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Since 1988, DOD has relied on the BRAC process as an important means of reducing excess infrastructure to meet changing force structure needs. DOD has undergone five BRAC rounds: 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 2005. Under the five BRAC rounds, DOD has closed a total of 120 major installations and implemented a number of m... | The environmental cleanup of bases closed under the BRAC process has historically been an impediment to the expeditious transfer of unneeded property to other federal and nonfederal parties. While DOD is obligated to ensure that former installation property is cleaned up to a level that is protective of human health an... |
DHS’s efforts to strengthen and integrate its management functions have resulted in progress addressing our criteria for removal from the high-risk list. In particular, in our February 2015 high-risk update report, we found that DHS had met two criteria and partially met the remaining three criteria. DHS subsequently m... | In 2003, GAO designated implementing and transforming DHS as high risk because the failure to address risks associated with transforming 22 agencies into one department could have serious consequences for U.S. national and economic security. While challenges remain, DHS has made considerable progress. As a result, in 2... |
CMB was established by the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and the Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998.CMB’s function is to observe and monitor all aspects of the Bureau of the Census’ preparation and implementation of the 2000 Census. CMB is also to promote the 2000 Census by encourag... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the financial management of the Census Monitoring Board (CMB), focusing on: (1) information on seven specific matters contained in congressional requests; (2) an audit relating to all CMB out-of-town travel disbursements and all other financial transactions over $200 fr... |
The EFV is the Corps’ number-one priority ground system acquisition program and is the successor to the Marine Corps’ existing amphibious assault vehicle. It is designed to transport troops from ships offshore to their inland destinations at higher speeds and from farther distances, and to be more mobile, lethal, relia... | The Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is the Corps' number-one priority ground system acquisition program and accounts for 25.5 percent of the Corps' total acquisition budget for fiscal years 2006 through 2011. It will replace the current amphibious assault craft and is intended to provide significant ... |
The BSA and its implementing regulations, in general, require financial institutions to maintain certain records and to file certain reports (e.g., currency transaction reports) that are useful in criminal, tax, or regulatory investigations, such as money laundering cases. Failure to file BSA reports can result in crim... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's (FinCEN) efforts to process civil penalty referrals for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), focusing on: (1) whether Treasury has changed its policies and procedures for processing civil penal... |
Most states and counties provide some child welfare services directly and provide others through contracts with private agencies, where caseworkers provide residential treatment and family support services as well as reunification and adoption services. The role and level of assistance that private child welfare agenci... | A stable and highly skilled child welfare workforce is necessary to effectively provide child welfare services that meet federal goals. This report identifies (1) the challenges child welfare agencies face in recruiting and retaining child welfare workers and supervisors, (2) how recruitment and retention challenges ha... |
CERCLA was passed in late 1980, in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste sites such as Love Canal, and it created a mechanism for responding to existing contamination. CERCLA established a trust fund from which EPA receives annual appropriations for Superfund program activities. The Superfund trust fund has received... | At the end of fiscal year 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) included 1,111 of the most seriously contaminated nonfederal hazardous waste sites. Of these sites, EPA had identified 75 with unacceptable human exposure, 164 with unknown exposure, and 872 with controlled exposu... |
Title I of HIPAA contains standards for health insurance access, portability, and renewability, which apply to group (both self-funded and fully insured) and individual insurance market coverage. While some of the standards, such as guaranteed renewal of insurance coverage, apply equally to coverage offered in all mark... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), focusing on issues affecting: (1) consumers; (2) issuers of health coverage, including employers and insurance carriers; (3) state insurance regulators; and (4) federal regulators. GA... |
Within CBP, the SBI Program Executive Office, referred to in this report as the SBI program office, has overall responsibility for overseeing all SBI activities for acquisition and implementation, including establishing and meeting program goals, objectives, and schedules for overseeing contractor performance; and for ... | Securing the nation's borders from illegal entry of aliens and contraband, including terrorists and weapons of mass destruction, continues to be a major challenge. In November 2005, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a multiyear, multibillion dollar pro... |
Crude oil prices are a major determinant of gasoline prices. As figure 1 shows, crude oil and gasoline prices have generally followed a similar path over the past three decades and have risen considerably over the past few years. Also, as is the case for most goods and services, changes in the demand for gasoline relat... | Few issues generate more attention and anxiety among American consumers than the price of gasoline. The most current upsurge in prices is no exception. According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average retail price of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States has increased almost ever... |
To ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, NNSA relies on contractors who manage and operate government-owned laboratories, production plants, and a test site. The number of workers and facilities involved in the nuclear weapons program has changed since the program began... | Responsibility for ensuring the safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile rests upon a cadre of workers at eight contractor-operated National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) weapons facilities. Many of these workers--including scientists, engineers, and technicians--have "critical" skills needed to... |
Since 1975, the United States government has provided more than $25 billion in economic assistance to Egypt. The U.S. continues to support Egypt, in part because of its political leadership in making peace with Israel and fostering a broader peace between Israel, the Palestinians, and other Arab states, including its e... | Since 1992, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has focused the Cash Transfer Program in Egypt on supporting economic reform activities to move Egypt toward a more liberal and market-oriented economy. USAID has provided funds to Egypt's government as it completed agreed-on economic reform activities. ... |
The NDAA for fiscal year 2009 initially authorized CIPP as a pilot program through December 31, 2012, establishing basic eligibility criteria for participants, providing guidelines for implementing the program, and establishing congressional reporting requirements. Specifically: For each calendar year from 2009 through... | Congress authorized CIPP in 2009 to provide greater flexibility in career paths for servicemembers and to enhance retention. CIPP allows servicemembers to take sabbaticals of up to 3 years in exchange for 2 months of obligated service for each month of sabbatical taken. The Navy is the only service to have participants... |
The purpose of SORNA is to protect the public from convicted sex offenders and offenders against children by providing a comprehensive set of sex offender registration and notification standards. These standards require convicted sex offenders to register prior to their release from imprisonment or within 3 days of the... | According to DOJ, tribal nations are disproportionately affected by violent crimes and sex offenses in particular. In 2006, Congress passed SORNA, which introduced new sex offender registration and notification standards for states, territories, and eligible tribes. The act made special provisions for eligible tribes t... |
Since DHS began operations in March 2003, it has developed and implemented key policies, programs, and activities for implementing its homeland security missions and functions that have created and strengthened a foundation for achieving its potential as it continues to mature. We reported in our assessment of DHS’s pr... | Since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began operations in 2003, it has implemented key homeland security operations and achieved important goals and milestones in many areas to create and strengthen a foundation to reach its potential. As it continues to mature, however, more work remains for DHS to address g... |
In the past year, Treasury has implemented a range of TARP programs to stabilize the financial system. As of September 11, 2009, it had disbursed just over $363 billion for TARP loans and equity investments (table 1). In addition to disbursements, participating institutions have paid Treasury billions of dollars in rep... | This testimony discusses our work on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), under which the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), through the Office of Financial Stability (OFS), has the authority to purchase or insure almost $700 billion in troubled assets held by financial institutions. It focuses on (1) the natu... |
CBP has increased personnel—by 17 percent over its 2004 levels—and resources for border security at the POEs and reported some success in interdicting illegal cross-border activity. At the POEs, for example, CBP reported that deployment of imaging technology had increased seizures of drugs and other contraband. Between... | As part of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through its U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) component, is to secure U.S borders against threats of terrorism; the smuggling of drugs, humans, and other contraband; and illegal migration. At the end of fiscal year 2010, DHS investments in border... |
Beginning in 1993, mining fees have included an annual $100 mining maintenance fee on unpatented mining claims and sites and a $25 location fee on new claims and sites. The maintenance fees are collected in lieu of the annual $100 worth of labor or improvements required by the Mining Law of 1872. In addition, the Depar... | The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Mining Law Administration Program (MLAP) is responsible for managing the environmentally responsible exploration and development of locatable minerals on public lands. The program is funded through mining fees collected from the holders of unpatented mining claims and sites and by ... |
In my role as lead partner on the audit of the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements and the de facto Chief Accountability Officer of the United States government, I have become increasingly concerned about the state of our nation’s finances. In speeches and presentations over the past several years, I ha... | Social Security is the foundation of the nation's retirement income system, helping to protect the vast majority of American workers and their families from poverty in old age. However, it is much more than a retirement program, providing millions of Americans with disability insurance and survivors' benefits. As the b... |
According to the Navy’s fiscal year 2003 budget, the Navy Working Capital Fund will earn about $20.8 billion in revenue during fiscal year 2003. The Navy Working Capital Fund consists of the following six major activity groups: depot maintenance, transportation, base support, information services, supply management, an... | The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) has hundreds of millions of dollars of funded work that its working capital fund activities did not complete before the end of the fiscal year. Reducing the amount of workload carryover at fiscal year-end is a key factor in the effective management of Department of D... |
A user fee is a charge assessed to beneficiaries for goods or services provided by the federal government. In general, a user fee is related to some voluntary transaction or request for government goods or services—such as a passport or admission to a national park—above and beyond what is normally provided to the publ... | The President's fiscal year 2012 budget proposal requests $13.6 billion to fund the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), including $204 million in spending funded through user fee collections. Well-designed and well-implemented user fees can reduce taxpayer burden by funding portions of IRS services that provide special ben... |
The U.S. Census Bureau performs large surveys and censuses that provide statistics about the American people and the U.S. economy. The business activities of the bureau can be divided into four categories: decennial and other periodic census programs, demographic programs, economic programs, and reimbursable work progr... | In September 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau told Congress that it had at least $305 million in budget savings out of its $4.5 billion fiscal year 2000 no-year appropriations for the 2000 decennial census. Of the $4.5 billion appropriated to the U.S. Census Bureau in fiscal year 2000, lower-than-expected expenditures and ... |
According to IRS, during the mid- to late-1990s, abusive tax schemes reemerged across the country after last peaking in the 1980s. As previously mentioned, during hearings held in 2001, several witnesses testified about the increased promotion and use of such tax schemes. Marketing of these schemes by promoters through... | The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) characterizes an abusive tax scheme as any plan or arrangement created and used to obtain tax benefits not allowable by law. According to IRS, abusive tax schemes fall into four categories: frivolous returns, frivolous refunds, abusive domestic trusts, and offshore schemes. IRS estima... |
The terms hurricane and typhoon are regionally specific names for a strong tropical cyclone. These storms are referred to as tropical depressions when sustained winds are less than 39 miles-per-hour (mph) and are given a name as a tropical storm if sustained winds exceed gale force of 39 mph up to 74 mph. Hurricanes ar... | In accordance with Public Law 108-324, GAO is required to audit the reimbursement of up to $70 million of appropriated funds to the American Red Cross (Red Cross) for disaster relief associated with 2004 hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. The audit was performed to determine if (1) the Federal Emergency Man... |
In 1985, the Congress passed Public Law 99-145 directing the Army to destroy the U.S. stockpile of lethal chemical agents and munitions. The stockpile consists of rockets, bombs, projectiles, spray tanks, and bulk containers, which contain nerve and mustard agents. It is stored at eight sites in the continental United ... | Under its basic legislative responsibilities, GAO assessed the Department of Defense's (DOD) chemical weapons and related materiel disposal programs, focusing on: (1) the key factors affecting the costs and schedules; (2) actions the Army has taken to improve the programs; and (e) alternatives for improving the program... |
Army maintenance depots and arsenals were established to support Army fighting units by providing repair and manufacturing capability, in concert with the private sector, to meet peacetime and contingency operational requirements. In recent years, the Army has taken steps to operate these facilities in a more business-... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) the Army's basis for personnel reductions planned at its depots during fiscal years 1998-1999; (2) the Army's progress in developing an automated system for making maintenance depot staffing decisions based on workload estimates; (3) factors that may impact the Arm... |
Headed by a presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed director, NIH comprises 27 ICs and an Office of the Director. NIH’s ICs both conduct and support biomedical research specific to their unique missions, which generally focus on a specific disease, a particular organ, or a stage in life (e.g., childhood). Each of... | Women make up over half the U.S. population, but historically have been underrepresented in clinical research supported by NIH and others. As a result, differences in the manifestation of certain diseases and reactions to treatment in women compared with men were not identified. For example, there have been instances o... |
According to DOJ officials, the JAG program provides states and localities with federal funds to support all components of the criminal justice system while providing a great deal of flexibility in how they do so. Recovery Act JAG-funded projects may provide services directly to communities or improve the effectiveness... | Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded nearly $2 billion in 4-year Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds to state and local governments for criminal justice activities. As requested, ... |
In the U.S., while BRT projects vary in design, they generally include service enhancements designed to attract riders and provide similar transit-related benefits to rail transit. Specifically, as shown in figure 1, BRT generally includes improvements to seven features–running ways, stations, vehicles, intelligent tra... | BRT is a form of transit that has generated interest around the world to help alleviate the adverse effects of traffic congestion and potentially contribute to economic growth. BRT features can include improvements to infrastructure, technology, and passenger amenities over standard bus service to improve service and a... |
For over a decade, DOD has dominated GAO’s list of federal programs and operations at high risk of being vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. All of DOD’s programs on GAO’s High-Risk List relate to its business operations, including systems and processes related to the management of contracts, finances... | The Department of Defense (DOD) has been required to prepare audited annual financial statements since 1997 but to date, has not been able to meet this requirement. The National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2010 mandated that DOD be prepared to validate [certify] that its consolidated financial statements a... |
Land exchanges—trading federal lands for lands owned by corporations, individuals, or state or local governments that are willing to trade—are used by federal land management agencies, such as the Park Service, as a tool for acquiring nonfederal land and disposing of federal land. The Potomac Yard exchange was conducte... | Settling 30 years of sometimes acrimonious dispute, the National Park Service completed an exchange of land interests on two vacant parcels of land in Potomac Yard in March 2000. However, the Park Service could have received more than $15 million from the private developer--rather than owing the developer $14 million--... |
Although federal funding may be available to obligate for one-year, multiple years, or until expended (no-year), only accounts with multi-year or no-year funds may carry over amounts that remain legally available for new obligations from one fiscal year to the next. Carryover balances are composed of two elements: (1) ... | Given the fiscal pressures facing the nation, examination of balances carried forward into future fiscal years (carryover balances) provides an opportunity to identify areas where the federal government can improve and maximize the use of resources. GAO was asked to review issues related to federal carryover balances. ... |
USPS is an independent establishment of the executive branch with a mission to bind the nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 reorganized the former U.S. Post Office Department into the United States Postal Service. ... | A key element of the ongoing postal reform deliberations before Congress is the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) ability to carry out its mission of providing universal mail delivery and retail services at reasonable rates. Many are concerned that USPS's mission is at risk in the current operating environment of increasing... |
U.S. exports as a share of U.S. gross domestic product have grown significantly, increasing from less than 6 percent in 1970 to a peak of more than 11 percent in 1997, as shown in figure 1. The rise in U.S. imports was even greater, increasing from about 5 percent in 1970 to nearly 15 percent of GDP in 2000, according ... | Recent developments in global trade have created human capital challenges for U.S. trade agencies. At least 17 federal agencies, with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) as the lead, negotiate, monitor, or enforce trade agreements and laws. These agencies' strategies for effectively aligning their curren... |
The original U.N. Headquarters complex, located in New York City, was considered among the most modern facilities when it was constructed between 1949 and 1952. The United States financed construction of the original complex—the General Assembly, Secretariat, and Conference Building—by providing the United Nations with... | The United Nations (U.N.) estimates that its planned renovation of the seven buildings on the Headquarters complex could cost almost $1.2 billion. As the host country and the largest contributor to the United Nations, the United States has a significant interest in this project. This report (1) assesses the reasonablen... |
Medicaid is a health care program jointly funded by the federal government and states to provide care for certain low-income individuals. The federal government oversees states’ Medicaid programs, and typically pays from 50 to 83 percent of each state’s allowable Medicaid costs. Medicaid enrollees are entitled to recei... | CMS, within the Department of Health and Human Services, and state Medicaid agencies jointly administer the multibillion-dollar Medicaid program, which finances health care for certain low-income individuals. Medicaid is on GAOs high-risk list because of vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. CMS h... |
HCFA used a test methodology that was comparable with processes followed by other public insurers who have successfully tested and implemented such commercial systems. Other public insurers—such as the military’s TRICARE, Veterans Affairs’ CHAMPVA, and the Kansas and Mississippi Medicaid offices—each used four key step... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed: (1) the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) progress in testing and acquiring a commercial system for identifying inappropriate Medicare bills; (2) how HCFA tested this commercial system; (3) HCFA's initial management decisions and their consequences; and (4... |
Since our last high-risk update, while progress has varied, many of the 32 high-risk areas on our 2015 list have shown solid progress. One area related to sharing and managing terrorism-related information is now being removed from the list. Agencies can show progress by addressing our five criteria for removal from th... | The federal government is one of the world's largest and most complex entities: about $3.9 trillion in outlays in fiscal year 2016 funded a broad array of programs and operations. GAO's high-risk program identifies government operations with greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or the need ... |
The southwestern borderlands region contains many federally managed lands and also accounts for over 97 percent of all apprehensions of undocumented aliens by Border Patrol. Over 40 percent of the United States-Mexico border, or 820 linear miles, is managed by Interior’s land management agencies and the Forest Service.... | To stem the flow of illegal traffic from Mexico into the United States over the last 5 years along the U.S. southwestern border, the Border Patrol has nearly doubled the number of agents on patrol, constructed hundreds of miles of border fences, and installed a variety of surveillance equipment. About 40 percent of the... |
Homeownership counseling refers to prepurchase and postpurchase counseling of homeowners and is a subset of housing counseling, which can also include assistance to renters and homeless populations. Prepurchase counseling generally refers to counseling for potential homebuyers to learn about whether and when to buy a h... | Homeownership counseling can help consumers learn about buying a home and give them tools to deal with setbacks that could keep them from making timely mortgage payments. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approves and provides grants to housing counseling agencies and has also implemented a requirem... |
An annuity is an insurance agreement or contract that comes in a number of different forms and can help individuals accumulate money for retirement through tax-deferred savings, provide them with monthly income that can be guaranteed to last for as long as they live, or both. A variable annuity is an insurance contract... | As older Americans retire, they may face rising health care costs, inflation, and the risk of outliving their assets. Those entering retirement today typically face greater responsibility for managing their retirement savings than those who retired in the past. Lifetime income products can help older Americans ensure t... |
Today the Medicare program faces a long-range and fundamental financing problem driven by known demographic trends and projected escalation of health care spending beyond general inflation. The lack of an immediate crisis in Medicare financing affects the nature of the challenge, but it does not eliminate the need for ... | The House Committee on Ways and Means is holding a hearing on modernizing Medicare and integrating prescription drugs into the program. There are growing concerns about gaps in the Medicare program, most notably the lack of outpatient prescription drug coverage, which may leave Medicare's most vulnerable beneficiaries ... |
The H-1 nonimmigrant category was created under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to assist U.S. employers needing workers temporarily. The Immigration Act of 1990 amended the law, by, among other things, creating the H-1B category for nonimmigrants who employers sought to work in specialty occupations and fa... | The continuing use of H-1B visas, which allow employers to fill specialty occupations with highly skilled foreign workers, has been a contentious issue between U.S. workers and employers during the recent economic downturn. The H- 1B program is of particular concern to these groups because employment has substantially ... |
In essence, evaluating and managing the risk from exposure to pesticides involve determining the maximum safe level of exposure to a pesticide and assessing whether expected actual exposure is below this maximum level.Figure 1 shows how these two steps relate to each other. As long as the expected exposure remains lowe... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to reduce children's exposure to pesticides by implementing the requirements of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), focusing on the: (1) approach EPA has developed for making decisions about applying... |
For years it has been widely recognized that the federal hiring process all too often does not meet the needs of (1) agencies in achieving their missions; (2) managers in filling positions with the right talent; and (3) applicants for a timely, efficient, transparent, and merit-based process. In short, the federal hiri... | To address the challenges that the nation faces, it will be important for federal agencies to change their cultures and create the institutional capacity to become high-performing organizations. This includes recruiting and retaining a federal workforce able to create, sustain, and thrive in organizations that are flat... |
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is the primary manager of consumable supplies, including hardware items, used by the military services. Hardware items encompass a large part of DLA’s overall operations. As shown in table 1, DLA manages about 4 million items of which 3.9 million, or 97 percent, are classified as hard... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) progress in adopting inventory management practices for hardware items, focusing on: (1) DOD and private-sector practices for managing hardware items; (2) whether DOD has adopted best practices for these items; and (3) opportunities tha... |
Within DHS, three components have responsibilities for conducting border and maritime R&D—S&T, the Coast Guard, and DNDO. S&T has five technical divisions responsible for managing the directorate’s R&D portfolio and coordinating with other DHS components to identify R&D priorities and needs. The Borders and Maritime Se... | Conducting border and maritime R&D to develop technologies for detecting, preventing, and mitigating terrorist threats is vital to enhancing the security of the nation. S&T, the Coast Guard, and DNDO conduct these R&D activities and S&T has responsibility for coordinating and integrating R&D activities across DHS. The ... |
The National Park Service Organic Act of 1916 established the Park Service within the Department of the Interior to promote and regulate the use of the National Park System with the purpose of conserving the scenery, natural and historic objects, and wildlife therein and to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of fu... | The Park Service manages more than 75,000 assets, including buildings, roads, and water systems, at 413 park units across all 50 states. In 2015, the agency estimated that its deferred maintenance on these assets was $11.9 billion. GAO was asked to review how the Park Service manages its maintenance needs. This report ... |
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, created in 1974 and administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is the most widely available source of federal funding assistance to state and local governments for neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation activities, and econom... | Almost 4 years after the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, the region continues to face daunting rebuilding challenges. To date, $19.7 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds have been appropriated for Gulf Coast rebuilding assistance--the largest amount in the history of the program. GAO was asked to repor... |
The Head Start program was established in 1965 to promote the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development by providing a range of individualized services to pre-school aged children and their families. The program is overseen by ACF, which awards grants direct... | In February 2005, GAO issued a report that raised concerns about the effectiveness of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) oversight of about 1,600 local organizations that receive nearly $7 billion in Head Start grants. GAO was asked to report on (1) ACF's p... |
In general, individuals seeking compensation for a vaccine-related injury or death must first file a petition making a claim for compensation under Several federal agencies—HHS, DOJ, VICP before suing in civil court.and USCFC, are involved in administering VICP, and Treasury manages the trust fund which funds compensat... | Vaccines save lives by preventing disease in the people who receive them. In some instances, however, a vaccine can have severe side effects, including death or an injury requiring lifetime medical care. VICP provides compensation to people for injuries and deaths associated with certain vaccines for medical and other ... |
In a major space policy address on January 14, 2004, President George W. Bush announced his “Vision for U.S. Space Exploration” (Vision) and directed NASA to retire the SSP after completing construction of the International Space Station in 2010 and focus its future human space exploration activities on a return to the... | The Space Shuttle Program (SSP) is scheduled to retire in 2010, and the transition and retirement of its facilities and assets will be an immense undertaking involving approximately 654 facilities worth an estimated $5.7 billion and equipment with an estimated value of more than $12 billion. NASA plans to retire the SS... |
In September and October 2001, at least seven envelopes containing significant quantities of B. anthracis spores were mailed through the U.S. postal system to two senators at their congressional offices in the District of Columbia and to media organizations in New York City and Boca Raton, Florida. According to the FBI... | In 2001, the FBI investigated an intentional release of B. anthracis , a bacterium that causes anthrax, which was identified as the Ames strain. Subsequently, FBI contractors developed and validated several genetic tests to analyze B. anthracis samples for the presence of certain genetic mutations. The FBI had previous... |
The Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA) created the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a retirement savings plan similar to private- sector 401(k) plans, as a key component of the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) for federal workers. Membership is open to federal and postal employees, members of... | The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) is charged with managing the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)--a key component of retirement savings for many federal employees--in the interest of its participants and beneficiaries. As part of a broader request on oversight of FRTIB, GAO reviewed (1) the administrative ... |
In accordance with Recovery Act requirements, Education established the RTT grant fund to encourage states to reform their K-12 education systems and to reward states for improving student outcomes, such as making substantial gains in student achievement and improving high school graduation rates. States competed for R... | Education created RTT under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to provide incentives for states to reform K-12 education in areas such as improving the lowest performing schools and developing effective teachers and leaders. In 2010, Education awarded 12 states nearly $4 billion in RTT grant funds to sp... |
Nursing homes play an essential role in our health care system. They care for persons who are temporarily or permanently unable to care for themselves but who do not require the level of care provided in an acute care hospital. Titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act establish minimum standards that all nursing... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the enforcement of federal nursing home standards, focusing on: (1) national data on the existence of serious deficiencies in nursing home compliance with Medicare and Medicaid standards; and (2) the use of sanction authority for homes that failed to main... |
In the 1990s, the Coast Guard began an initial effort to modernize its aging assets that would allow it to successfully meet mission demands. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Coast Guard became a component of the newly established Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which resulted in an increase i... | In order to meet its missions of maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship, the Coast Guard, a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employs a variety of surface and air assets, several of which are approaching the end of their intended service lives. As part of its efforts to moder... |
GPRAMA requires OMB to coordinate with agencies to develop long- term, outcome-oriented federal government priority goals for a limited number of crosscutting policy areas and management improvement areas every 4 years. Furthermore, with the submission of the fiscal year 2013 budget, GPRAMA required OMB to identify a s... | The federal government faces complex, high-risk challenges, such as protecting our nation's critical information systems. Effectively managing these challenges is essential for national and economic security and public health and safety. However, responsibility for addressing these challenges often rests with multiple ... |
Education and Justice have an initiative underway to support local and statewide school discipline initiatives that build positive school climates while keeping students in school. Education has made school discipline reform a priority and recently launched its #RethinkDiscipline campaign to increase awareness about th... | D.C. charter schools served about 45 percent of D.C.'s public school students in the 2015-16 school year. The District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 established PCSB to authorize and oversee charter schools. PCSB also oversees charter schools' use of suspensions and expulsions. The District of Columbia Appropri... |
FAA’s primary mission is to ensure safe, orderly, and efficient air travel throughout the United States. FAA’s ability to fulfill this mission depends on the adequacy and reliability of the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system, a vast network of computer hardware, software, and communications equipment. Sustained ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General's (IG) audit report on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) fiscal year 1996 Statement of Financial Position, which reports FAA's assets and liabilities. GAO noted that: (1) the deficiencies concerning oper... |
Among its findings, our report notes that inefficiency in the Forest Service’s decision-making process can result when (1) the agency identifies issues but then conducts continual and/or multiple studies to address them without establishing any clear sequence for their timely resolution; (2) stakeholders, both inside a... | GAO discussed the decisionmaking process being used by the Forest Service to revise the land management plan for the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska. GAO noted that its work on the Forest Service's process for revising the Tongass forest plan showed that: (1) the Service originally planned to spend 3 yea... |
USDA has a broad and far-reaching mission—including improving farm economies and the nation’s nutrition, enhancing agriculture trade, and protecting the nation’s natural resource base and environment—and the department may face the prospect of litigation over its regulations and other actions. As with other federal age... | In the United States, parties involved in federal litigation generally pay their own attorney fees. There are many exceptions to this general rule where “fee-shifting” statutes authorize the award of attorney fees to a successful, or prevailing, party. Some of these provisions also apply to the federal government when ... |
PPACA contained several provisions with the potential to affect issuer participation in the individual and small-group health insurance markets starting in 2014. Specifically, it directed states to establish exchanges for individuals and small businesses by January 1, 2014. In states electing not to establish and opera... | PPACA required by January 1, 2014, the establishment in each state of health insurance exchanges—marketplaces where eligible individuals and small businesses can compare and select among insurance plans. Issuer participation, including the number of plans these issuers offer, is a key factor in the extent of consumer c... |
HUD’s requirements for HOPE VI revitalization grants are laid out in each fiscal year’s notice of funding availability (NOFA) and grant agreement. NOFAs announce the availability of funds and set forth application requirements and the selection process. Grant agreements are executed between each grantee and HUD and spe... | Congress established the HOPE VI program in 1992 to revitalize severely distressed public housing by demolition, rehabilitation, or replacement of sites. In fiscal years 1993-2001, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded approximately $4.5 billion for 165 HOPE VI revitalization grants to public ho... |
In 1997, Medicare’s fee-for-service program covered about 87 percent, or 33 million, of Medicare’s beneficiaries. Physicians, hospitals, and other providers submit claims to Medicare to receive payment for services they have provided to beneficiaries. HCFA administers Medicare’s fee-for-service program through a networ... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed: (1) the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) progress in implementing the Medicare Integrity Program; (2) what additional resources and authorities Congress provided to HCFA through the Medicare Integrity Program; (3) how HCFA has made use of these resources... |
We conducted this performance audit from February 2008 through November 2009, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on... | Recently, there has been an increased focus on developing the ability to provide early detection of and situational awareness during a disease outbreak. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act sought to enhance this capability, in part, by creating the National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NB... |
The Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (the “Bureau”) operate about 130 hydropower plants at dams throughout the nation. These plants generate electricity from the flow of water that is also used for other purposes, including fish and wildlife enhancement, f... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the: (1) reliability of the Bureau of Reclamation's and Army Corps of Engineers' hydropower plants in generating electricity compared with the reliability of nonfederal hydropower plants; (2) reasons why the Bureau's and the Corps' plants may be less reliable than nonfe... |
We at GAO use the term human capital because (unlike traditional terms such as personnel and human resource management) it focuses on two principles that are critical in a modern, results-oriented management environment: First, people are assets whose value can be enhanced through investment. As the value of people inc... | Federal agencies face few tasks more critical than attracting, retaining, and motivating people. As our society has moved from the industrial age to the knowledge age, the success or failure of federal agencies can depend on having the right number of people with the right mix of knowledge and skills. This is especiall... |
VA operates one of the nation’s largest health care systems, spending about $26.5 billion a year to provide care to approximately 5.2 million veterans who receive health care through 158 VA medical centers (VAMC) and almost 900 outpatient clinics nationwide. DOD spends about $26.7 billion on health care for over 8.9 mi... | Congress has long encouraged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to share health resources to promote cost-effective use of health resources and efficient delivery of care. In February 2002, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs described VA and DOD health care resource sharin... |
Consumers can enroll in a PPACA qualified health plan offered through a marketplace, or change their previously selected qualified health plan, after the annual open enrollment period concludes if they qualify for an SEP. Under CMS regulations, a consumer may qualify for an SEP due to a specific triggering event, and g... | Under PPACA, consumers can enroll in health insurance coverage, or change from one qualified health plan to another, through the federal and state marketplaces either (1) during the annual open enrollment period or (2) outside of the open enrollment period, if they qualify for an SEP. A consumer may qualify for an SEP ... |
Titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act establish minimum requirements that all nursing homes must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, respectively. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 focused the requirements on the quality of care actually provided by a home. To help beneficia... | In 1998, CMS established the Special Focus Facility (SFF) Program as one way to address poor performance by nursing homes. The SFF methodology assigns points to deficiencies cited on standard surveys and complaint investigations, and to revisits conducted to ensure that deficiencies have been corrected. CMS uses its me... |
Although the American people expect world-class public services and are demanding more of government, the public’s confidence in the government’s ability to address its demands remains all too low. The government’s successful implementation of information technology could improve this confidence. Indeed, according to t... | The rapid pace of technological change and innovation has offered unprecedented opportunities for both the government and commercial sectors to use information technology (IT) to improve performance, reduce costs, and enhance service. A range of issues have emerged about how to best manage and integrate complex informa... |
CDC has developed several guidelines for hospitals that describe and recommend practices to prevent or control HAIs, such as hand washing or the use of alcohol-based hand rubs, isolation of infected patients, proper sterilization of equipment, provision of antibiotics to patients before surgery, and annual vaccination ... | According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health-care-associated infections (HAI) are estimated to be 1 of the top 10 causes of death in the United States. HAIs are infections that patients acquire while receiving treatment for other conditions. GAO was asked to examine (1) CDC's guidelines for... |
RHS administers a direct SFH loan program to help low-income individuals or households purchase homes in rural areas. As of September 30, 2000—the most recent fiscal year end for which agency-certified reporting exists for Agriculture—RHS reported having about $17 billion outstanding in direct SFH loans. As shown in ta... | The testimony discusses debt collection efforts by two major components at the Department of Agriculture--the Rural Housing Service (RHS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 requires agencies to (1) notify the Department of the Treasury of debts more than 180 days delinquent f... |
FAA guidance prescribes an annual inspection to cover all aspects of a repair station’s operations, including the currency of technical data, facilities, calibration of special tooling and equipment, and inspection procedures, as well as to ensure that the repair station is performing only the work that it has approval... | GAO discussed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of repair stations that maintain and repair aircraft and aircraft components, focusing on: (1) the practice of using individual inspectors in repair station inspections; (2) the condition of inspection documentation; and (3) current FAA actions to impr... |
The Medicare program utilizes a variety of payment methods to reimburse providers for the services it covers. Hospital insurance, or Part A, covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and hospice care, and certain home health services. Supplemental medical insurance, or Part B, covers physician and outpatient... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on efforts to recover Medicare's overpayments, focusing on: (1) how the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and its contractors identify potential overpayments, and whether techniques used by recovery auditors would improve overpayment identification... |
RNs, along with other nursing support staff, provide care to patients on inpatient units at VAMCs. VA RNs are responsible for assessing and providing care to patients, administering medications, documenting patients’ medical conditions, analyzing test results, and operating medical equipment. To obtain an RN license, a... | Registered nurses (RNs) are the largest group of health care providers employed by VA's health care system. RNs are relied on to deliver inpatient care, but VA medical centers (VAMC) face RN recruitment and retention challenges. VAMCs use a patient classification system (PCS) to determine RN staffing on inpatient units... |
For federal tax purposes, non-U.S. citizens are categorized as either resident or nonresident aliens and are subject to different tax and filing requirements. Generally, a nonresident alien is an individual who (1) does not possess a permanent resident card, known as a green card, or (2) has not established a substanti... | Every year, the U.S. receives millions of legal visits by foreign individuals. Nonresident aliens--who are neither U.S. citizens nor residents--may be required to file a federal tax return if they earn U.S.- source income, and their noncompliance can contribute to the tax gap. As with U.S. citizens and residents, the I... |
Title XIX of the Social Security Act authorizes federal funding to states for Medicaid, which finances health care for certain low-income children, families, and individuals who are aged or disabled. Although states have considerable flexibility in designing and operating their Medicaid programs, they must comply with ... | Medicaid--the federal-state health care financing program covering almost 54 million low-income people at a cost of $276 billion in fiscal year 2003--is by its size and structure at significant risk of waste and exploitation. Because of challenges inherent in overseeing the program, which is administered federally by t... |
A critical component of high-performing organizations, as envisioned by the Results Act, is the dynamic and complementary process of setting a strategic direction, defining annual goals and measures, and reporting on performance. As required by the Results Act, agencies are to prepare annual performance plans that esta... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the fiscal year (FY) 2000 performance plans of the 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act, focusing on the: (1) extent to which the agencies' plans include the three key elements of informative performance plans: (a) clear pictures of intended performan... |
The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 created Amtrak to provide intercity passenger rail service because existing railroads found such service to be unprofitable. Amtrak operates a 22,000-mile network, primarily over freight railroad tracks, providing service to 46 states and the District of Columbia. Amtrak owns abou... | In 1996, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) executed contracts to build high-speed trainsets (a combination of locomotives and passenger cars) as part of the Northeast High Speed Rail Improvement Project. Since that time, Amtrak has experienced multiple challenges related to this program, including re... |
The concept of “universal service” has traditionally meant providing residential telephone subscribers with nationwide access to basic telephone services at reasonable rates. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 broadened the scope of universal service to include, among other things, support for schools and libraries. Th... | Since 1998, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) E-rate program has committed more than $13 billion to help schools and libraries acquire Internet and telecommunications services. As steward of the program, FCC must ensure that participants use E-rate funds appropriately and that there is managerial and financ... |
AFWCF relies on sales revenue rather than regular appropriations to finance its continuing operations. AFWCF is intended to (1) generate sufficient resources to cover the full costs of its operations and (2) operate on a break-even basis over time—that is, neither make a gain nor incur a loss. Customers use appropriate... | Three Air Force depots support combat readiness by providing repair services to keep Air Force units operating worldwide. To the extent that the depots do not complete work at year end, the work and related funding will be carried into the next fiscal year. Carryover is the reported dollar value of work that has been o... |
The Air Force’s F-22A Raptor is the only operational fifth-generation tactical aircraft, incorporating a low observable (stealth) and highly maneuverable airframe, advanced integrated avionics, and a supercruise engine capable of sustained supersonic flight. The F-22A acquisition program began in 1991 with an intended ... | The Air Force currently plans to spend $11.7 billion to modernize and improve reliability of the F-22A, its fifth generation air superiority fighter. GAO was asked to evaluate (1) cost and schedule outcomes and (2) testing results and risks going forward in the F-22A modernization program and related efforts. To do thi... |
Twelve western states assess royalties on the hardrock mining operations on state lands. In addition, each of these states, except Oregon, assesses taxes that function like a royalty, which we refer to as functional royalties, on the hardrock mining operations on private, state, and federal lands. To aid in the underst... | The General Mining Act of 1872 helped open the West by allowing individuals to obtain exclusive rights to mine billions of dollars worth of gold, silver, and other hardrock (locatable) minerals from federal lands without having to pay a federal royalty. However, western states charge royalties so that they share in the... |
Moisture is the primary factor leading to indoor mold growth. To grow indoors, mold also needs temperatures above freezing levels—from 32 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit—and organic matter. The nutrients upon which mold feeds are provided by house dust and many surface and construction materials, such as wallpapers, textiles... | Recent research suggests that indoor mold poses a widespread and, for some people, serious health threat. Federal agencies engage in a number of activities to address this issue, including conducting or sponsoring research. For example, in 2004 the National Academies' Institute of Medicine issued a report requested by ... |
Air cargo ranges in size from 1 pound to several tons, and in type from perishables to machinery, and can include items such as electronic equipment, automobile parts, clothing, medical supplies, fresh produce, and human remains. Cargo can be shipped in various forms, including large containers known as unit loading de... | The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 mandates the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a system to physically screen 50 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by February 2009 and 100 percent of such cargo by August 2010. This testimony provides preliminary obser... |
The 2005 National Defense Strategy provided the strategic foundation for the 2006 QDR and identified an array of traditional, irregular, catastrophic, and disruptive challenges that threaten U.S. interests. To operationalize the defense strategy, the 2006 QDR identified four priority areas for further examination: defe... | The war in Iraq along with other overseas operations have led to significant stress on U.S. ground forces and raised questions about whether those forces are appropriately sized and structured. In 2005, the Department of Defense (DOD) agreed with GAO's recommendation that it review military personnel requirements. The ... |
NNSA—a separately organized agency within DOE—has primary responsibility for ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. NNSA carries out these activities at eight government-owned, contractor-operated sites: three national laboratories, four production plants, and one test... | As of February 2011, EM and NNSA remained on GAO's high-risk list for contracting and project management. These two offices manage numerous construction and cleanup projects that each cost less than $750 million and are called nonmajor projects. DOE requires its program offices to establish performance targets for the ... |
To identify, pursue, and develop new technologies to improve and enhance military capabilities, DOD relies on its science and technology (S&T) community which is comprised of DOD research laboratories, test facilities, industry, and academia. The S&T community receives about $12 billion in funding each year to support ... | DOD relies on technology innovation to maintain superior weapon systems. However, a long-standing challenge has been ensuring that high value technologies are mature and available for military users. The Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 required DOD to establish RIP to facilitate the ... |
DOD’s Unified Command Plan sets forth basic guidance to all combatant commanders and establishes the missions, responsibilities, and areas of geographic responsibility among all the combatant commands. There are currently nine combatant commands—six geographic and three functional. The six geographic combatant commands... | DOD operates three functional combatant commands, which provide special operations, strategic forces, and transportation. GAO was mandated to review personnel and resources of these commands in light of plans announced by DOD to reduce headquarters. This report (1) identifies the trends in resources devoted to the func... |
The Social Security Act of 1935 authorized SSA to establish a record- keeping system to help manage the Social Security program, which resulted in the creation of the Social Security number. SSA uses the SSN as a means to track workers’ earnings and eligibility for Social Security benefits and assigns a unique number t... | In fiscal year 2004, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued about 4.2 million original Social Security numbers (SSN) and 2 million SSN replacement cards to U.S.-born children. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, today, young children need a SSN to be claimed on their parent's income tax return or to apply f... |
As of March 2002, State had 16,867 American employees worldwide—more than one-third of whom are overseas. Of those serving overseas, about 60 percent are stationed at hardship posts. Of the 158 hardship posts, nearly half are found in Africa and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, which includes the Newly Independent States (s... | Foreign service employees often experience difficult environmental and living conditions while assigned to U.S. embassies and consulates that are designated as "hardship posts." These conditions include inadequate medical facilities, few opportunities for spousal employment, poor schools, high levels of crime, and seve... |
The main purpose of a foreign counterintelligence investigation is to protect the U.S. government from the clandestine efforts of foreign powers and their agents to compromise or to adversely affect U.S. military and diplomatic secrets or the integrity of U.S. government processes. At the same time, however, many of th... | This report reviews the coordination efforts involved in foreign counterintelligence investigations where the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has been or may be employed. The act established (1) requirements and a process for seeking electronic surveillance and physical search authority in national security inves... |
Our review of surveys and academic studies, and interviews with people with Social Security expertise, suggest that most individuals do not understand key details of Social Security rules that could potentially affect their retirement benefits or the benefits of their spouses and survivors. Specifically, many people ap... | This testimony summarizes the information contained in GAO's September 2016 report, entitled Social Security: Improvements to Claims Process Could Help People Make Better Informed Decisions about Retirement Benefits ( GAO-16-786 ). GAO's review of nine surveys and academic studies, and interviews with retirement expert... |
The credit rating industry is highly concentrated. As of April 2015, there were 10 registered NRSROs. In fiscal year 2013, the 3 largest NRSROs accounted for 95 percent of the year’s total reported NRSRO revenue and as of December 2014, they issued 96 percent of all outstanding ratings. These 3 firms also employed 88 p... | The 2007–2009 financial crisis renewed concerns about the integrity of the credit rating industry. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) imposed new requirements on NRSROs and required SEC to implement regulations for training, experience, and competence of credit rating analyst... |
In September 2005, NASA outlined an initial framework for implementing the President’s Vision for Space Exploration in its Exploration Systems Architecture Study. NASA is now implementing the recommendations from this study within the Constellation Program, which includes three major development projects—the Ares I Cre... | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in the midst of two new development efforts as part of the Constellation Program--the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. These projects are critical to the success of the overall program, which will return humans to spaceflight ... |
Forms of business organization and their tax treatment Partnership: generally an unincorporated entity with two or more members that conducts a business, does not pay income taxes, but rather passes income or losses through to their partners, which must include that income or loss on their income tax returns. C Corpora... | More businesses are organizing as partnerships while fewer are C corporations. Unlike C corporations, partnerships do not pay income taxes but pass on income and losses to their partners. Large partnerships (those GAO defined as having $100 million or more in assets and 100 or more direct and indirect partners) are gro... |
Dramatic increases in computer interconnectivity, especially in the use of the Internet, continue to revolutionize the way our government, our nation, and much of the world communicate and conduct business. However, this widespread interconnectivity also poses significant risks to our computer systems and, more importa... | The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 reauthorizes and expands the information security, evaluation, and reporting requirements enacted in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001. Concerned that pervasive information security weaknesses place federal operations at significant risk ... |
The United States shares nearly 4,000 miles of border with Canada stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts, and the U.S.-Canadian border is considered to be the world’s longest open border between two nations. There is a great deal of trade and travel across this border, and approximately 90 percent of Canada... | Covering nearly 4,000 miles of land and water from Washington to Maine, the U.S.-Canadian border is the longest undefended border in the world. Various Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component agencies share responsibility for northern border security, primarily U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in colla... |
Subsets and Splits
Short Government Reports Sample
Retrieves short reports or summaries from the training dataset, which helps identify potentially incomplete or truncated entries that might need data quality improvement.
Short Government Reports Filtering
Retrieves short reports from the training dataset, providing basic filtering but offering limited analytical value beyond simple length constraints.