedures for assessing the impact of training provided to agency hiring managers and human resources staff on Schedule A hiring authority. This includes assessing the impact of its training on agency performance goals related to increased hiring of individuals with disabilities and targeted disabilities. (Recommendation 2)

Agency: Department of Justice
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Attorney General of the United States should develop and implement policies and procedures for obtaining employee feedback about the agency's reasonable accommodations efforts and use such information to evaluate the ongoing effectiveness of the program. This may include identifying any effects on employee retention, identifying potential risks, and determining any improvements that may be warranted. (Recommendation 3)

Agency: Department of Justice
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 SBA should develop and implement policies and procedures for assessing and tracking the impact of training provided to agency hiring managers and human resources staff on Schedule A hiring authority. This includes assessing the impact of its training on agency performance goals related to increased hiring of individuals with disabilities and targeted disabilities. (Recommendation 4)

Agency: Small Business Administration
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 SBA should develop and implement policies and procedures for obtaining employee feedback about the agency's reasonable accommodations efforts and use such information to evaluate the ongoing effectiveness of the program. This may include identifying any effects on employee retention, identifying potential risks, and determining any improvements that may be warranted. (Recommendation 5)

Agency: Small Business Administration
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: The Commissioner of SSA should develop and implement policies and procedures for assessing and tracking the impact of training provided to agency hiring managers and human resources staff on Schedule A hiring authority. This includes assessing the impact of its training on agency performance goals related to increased hiring of individuals with disabilities and targeted disabilities. (Recommendation 6)

Agency: Social Security Administration
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: To implement the goals and policy priorities of the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan, the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) workgroup--the Secretaries of HHS, Education, Department of Labor, and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration--should develop a long-term implementation plan that includes milestones and specific agency roles and assignments.

Agency: Department of Education
Status: Open

Comments: In June 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) reported additional efforts by member federal agencies of the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) to collaborate to make progress towards meeting the policy priorities outlined in the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan. In addition, DOL has reported that it has formalized and assigned certain FPT roles and responsibilities, is currently evaluating the 2020 plan priorities, is developing a charter to further define FPT milestones and federal agency roles and responsibilities, and will update the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) website to highlight FPT milestones and timelines. We are encouraged by this additional progress and anticipate we will close the recommendation once DOL provides the approved charter and updates the ODEP website as specified.

Recommendation: To implement the goals and policy priorities of the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan, the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) workgroup--the Secretaries of HHS, Education, Department of Labor, and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration--should develop a long-term implementation plan that includes milestones and specific agency roles and assignments.

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Status: Open

Comments: In July 2020, the HHS reported additional efforts by member federal agencies of the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) to collaborate to make progress towards meeting the policy priorities outlined in the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan. In addition, HHS has reported that it has formalized and assigned certain FPT roles and responsibilities, is currently evaluating the 2020 plan priorities, is developing a charter to further define FPT milestones and federal agency roles and responsibilities, and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) website will be updated to highlight FPT milestones and timelines. We are encouraged by this additional progress and anticipate we will close the recommendation once approved charter is provided and updates to the ODEP website are made as specified.

Recommendation: To implement the goals and policy priorities of the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan, the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) workgroup--the Secretaries of HHS, Education, Department of Labor, and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration--should develop a long-term implementation plan that includes milestones and specific agency roles and assignments.

Agency: Social Security Administration
Status: Open

Comments: In November 2019, SSA again reported that it meets on a monthly basis in both the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) steering and general meetings, and that these meetings have created a working, structured, collaborative effort to address the audit recommendation and meet the policy priorities outlined in the FPT 2020 plan. SSA noted that the voluntary, ad-hoc nature of the FPT precludes definitive role assignments and implementation plans. We continue to maintain that being a voluntary initiative does not preclude the FPT from establishing long-term milestones and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Further, a long-term plan can be changed, and need not be definitive. Without a long-term implementation plan that includes milestones and specific agency roles and assignments, it is less likely that the priorities outlined in the 2020 Plan will be achieved.

Recommendation: To implement the goals and policy priorities of the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan, the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) workgroup--the Secretaries of HHS, Education, Department of Labor, and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration--should develop a long-term implementation plan that includes milestones and specific agency roles and assignments.

Agency: Department of Labor
Status: Open

Comments: In June 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) reported additional efforts by member federal agencies of the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) to collaborate to make progress towards meeting the policy priorities outlined in the 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan. In addition, DOL has reported that it has formalized and assigned certain FPT roles and responsibilities, is currently evaluating the 2020 plan priorities, is developing a charter to further define FPT milestones and federal agency roles and responsibilities, and will update the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) website to highlight FPT milestones and timelines. We are encouraged by this additional progress and anticipate we will close the recommendation once DOL provides the approved charter and updates the ODEP website as specified.

Recommendation: To help states identify and address quality-of-care concerns among individuals with developmental disabilities receiving Medicaid HCBS waiver services, the Administrator of CMS should encourage states to (1) include death as a critical incident and conduct mortality reviews if they do not already do so and (2) broaden their mortality review processes if they already include death as a critical incident and conduct mortality reviews.

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Status: Open

Comments: As of August 2020, CMS had taken some steps to address this recommendation but additional actions are needed to fully implement it. In June 2018 CMS issued a Medicaid update to states explaining that CMS strongly encourages them to include unexpected deaths in their definition of reportable critical incidents. CMS also stated in the update that states should conduct a preliminary review of all beneficiary deaths and investigations should focus on those deaths determined to be unexpected. Further, CMS has shared with states best practices for state mortality reviews that include, for example, the use of an interdisciplinary review committee and taking actions to address identified quality of care problems. CMS also developed a webinar training (Incident Management 101) to help states improve their incident management systems for the Medicaid HCBS waiver. The webinar outlines the key elements of building a comprehensive incident management system (e.g., establishing a process for conducting investigations of incidents, tracking and trending incidents to help prevent and mitigate incidents from occurring) and reiterates CMS's expectation that states identify and address unexplained deaths on an ongoing basis in order to meet the waiver's health and welfare assurance. In late 2018, CMS planned to include in its revised waiver application questions to determine practices regarding states' review and evaluation of unexpected deaths. In September 2019, CMS officials notified us that it will provide an updated status report on this recommendation in November 2019. As of August 2020, CMS officials have not provided us information regarding its revised waiver application and technical guide. We will update the status of this recommendation when we receive this information.