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 Director of the Federal Insurance Office should communicate to insurers in writing how it would utilize policyholder retention amounts in calculating "insurance losses" and "insured losses" in determining the program certification threshold, trigger, and cap, as applicable. (Recommendation 1)
Agency: Department of the Treasury: Office of the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions: Office of Financial Institutions Policy: Federal Insurance Office Status: Open
Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs should develop and implement procedures for coal mine operator self-insurance renewal that clarifies how long an operator is authorized to self-insure; when an operator must submit its renewal application and supporting documentation; and the conditions under which an operator's self-insurance authority would not be renewed. (Recommendation 1)
Agency: Department of Labor: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs Status: Open
Comments: DOL agreed with this recommendation and said it is acting to implement it to achieve further improvements in ensuring the effective oversight of coal mine operator insurance. DOL reported that it would ensure letters granting or renewing self-insurance authority will inform operators that their authorization expires in one year and that they must submit renewal information three months in advance of the expiration date.
Recommendation: The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs should develop and implement procedures for self-insured coal mine operator appeals that identify time lines for self-insured operators to submit documentation supporting their appeals and that identify a goal for how much time DOL should take to make appeals decisions. (Recommendation 2)
Agency: Department of Labor: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs Status: Open
Comments: DOL agreed with this recommendation and said it is acting to implement it to achieve further improvements in ensuring the effective oversight of coal mine operator insurance. DOL reported that it will ensure letters denying self-insurance will inform operators that they have a 30-day appeal period (limited to one extension) and that DOL has set a goal of resolving all appeals within 90 days of the denial letter.
Recommendation: The Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs should develop and implement a process to monitor operator compliance with commercial insurance requirements and periodically evaluate the effectiveness of this process. This process should be designed to detect errors and omissions in reporting insurance coverage using complete, accurate, and consistently recorded data. (Recommendation 3)
Agency: Department of Labor: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs Status: Open
Comments: DOL agreed with this recommendation and said it is acting to implement it to achieve further improvements in ensuring the effective oversight of coal mine operator insurance. DOL reported that it will modify existing computer systems to identify lapses or cancellations of commercial insurance coverage, and require operators identified as having lapsed or cancelled coverage to obtain or provide proof of coverage within 30 days.
Recommendation: To help ensure that the government is not exposed to more liability risk than intended, the Secretary of Transportation should ensure that the FAA Administrator prioritizes the development of a plan to address the identified weakness in the cost-of-casualty amount, including setting time frames for action, and update the amount based on current information.
Agency: Department of Transportation Status: Open
Comments: The Department of Transportation agreed with the recommendation. In March 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the agency planned to conduct a rulemaking to address any updates to the cost-of-casualty amount. As part of the rulemaking, FAA planned to engage with the commercial space and insurance industries to obtain views on an appropriate cost-of-casualty amount and implications of any changes. However, in February 2019, FAA stated that it has been unable to conduct the planned rulemaking due to a competing priority that will continue through 2020. FAA has requested input from the industry on prioritizing needed rule revisions and will develop a plan for updating the cost-of-casualty amount based on the industry's prioritization recommendations. We will continue to monitor FAA's actions in response to this recommendation.
Recommendation: To better ensure spaceport operators' understanding of FAA's financial responsibility regulations for commercial space launches, the Secretary of Transportation should ensure that the FAA Administrator provides additional communication to clarify FAA's interpretation of the financial responsibility regulations for commercial space launches. The forms of communication could include, among other things, issuing additional guidance or using other forums to clarify when a spaceport operator is a third party to a launch and when it is not.
Agency: Department of Transportation Status: Open
Comments: In May 2018, FAA officials said that they were working towards implementing the recommendation, but did not have documented efforts at this time and do not have an estimated completion date.
