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Open Recommendations

Family Child Care Networks: Actions Needed to Better Assess Quality Improvement Efforts
GAO-23-105640
Jun 09, 2023
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Child Care The Director of OCC should provide written guidance to states on developing performance measures for CCDF quality activities that reflect appropriate attributes of successful performance measures, such as linkage to goals, clarity, and measurable targets. (Recommendation 1)
Open
HHS agreed with this recommendation and identified steps to implement it. Specifically, HHS said that OCC will further support more effective performance measures by providing training and technical assistance to grant recipients on how to develop effective benchmarks and performance measures that include goals, clarity, and measurable targets. We await the completion of these efforts.
Office of Child Care The Director of OCC should assess and report to Congress and the public on states' progress in improving the quality of child care. For example, OCC could provide Congress with the number of states that met their targets for their selected quality activities as established in their CCDF plans. (Recommendation 2)
Open
HHS agreed with this recommendation and identified steps to implement it. Specifically, HHS said that OCC will explore strategies for conducting analysis and reporting to Congress on states' progress toward setting and achieving meaningful quality improvement goals, using available data and resources from existing administrative data collections. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

Subminimum Wage Program: DOL Could Do More to Ensure Timely Oversight
GAO-23-105116
Feb 24, 2023
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Wage and Hour Division The Administrator of DOL's Wage and Hour Division should set and track timeliness goals for intermediate steps and overall duration for processing 14(c) applications. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In April 2023, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) stated that it will update its Certification Procedures Manual to set and track timeliness goals for intermediate steps and the overall duration for processing 14(c) applications. WHD estimates implementation by December 31, 2024. We will consider this recommendation closed when WHD sets and tracks timeliness goals for processing 14(c) applications.
Wage and Hour Division The Administrator of DOL's Wage and Hour Division should externally communicate its goals for processing 14(c) applications to employers and other program stakeholders, and its progress toward meeting these goals. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In April 2023, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) stated that once it has set timeliness goals for processing 14(c) applications, it will ensure its goals and the progress toward meeting them are externally communicated to employers and other program stakeholders using appropriate communication tools for information sharing and dissemination. WHD estimates implementation by December 31, 2024. We will consider this recommendation closed when WHD externally communicates with employers and other program stakeholders its 14(c) application processing goals and progress toward meeting them.
Wage and Hour Division The Administrator of DOL's Wage and Hour Division should solicit feedback from 14(c) employers regarding the online application and take appropriate action to address any limitations to help improve the overall timeliness of certificate application processing. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In April 2023, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) stated that it plans to communicate and engage with employers holding section 14(c) certificates and invite their feedback on WHD's online 14(c) application through fiscal year 2024. WHD also stated that based on information received and available resources, the agency will determine the feasibility of implementing system modifications to facilitate increased use of the online application system and, correspondingly, increased timeliness of processing. WHD estimates implementation by December 31, 2024. We will consider this recommendation closed when WHD solicits feedback on its online application from 14(c) employers and takes appropriate action to address any identified limitations to help improve the overall timeliness of processing applications.

Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities: Federal Programs Provide Support for Preventing Falls, but Program Reach is Limited
GAO-22-105276
Jul 27, 2022
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3 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Director of the CDC should expand the scope of its analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data to include the prevalence of falls and fall-related injuries among adults under age 65 who may be at higher risk of falls, including adults with disabilities, and, as appropriate, share findings with ACL and other agencies overseeing relevant programmatic efforts. For example:

  • CDC could analyze existing BRFSS data on adults aged 45 to 64 and share findings, as appropriate.
  • CDC could propose asking adults aged 18 to 44 the two BRFSS fall-related questions, as part of the survey update process.

(Recommendation 1)
Open
CDC agreed with this recommendation. As of January 2023, CDC officials said they have begun exploring options to expand the scope of the BRFSS data analysis for adults under age 65. Specifically, CDC is analyzing BRFSS data on falls among adults with disabilities aged 45 to 64. CDC will also consider how best to disseminate these findings, such as through targeted outreach to key partners, publications, and email outreach to those who subscribe to CDC updates on older adult falls prevention.
Administration for Community Living
Priority Rec.
The Administrator of ACL should identify a collaborative mechanism to facilitate sustained information sharing on all populations at risk of falls and in need of evidence-based falls prevention, home modifications, or home assessments. For example, this could be accomplished by establishing an interagency working group or by building upon the existing efforts to expand the reach of the Housing and Services Resource Center. (Recommendation 2)
Open
ACL agreed with this recommendation. As of February 2023, ACL officials said they continue to work collaboratively on multiple fronts to encourage information sharing on fall-risk prevention and home modifications for all populations. For example, they cited interagency meetings between ACL and CDC to share information about implementation of evidence-based programs at the community level funded through ACL, as well as the clinically based studies and tools developed funded through CDC. In addition, in summer 2022, the Housing and Services Resource Center provided a webinar and technical assistance on cross-sector community partnerships to support home modifications and began a six-week training program on home modification for disability and aging organizations. Further, ACL officials said in August 2022, they met with VA officials from one of VA's adaptive housing programs and are beginning to discuss with VA how to collaborate on home modification and falls prevention programs. We applaud these efforts and will close this recommendation after ACL has identified a plan for sustained information sharing and collaboration, including with VA, to address additional populations at risk of falls , such as veterans.
Administration for Community Living The Administrator of ACL should share and highlight information on falls risk and related resources for adults with disabilities who are younger than 60 more prominently among its disability network to inform state and local planning efforts. For example, to the extent possible and appropriate, ACL could work with CDC to highlight relevant falls data and leverage existing resources on falls prevention. (Recommendation 3)
Open
ACL agreed with this recommendation. As of January 2023, ACL officials said they planned to have ACL's Administration on Disabilities grantees identify promising practices related to falls prevention in their annual program performance reports, which are due at the end of the calendar year. ACL intends to share these promising practices across grantees. Further, ACL's disability programs are beginning to participate in the Housing and Services Resource Center's training and technical assistance activities related to falls prevention. We will monitor ACL's progress on these efforts. We also continue to encourage ACL to work with CDC to highlight relevant falls data for adults with disabilities who are younger than 60.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance: Federal Program Supported Contingent Workers Amid Historic Demand, but DOL Should Examine Racial Disparities in Benefit Receipt
GAO-22-104438
Jun 07, 2022
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2 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should study and advise the Congress and other policymakers on the costs, benefits, and risks of various options to systematically support self-employed and contingent workers during periods of involuntary unemployment outside of declared disasters, including considering options' feasibility and approach to fraud prevention. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. As of June 2023, DOL reiterated that the agency will continue to explore legislative action and will provide technical assistance on this topic to Congress, upon request. DOL also said that it plans to study how to improve efforts to provide benefits to non-covered workers quickly and securely in the case of a future mass unemployment event when such workers might be authorized to receive benefits. As part of that effort, DOL has interviewed subject matter experts, state workforce agencies, federal agencies, and external groups on this topic to discuss lessons learned from the pandemic. These efforts are important steps. However, this recommendation will remain open until DOL provides information publicly about options to systematically support self-employed and contingent workers outside of emergency events, and we will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to provide such technical assistance.
Department of Labor
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Labor should ensure the Office of Unemployment Insurance examines and publicly reports on the extent of and potential causes of racial and ethnic inequities in the receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, as part of the agency's efforts to modernize UI and improve equity in the system. The report should also address whether there is a need to examine racial, ethnic, or other inequities in regular UI benefit receipt, based on the PUA findings. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOL partially agreed with this recommendation, noting that enhancing demographic data collection in the permanent UI programs to inform actions to improve equity is a higher priority than performing a complete retrospective review of the PUA program, which is no longer operating. As of June 2023, DOL's efforts to promote equity in UI programs have continued. DOL has provided grant awards to 41 states as of May 2023 to promote equitable access to UI programs. DOL has also continued its work to establish data partnerships with selected states to obtain claimant-level data to analyze the demographic and geographic characteristics of people who apply for, receive, and are denied UI benefits, including reasons for denial, if possible. DOL has received data from one partner state, has finalized an agreement with another state, and is working on agreements with three other states. DOL also plans to enhance its collection of demographic information in certain reports states submit with UI data to better understand and identify barriers to equitable access to the UI program and benefits. DOL plans to submit the proposed revisions for review by the Office of Management and Budget by the end of FY 2023. These ongoing efforts represent key steps to promoting equity in UI programs. We also maintain that examining and reporting on the extent and potential causes of racial and ethnic inequities in the receipt of PUA benefits would provide valuable information for DOL and policymakers to effectively monitor state practices for meeting its goals of advancing racial, geographic, and gender equity in the UI system. We appreciate DOL's commitment to improving equity in UI programs, and to consider the insights in our report as it advances its ongoing and planned efforts. We await the results of DOL's efforts and encourage the agency to pursue an analysis of the extent of and potential causes of inequities in the receipt of PUA benefits in tandem with the agency's other ongoing efforts. For example, DOL could consider obtaining and analyzing PUA data from the states with which DOL is establishing data partnerships, and then assessing the need for further study based on initial findings.
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