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Open Recommendations

Disability Employment: DOL Should Enhance Monitoring and Guidance for Federal Contractors
GAO-26-107937
Oct 06, 2026
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8 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that OFCCP resumes collecting certification of AAPs from contractors through its Contractor Portal or other mechanism. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. The agency stated that OFCCP does not have plans to resume Section 503 AAP certifications or audits at this time and that DOL is in the process of evaluating its compliance activities in light of recent regulatory changes. We agree that OFCCP's compliance activities will need to be adapted to the amended Section 503 regulations. However, the AAP certification is an important mechanism for helping DOL ensure that contractors are complying with Section 503 requirements that remain in effect. We maintain that DOL should resume this activity as soon as possible.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that OFCCP resumes audits related to Section 503 compliance. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. The agency stated that it continues to enforce Section 503 through complaint investigations. We agree that OFCCP's compliance activities will need to be adapted to the amended Section 503 regulations. However, the Section 503 audit is an important mechanism for helping DOL ensure that contractors are complying with Section 503 requirements that remain in effect. We believe DOL should resume this activity as soon as possible.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that OFCCP analyzes trends in reasons for closing or referring Section 503 complaints that are not appropriate for it to investigate, and uses the results to identify and implement any identified actions to strengthen the complaints process, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. DOL stated it would analyze the reasons non-investigated complaints are closed, which will provide helpful information to streamline the complaint filing process. DOL plans to incorporate this analysis going forward. We will monitor DOL's progress on these efforts.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should carry out strategic workforce planning for OFCCP, consistent with key principles, to align its workforce with its current responsibilities and future needs. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. OFCCP stated that it would directly link workforce initiatives to the agency's strategic and performance plans. They will develop and implement action plans to close gaps through targeted strategies, such as training and retraining, succession planning, and technological enhancements. They will monitor their progress against milestones, evaluated for continuous improvement. We will monitor the agency's progress on these efforts.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that OFCCP provides resources on its website with potential partner organizations, including regional organizations, that can help contractors recruit employees with disabilities. (Recommendation 5)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. OFCCP will publish an updated list of organizations on its website in FY2027. The directory will be organized by state and will serve as a reference for federal contractors seeking job referral services for employees with disabilities and protected veterans. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that OFCCP adds a reasonable accommodations section to its website with links to resources explaining how employers can provide reasonable accommodations. (Recommendation 6)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. In FY27, DOL plans to consolidate relevant resources into a reasonable accommodations section on its web site. This section will include information on how employers can provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

Child Labor: DOL Action Needed to Better Protect Working Children
GAO-26-107722
Sep 29, 2026
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Wage and Hour Division Administrator and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner assess and mitigate the information gaps we identified in child labor fatality, injury, and illness data, including considering the need for increased or improved data collection. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOL's WHD disagreed with this recommendation. The agency disagreed with this recommendation. Legal and other requirements limit the detailed statistical data it can publish. Nevertheless, the agency noted steps it is taking to publish more child labor data, which could reduce information gaps and continue seeking ways to improve its statistical products. We acknowledge the legal requirements the agency faces. However, these statutory restrictions do not preclude exploring ways to mitigate information gaps within the confines of the current legal framework. For example, DOL could try to ensure that future years of SOII data are comparable to the current data, so the agency and others can once again examine trends over time in child worker injuries and illnesses. Moreover, the information gaps we identified go beyond the limitations contained in the CFOI and SOII. It is important to reevaluate data needs when changes in the availability of other data sources occur, as has happened over time with federal datasets on child labor fatalities, injuries, and illnesses that were discontinued. Less is known than in the past about whether and how this vulnerable population is getting injured or killed at work. We continue to believe that DOL should assess and mitigate these information gaps to be better positioned to assess, prevent, and respond to dangerous conditions. The agency noted it is exploring ways to publish more fatal injury counts while protecting confidential information. While we support these efforts, we also believe DOL could consider taking additional steps to increase or improve data on the safety of working children, such as developing or identifying new sources of data, or collaborating with other agencies to address data gaps.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the Wage and Hour Division Administrator to develop a systematic process to identify and evaluate potential data sources, including by obtaining and documenting input from regional- and district-level staff, as it considers adding new sources of data to target investigations under its National Strategic Enforcement Initiative on Child Labor. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. The agency said it would take steps to address it by strengthening its agency-wide planning process. We encourage that such a process be tailored to child labor investigations to explore different data sources to target investigations under the National Initiative. A systematic process that includes gathering input from regional- and district-level staff on potential targeting strategies will help ensure that the initiative is useful and appropriate for the field. We will monitor the agency's efforts to address this recommendation.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Wage and Hour Division assesses its outreach efforts to educate employers and the public about child labor laws, including by (1) setting goals for long-term outcomes and assessing progress by breaking them into measurable performance goals, (2) collecting relevant data through related performance measures, and (3) using that information to inform the agency's future outreach strategies. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the progress of agency efforts to address it.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the Wage and Hour Division Administrator to establish procedures to track and analyze the questions it receives from field offices related to applying the hazardous occupations orders, as well as the technical assistance it provides, and use the analysis to regularly update guidance, as appropriate. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's efforts to address it.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should strengthen its collaboration with other federal agencies to prevent and detect illegal child labor, including by incorporating GAO's eight leading collaboration practices and ensuring continuity of information sharing to sustain efforts during agency transitions and other changes. (Recommendation 5)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's efforts to address it.

Nonimmigrant Visas: State Should Consistently Conduct Global Staffing Needs Assessments to Help Balance Workloads and Address Long Wait Times
GAO-26-107902
Sep 28, 2026
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should establish a mechanism, such as a policy or other guidance, requiring State's Bureau of Consular Affairs to consistently conduct its Global Repositioning Exercise to help ensure proportionate levels of staffing to address workloads at each post. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Service Member Reemployment Rights: Enhanced Education and Additional Training Could Improve Investigations
GAO-26-108197
Jun 16, 2026
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that VETS reviews its existing resources on USERRA and identifies and implements options to streamline or modify them to help individuals better understand their potential eligibility under USERRA before filing a complaint as well as the evidence needed to show that an employer action constitutes a USERRA violation. (Recommendation 1)
Open
VETS agreed with this recommendations. VETS officials outlined steps they plan to take to improve claimants' ability to obtain information about their eligibility before filing a claim, such as redeveloping and modernizing the USERRA elaws Advisor. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that VETS's national office assesses investigator training needs and takes steps to address those needs, including soliciting input from investigators. (Recommendation 2)
Open
VETS agreed with this recommendations. VETS officials outlined steps they plan to take to address investigator training needs, such as continuing to solicit input from investigators who attend training courses and taking steps to address proposed improvements, as appropriate. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
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