Equal Opportunity

Recent Reports

Military Service Academies: Actions Needed to Better Assess Organizational Climate

GAO-22-105130

Published: Jul 29, 2022.

Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2022.

Sexual Harassment: Opportunities Remain for VA to Improve Program Structure, Policies, and Data Collection

GAO-22-106103

Published: Jul 28, 2022.

Publicly Released: Jul 28, 2022.

Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities: Federal Programs Provide Support for Preventing Falls, but Program Reach is Limited

GAO-22-105276

Published: Jul 27, 2022.

Publicly Released: Jul 27, 2022.

State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

GAO-22-105182

Published: Jul 21, 2022.

Publicly Released: Jul 22, 2022.

K-12 Education: Student Population Has Significantly Diversified, but Many Schools Remain Divided Along Racial, Ethnic, and Economic Lines

GAO-22-104737

Published: Jun 16, 2022.

Publicly Released: Jul 14, 2022.

Higher Education: Testing Companies Most Commonly Granted Extra Time to Accommodate Individuals with Disabilities

GAO-22-104430

Published: Jun 06, 2022.

Publicly Released: Jul 06, 2022.

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Open Recommendations

State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

GAO-22-105182

Jul 22, 2022

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4 Open Recommendations

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of State	The Secretary of State should ensure the Office of Diversity and Inclusion establish performance measures for State's DEIA-related goals and objectives in the workplace and develop a process to evaluate progress. (Recommendation 1)	Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of State	The Secretary of State should develop and implement additional actions to enhance accountability for workplace DEIA goals, including for managers and supervisors, such as analyzing the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms. (Recommendation 2)	Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of State	The Secretary of State should create a plan to improve State's barrier analysis process that ensures all steps of the process are followed. (Recommendation 3)	Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of State	The Secretary of State should improve the department's statistical methodology to ensure it is appropriate for identifying potential barriers to diversity. (Recommendation 4)	Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Better Assistance and Data Use Could Improve Oversight of Veterans' Federal Contractor Employment

GAO-22-104599

May 26, 2022

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7 Open Recommendations

1 Priority

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	The Director of OFCCP should clarify how contractors should use the VEVRAA hiring benchmark, including providing examples of how contractors can use it as a tool to measure progress in hiring protected veterans. (Recommendation 1)	Open DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation and did not comment on plans to address it. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency takes steps to clarify how contractors should use the VEVRAA hiring benchmark.
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	The Director of OFCCP should incorporate key practices, such as those identified by other agencies, for employing veterans into its public information on VEVRAA. (Recommendation 2)	Open DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation and did not comment on plans to address it. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency takes steps to implement it.
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	The Director of OFCCP should provide information to contractors and workers that encourages self-identification for protected veterans. For example, OFCCP could make a video explaining the benefits of self-identification for protected veterans similar to one it has for individuals with disabilities. (Recommendation 3)	Open DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation and did not comment on plans to address it. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency takes steps to implement it.
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	Priority Rec. The Director of OFCCP should use available data to better approximate the size and characteristics of the veteran population protected under VEVRAA. For example, OFCCP could consider how to adjust the data it uses from the CPS Veterans Supplement to approximate the subset of veterans who are protected. (Recommendation 4)	Open DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation and did not comment on plans to address it. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency uses available data to better approximate the veteran population it is charged with protecting, so that the agency can better monitor contractors' progress in hiring and recruiting protected veterans.
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	The Director of OFCCP should assess the feasibility of using existing data or collecting new data to incorporate into enforcement procedures that would allow OFCCP to assess systemic discrimination against protected veterans. (Recommendation 5)	Open DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation and did not comment on plans to address it. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency takes steps to implement it.
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	The Director of OFCCP should assess the costs and benefits of adjusting the VEVRAA hiring benchmark to reflect protected veterans who may not be captured in the civilian workforce or who have relatively high unemployment rates, including protected veterans who have significant service-connected disabilities. (Recommendation 6)	Open DOL neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation and did not comment on plans to address it. We will consider closing this recommendation when the agency takes steps to implement it.

Sexual Assault and Harassment: NOAA Has Made Substantial Progress in Prevention and Response but Could Further Improve Its Processes

GAO-21-560

Sep 27, 2021

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6 Open Recommendations

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	The administrator of NOAA should ensure that future updates to the agency's sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention and response policy are consistent with all relevant legal requirements in the 2017 NDAA. (Recommendation 1)	Open As of February 2022, , the agency stated that it is actively collaborating with stakeholders to modify its Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH) policy to incorporate all relevant legal requirements, including implementing a process that will ensure future updates are consistent with legal requirements. NOAA anticipates the updated policy will be finalized in the first half of 2022.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	The administrator of NOAA should implement a mechanism requiring oversight by senior agency leaders of all disciplinary actions involving misconduct related to sexual assault and sexual harassment before such actions are finalized. (Recommendation 2)	Open As of February 2022, the agency stated that it is collaborating with stakeholders to modify its SASH policy to include oversight of disciplinary matters. It also stated it will conduct training for managers and decisionmakers on roles and responsibilities related to SASH. NOAA anticipates all actions to address this recommendation will be completed by December 2022.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	The administrator of NOAA should ensure that the agency provides specific and readily accessible information on its website, through frequently asked questions (FAQ) and in staff training. The information should describe and explain the differences among complaint systems and what to expect from each when reporting allegations of sexual harassment or assault. (Recommendation 3)	Open As of February 2022, the agency stated that it is actively collaborating with stakeholders and affiliates on streamlining access to information and updating its websites to include FAQs, contact mechanisms, and cross-posting resources. In addition, the agency stated that each office that received SASH allegations will include information on their respective public facing sites and also include a link to the NOAA Workplace Violence Prevention and Response office. NOAA anticipated actions to address the recommendation will be completed in the first half of 2022.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	The administrator of NOAA should require that training for supervisors and managers include critical NOAA-specific information, such as how to report allegations up the chain of command, how to identify and minimize potential risk factors, explanations of NOAA's confidentiality rules, and the consequences for failing to fulfill this staff's supervisory responsibilities. (Recommendation 4)	Open As of February 2022, the agency stated that it is actively collaborating with stakeholders on modifying its SASH policy to clarify managerial requirements relating to SASH incidents. They also stated that NOAA has hired a contractor that is creating evidence-based training that highlights existing programs and processes and provides tools to address risk factors and bystander intervention methods. NOAA will mandate that all supervisors and managers take this training, which it anticipated will be completed by the end of June 2022.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	The administrator of NOAA should ensure the agency provides more information to specific individuals and the larger NOAA workforce about how the agency is responding to allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment, as appropriate, such as by regularly updating individuals on the status of their cases and by annually developing summary-level information for the workforce about the number, type, and resolution of cases. (Recommendation 5)	Open As of February 2022, the agency stated that it holds a monthly SASH Council where stakeholders may share data and trends tied to SASH. In addition, the agency stated that it is training its volunteer assistance advocates on trauma-informed care and response, clarifying expectations on transparency and ongoing communication. NOAA also stated it will provide an annual report to the NOAA workforce that includes aggregate data, such as the total number of open and closed SASH cases and types of corrective actions implemented. According to agency officials, this report will not include specific details about cases or identifying information, and it will be available on the NOAA website. They anticipate issuing the annual report each February, beginning in 2022.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	The administrator of NOAA should ensure that the central tracking system being developed will collect consistent data and appropriately document the number and type of incidents of sexual assault and harassment across complaint systems. (Recommendation 6)	Open As of February 2022, the agency stated that it is currently developing a database that will streamline case data for reporting to Congress, as well as provide consistent trend data to NOAA leadership and employees. The agency stated that this data will also allow NOAA to engage in meaningful prevention and response efforts. The agency stated that it anticipates the database will be operational by the end of June 2022.

Voters with Disabilities: State and Local Actions and Federal Resources to Address Accessibility of Early Voting

GAO-21-352

Jul 21, 2021

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1 Open Recommendations

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Election Assistance Commission	The Executive Director of the EAC should develop and implement a mechanism or mechanisms for collecting and incorporating feedback from state and local election officials on the usefulness of the voting accessibility resources the agency provides and other resources that would be helpful to them. (Recommendation 1)	Open In its response to our draft report, the EAC stated that expanding its resources for accessibility and improving the feedback process is a priority for the agency and identified ongoing and planned steps to do so. In April 2022, the EAC reported continued progress on developing several mechanisms for collecting and incorporating state and local feedback on its disability-related election resources. These mechanisms include offering a link on its website for the general public to submit feedback; obtaining feedback through its Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) boards, which include state and local election officials; and a new election official portal on its website, under development, that will enable state and local election officials to provide feedback on the EAC's resources. The EAC stated that it plans to utilize these feedback mechanisms to assess the success and usability of its resources. To fully address the intent of our recommendation, EAC should demonstrate that it has used one or more of these mechanisms to solicit state and local feedback on its voting accessibility resources and has considered this feedback as it improves its resources or develops new ones.