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Medicare Part B Imaging Services: Rapid Spending Growth and Shift to Physician Offices Indicate Need for CMS to Consider Additional Management Practices

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)--an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--and the Congress, through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), recently acted to constrain spending on imaging services, one of the fastest growing set of services under Medicare Part B, which covers physician and other outpatient services. GAO was asked to provide information to h… more
Date: June 13, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Telecommunications: Agencies Are Generally Following Sound Transition Planning Practices, and GSA Is Taking Action to Resolve Challenges

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for ensuring that federal agencies have access to the telecommunications needed to meet mission requirements. GSA's current telecommunications program, called FTS2001, has contracts in place that will expire by June 2010. Thus, agencies face the difficult task of transitioning their services to a successor program, known as Networx. GAO was asked … more
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Personnel: Army Needs to Better Enforce Requirements and Improve Record Keeping for Soldiers Whose Medical Conditions May Call for Significant Duty Limitations

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The increasing need for warfighters for the Global War on Terrorism has meant longer and multiple deployments for soldiers. Medical readiness is essential to their performing needed duties, and an impairment that limits a soldier's capacities represents risk to the soldier, the unit, and the mission. Asked to review the Army's compliance with its guidance, GAO examined the extent to which the Army is (1… more
Date: June 10, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Audit: Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over the Processes Used to Prepare the Consolidated Financial Statements of the U.S. Government

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For the past 11 years, since GAO's first audit of the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government (CFS), certain material weaknesses in internal control and in selected accounting and financial reporting practices have prevented GAO from expressing an opinion on the CFS. GAO has consistently reported that the U.S. government did not have adequate systems, controls, and procedures to properl… more
Date: June 17, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Infrastructure: High-Level Leadership Needed to Help Communities Address Challenges Caused by DOD-Related Growth

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Due to several simultaneous Department of Defense (DOD) force structure and basing initiatives, 20 installations are expecting a combined net growth of over 173,000 military and civilian personnel, not including family members and all contractors, over fiscal years 2006-2012. Although communities surrounding these installations can expect to realize economic benefits in the long term, DOD has identified… more
Date: June 17, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard: Strategies for Mitigating the Loss of Patrol Boats Are Achieving Results in the Near Term, but They Come at a Cost and Longer Term Sustainability Is Unknown

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Coast Guard's 110-foot patrol boats are used for a number of missions, such as enforcement of fisheries laws, and the interdiction of migrants and illicit drugs. As part of the Coast Guard's initial plans to replace many of its vessels, it intended to convert its 110-foot patrol boats into 123-foot patrol boats with increased capabilities until the replacement vessel, the Fast Response Cutter (FRC),… more
Date: June 23, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructure Protection: Further Efforts Needed to Integrate Planning for and Response to Disruptions on Converged Voice and Data Networks

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Technological advances have led to an increasing convergence of previously separate networks used to transmit voice and data communications. While the benefits of this convergence are enormous, such interconnectivity also poses significant challenges to our nation's ability to respond to major disruptions. Two operations centers--managed by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Communicat… more
Date: June 26, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan Security: Further Congressional Action May Be Needed to Ensure Completion of a Detailed Plan to Develop and Sustain Capable Afghan National Security Forces

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2002, the United States has worked to develop the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The Department of Defense (Defense), through its Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A), directs U.S. efforts to develop the Afghan National Army (ANA) and, in conjunction with the Department of State (State), the Afghan National Police (ANP). To follow up on recommendations from GAO's 2005… more
Date: June 18, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fair Lending: Race and Gender Data Are Limited for Nonmortgage Lending

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Reserve Board's (FRB) Regulation B, which implements the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 (ECOA), generally prohibits lenders from collecting certain data from loan applicants, such as their race or gender, for nonmortgage loans (e.g., small business loans). FRB has stated that this provision of Regulation B minimizes the chances that lenders would use such data in an unlawful and discri… more
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Influenza Pandemic: Federal Agencies Should Continue to Assist States to Address Gaps in Pandemic Planning

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza states that in an influenza pandemic, the primary response will come from states and localities. To assist them with pandemic planning and exercising, Congress has provided $600 million to states and certain localities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established five federal influenza pandemic regions to work with states… more
Date: June 19, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear Waste: DOE Lacks Critical Information Needed to Assess Its Tank Management Strategy at Hanford

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE) manages more than 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous waste stored in 149 single-shell and 28 double-shell underground tanks at its Hanford Site in Washington State. Many of these aging tanks have already leaked waste into the soil. Meanwhile, DOE's planned process for emptying the tanks and treating the waste--mixing it with molten glass and solidifying it in … more
Date: June 30, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Sharing Environment: Definition of the Results to Be Achieved in Improving Terrorism-Related Information Sharing Is Needed to Guide Implementation and Assess Progress

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The attacks on 9/11 underscored the federal government's need to facilitate terrorism-related information sharing among government, private sector, and foreign stakeholders. In response, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 mandated the creation of the Information Sharing Environment (ISE), which is described as an approach for the sharing of terrorism-related information. A pres… more
Date: June 25, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans Affairs: Health Information System Modernization Far from Complete; Improved Project Planning and Oversight Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through its Veterans Health Administration (VHA), provides health care for more than 5 million veterans each year. In 2001, VHA began an initiative, HealtheVet, to modernize its current medical information system. GAO's objectives were to determine the status of the modernization, VA's overall plan for completing it, and how VA is providing oversight to ensure th… more
Date: June 30, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Records: National Archives and Selected Agencies Need to Strengthen E-Mail Management

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies are increasingly using electronic mail (e-mail) for essential communication. In doing so, they are potentially creating messages that have the status of federal records, which must be managed and preserved in accordance with the Federal Records Act. Under the act, both the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and federal agencies have responsibilities for managing federal… more
Date: June 13, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Sharing Promising Practices and Fully Implementing Strategic Human Capital Planning Can Improve Management of Growing Workload

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), created by title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, promotes equal opportunity in the workplace and enforces federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, and disability. As the nation's primary enforcer of civil rights employment laws, EEOC investigates charges of employment di… more
Date: June 23, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare: Thousands of Medicare Providers Abuse the Federal Tax System

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under the Medicare program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors paid over $400 billion in Medicare benefits in calendar year 2006. GAO was asked to determine if Medicare providers have unpaid federal taxes and, if so, to (1) determine the magnitude of such debts, (2) identify examples of Medicare providers that have engaged in abusive or potentially criminal activities… more
Date: June 13, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear Security: NRC and DHS Need to Take Additional Steps to Better Track and Detect Radioactive Materials

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Concerns have grown that terrorists could use radioactive materials and sealed sources (materials sealed in a capsule) to build a "dirty bomb"-- a device using conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material. In 2003, GAO found weaknesses in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) radioactive materials licensing process and made recommendations for improvement. For this report, GAO assesses (… more
Date: June 19, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear Safety: NRC's Oversight of Fire Protection at U.S. Commercial Nuclear Reactor Units Could Be Strengthened

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "After a 1975 fire at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama threatened the unit's ability to shut down safely, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued prescriptive fire safety rules for commercial nuclear units. However, nuclear units with different designs and different ages have had difficulty meeting these rules and have sought exemptions to them. In 2004, NRC began to encourage the nation'… more
Date: June 30, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Homeland Security: First Responders' Ability to Detect and Model Hazardous Releases in Urban Areas Is Significantly Limited

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "First responders are responsible for responding to terrorist-related and accidental releases of CBRN materials in urban areas. Two primary tools for identifying agents released and their dispersion and effect are equipment to detect and identify CBRN agents in the environment and plume models to track the dispersion of airborne releases of these agents. GAO reports on the limitations of the CBRN detecti… more
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Real Property: Property Conveyances between the District of Columbia and the Federal Government Await Completion, and Development Will Take Many Years

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-396) mandated GAO's review of the property exchange between the District and the federal government. None of the conveyances had occurred by the beginning of GAO's audit phase. After consulting with the congressional committees specified in the law, GAO developed research questions that reflect an assessment of pro… more
Date: June 13, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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National Response Framework: FEMA Needs Policies and Procedures to Better Integrate Non-Federal Stakeholders in the Revision Process

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Hurricane Katrina illustrated that effective preparation and response to a catastrophe requires a joint effort between federal, state, and local government. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is responsible for heading the joint effort. In January 2008, DHS released the National Response Framework (NRF), a revision of the 2004 National Resp… more
Date: June 11, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bureau of Indian Education Schools: Improving Interior's Assistance Would Help Some Tribal Groups Implement Academic Accountability Systems

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires states and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to define and determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting the goal of 100 percent academic proficiency. To address tribes' needs for cultural preservation, NCLBA allows tribal groups to waive all or part of BIE's definition of AYP and propose a… more
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Higher Education: Veteran Students Received Similar Amounts of Title IV Aid As Nonveterans but More Total Aid with GI Benefits

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past decade, average college tuition and fees increased between 20 and 38 percent, depending on the type of institution. This rising cost of college affects all students--both veteran and nonveteran students--who rely on a mix of family resources, grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study to finance their education. Students may face particular hardships when the cost of attendance outpaces s… more
Date: June 20, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Combating Terrorism: Increased Oversight and Accountability Needed over Pakistan Reimbursement Claims for Coalition Support Funds

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States has reimbursed Pakistan, a key ally in the global war on terror, about $5.56 billion in Coalition Support Funds (CSF) for its efforts to combat terrorism along its border with Afghanistan. The Department of Defense (Defense) provides CSF to 27 coalition partners for costs incurred in direct support of U.S. military operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF, receiving 81 perc… more
Date: June 24, 2008
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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