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Open Recommendations

Pregnancy and Early Childhood: Performance Management Process Needed for Three Programs
GAO-26-107572
May 05, 2026
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should establish a performance management process at the federal level for the Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five Program. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should establish a performance management process at the federal level for the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should complete the process of establishing a performance management process at the federal level for the VHA Maternity Care Coordinator Program. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Child Welfare: HHS Should Clarify Guidance on State Spending for Congregate Care
GAO-26-107592
Mar 03, 2026
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Health and Human Services The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Administration for Children and Families to clarify its guidance on the appropriate use of Title IV-E funds for youth in facilities designated as settings "providing high-quality residential care and supportive services to children and youth who have been found to be, or are at risk of becoming, sex trafficking victims." (Recommendation 1)
Open
HHS disagreed with this recommendation, stating that it would require the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to issue additional guidance and would restrict states' ability to define settings and determine placement direction. HHS acknowledged that additional guidance would be useful and proposed collaborating with other HHS agencies in this area. However, we believe these actions, while useful, would not address this recommendation. ACF should provide clarification to states on claiming Title IV-E beyond 14 days for youth placed in facilities serving youth who have been found to be, or are at risk of becoming, sex trafficking victims. We do not believe that providing such clarification would require ACF to develop new guidance nor that clarifying its guidance would restrict states' placement flexibilities. States interpret ACF's guidance about requirements for claiming Title IV-E funds for youth placed in these facilities differently. As such, some states are not claiming Title IV-E funds for which they may be eligible. ACF could address this issue through communication with states that is less formal than new guidance, such as an email or Dear Colleague letter to state child welfare agencies. We will monitor any further efforts by the agency.

Adoption Tax Credit: IRS Needs a Comprehensive Educational Outreach Plan
GAO-25-107429
Aug 11, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Internal Revenue Service The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should direct the Acting Chief of Communications and Liaison and the Chief Taxpayer Experience Officer to develop a comprehensive educational outreach plan for the adoption tax credit that aligns with our Leading Practices for Consumer Education Planning, including identifying key stakeholders and developing clear, consistent messaging. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In September 2025, IRS officials stated that they are drafting a comprehensive educational outreach plan for the adoption tax credit. Officials expected to complete the plan by November 2025 in advance of the 2026 filing season. An educational outreach plan for the adoption tax credit would help IRS ensure that adoptive families know about the credit, their eligibility, and other requirements, as well as help taxpayers avoid costly mistakes in either failing to claim the credit or doing so inappropriately. Such a plan is particularly important in light of changes to the credit that were enacted in July 2025.

Whistleblowers: VA Should Assess Data and Monitor Settlement Agreements to Better Ensure Protections
GAO-25-106780
Jul 31, 2025
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4 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that OAWP consistently collects information on corrective actions VA takes on behalf of whistleblowers during the whistleblower retaliation investigation process. (Recommendation 1)
Open
VA agreed with this recommendation. OAWP plans to modify its tracking system and its standard operating procedures to collect and document any corrective actions taken for the whistleblower before a retaliation investigation is completed. Additionally, VA told us OAWP has drafted a revised directive that would require management to respond to non-disciplinary recommendations and other corrective actions, allowing OAWP to track all corrective actions. As of March 2026, this revised directive was still pending concurrence from VA leadership. We await further progress on these efforts.
Office of Special Counsel The Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel should coordinate with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that VA whistleblower retaliation settlement agreements that arise from cases filed with OSC are accurately tracked. (Recommendation 2)
Open
OSC disagreed with this recommendation. OSC stated that exchanging settlement information with VA would place an administrative burden on its small staff, without clear benefit to the agency's effectiveness in addressing whistleblower retaliation. OSC also noted that it is not a data collection or data management agency. We maintain, however, that OSC could enhance the value of the data it already collects for its regular operations by using existing coordination meetings with VA to incorporate information-sharing on settlement agreement tracking. OSC also expressed concern that adopting this recommendation could lead to broader requests for reciprocal data-sharing across agencies. However, our report noted that VA accounts for a significant proportion of OSC's caseload. Also, OSC identified 90 relevant VA whistleblower retaliation settlement agreements from FY19-FY23. However, this did not include 11 additional agreements from FY19-FY23 that OAWP identified as settled. This discrepancy underscores the potential benefit of the improved agency collaboration we recommend.
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should coordinate with the Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel to ensure that VA whistleblower retaliation settlement agreements that arise from cases filed with OSC are accurately tracked. (Recommendation 3)
Open
VA agreed with this recommendation. In March 2026, VA stated that it began discussions with OSC on this matter, and that OSC stated they are willing to continue discussions. We await further progress to address this recommendation.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that OAWP is delegated the authority to monitor and then monitors whistleblower retaliation settlement agreement implementation, including tracking of relevant settlement agreement data. (Recommendation 4)
Open
VA agreed with this recommendation. As of 2026, VA's Office of General Counsel was drafting appropriate documentation for the Secretary of VA to task OAWP with monitoring settlement implementation. VA also noted that OAWP has already updated its tracking to track all relevant settlement agreement data, including both agency and complainant obligations. We await further progress on these efforts.
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