Peace Corps and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) both provide health benefits through workers' compensation programs. Peace Corps provides benefits to returned Peace Corps volunteers who sustain illnesses or injuries connected to their Peace Corps service under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) program administered by the Department of Labor (DOL). USAID provides...

On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake struck Haiti, resulting in an estimated 230,000 deaths, including more than 16,000 Haitian government personnel, and the destruction of many ministry buildings. In addition to immediate relief efforts, in July 2010, Congress appropriated $1.14 billion in supplemental funds for reconstruction, most of which was provided to the U.S. Agency for International...

The Departments of Defense (DOD) and State (State) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have collectively obligated billions of dollars for contracts and assistance to support U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. The work of GAO and others has documented shortcomings in DOD's contract management and oversight, and its training of the non-acquisition workforce. Addressing thes...

In 2003, Congress and the administration established a performance-based pay system for Senior Executive Service (SES) members that requires a link between individual and organizational performance and pay. Specifically, agencies are allowed to raise SES pay caps if their systems are certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with concurrence by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the enterprise funds, established to support private sector development in selected countries of Eastern and Central Europe, focusing on: (1) whether enterprise funds are assisting private sector development; (2) what factors have affected the funds' ability to carry out their activities; (3) whether funds still have a role in private sector develo...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the status of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (AID) reform efforts.GAO found that: (1) AID has begun to undertake an array of reforms affecting the entire agency, including organization, management, and program operations; (2) AID's missions largely have reorganized their activities around the agency's strategic objectives and are r...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed U.S.-funded democracy programs of the Agency for International Development (AID), U.S. Information Agency (USIA), Department of State, and the Department of Defense, focusing on whether democracy programs in Russia were meeting their developmental goals and contributing to political reform from fiscal years 1990 through 1994.GAO found that: (1) U.S...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Agency for International Development's (AID) assistance projects in Russia, focusing on whether: (1) individual AID projects met their objectives and contributed to systemic reforms; (2) the projects had common characteristics that contributed to their successful or unsuccessful outcomes; and (3) AID adequately managed the Russian projects.GAO...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO interviewed an Agency for International Development (AID) official about his comments on a GAO report concerning inadequate controls over political appointee records, focusing on: (1) the extent and source of his knowledge of the Bush Administration's political appointee files at the Department of State and AID; and (2) whether others shared his views and k...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Agency for International Development's (AID) use of indefinite quantity contracts (IQC) to provide technical assistance to Poland and the Czech and Slovak Republics, focusing on: (1) whether host governments are satisfied with IQC assistance; (2) how IQC assistance compares with other major donors' programs; (3) the role of host governments and...