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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. Below you can search only priority recommendations, or search all recommendations.
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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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Subject Term: "Railroad employees"
GAO-18-323, Apr 19, 2018
Phone: (202) 512-7215
Agency: Railroad Retirement Board
Status: Open
Comments: RRB reported taking steps to implement this recommendation. In January 2020, the agency received a cost estimate from SSA for a proposed data exchange. In May 2020, RRB and SSA held an inaugural conference call and reached an understanding of the technical requirements to move forward with a data exchange. As of June 2020, RRB reports that systems analysts at SSA are developing the procedures and systems necessary for an electronic data exchange. GAO will close this recommendation when the data system is implemented.
Agency: Railroad Retirement Board
Status: Open
Comments: As of June 2020, RRB reports that it has been working to draft documentation of the financial interchange calculation process, and sharing drafts of this documentation with SSA for its review. SSA has requested revisions in this documentation and RRB plans to hire additional staff to implement GAO's recommendation. GAO will close this recommendation once RRB finalizes its documentation of the financial interchange calculation process.
Agency: Railroad Retirement Board
Status: Open
Comments: As of June 2020, RRB reports that it is in the process of developing formal review policies and plans to include them in its written documentation of the financial interchange process. GAO will close this recommendation once RRB's formal review policy is complete.
Agency: Social Security Administration
Status: Open
Comments: SSA reported that it received a data exchange request from RRB in October 2018. RRB proposed to send SSA a file of beneficiary and earnings data, and receive calculations for sample financial interchange cases. RRB and SSA discussed options for exchanging information electronically. In early 2020, SSA reported that it is developing a Rough Order of Magnitude/Cost Estimate for electronically sharing data and limiting the reliance of the financial interchange process on manual data entry under its existing agreement. The agency has no timeline to complete this effort.
Agency: Social Security Administration
Status: Open
Comments: In September 2020, SSA reported that it has developed plans to review of a subset of financial interchange calculations as the individual-case level. SSA anticipates that this review will take place following the completion of RRB's fiscal year 2021-2022 financial interchange calculations. We will close this recommendation once SSA's review successfully takes place.
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Status: Open
Comments: As of July 2020, HHS continues to disagree with this recommendation. HHS officials said that RRB is responsible for certifying its costs through the financial interchange, and that they believe the department lacks the authority to question RRB's calculations. We continue to believe that HHS would be better positioned to ensure that the transfers it makes and receives through the interchange are calculated correctly if it reviews case-level calculations. We will close this recommendation if HHS seeks the authority to review financial interchange calculations or takes other steps to ensure the accuracy of financial interchange calculations performed by RRB.