Reports News from the GAO http://www.gao.gov/browse/date/week Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:40:11 -0400 GAO /images/gao_logo_rss.gif http://www.gao.gov/ Feed provided by GAO. Click to visit. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-614?source=ra For 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) granted conditional approval to 18 states to establish state-based Small Business Health Options Programs, or SHOPs, and to 17 states to operate health insurance exchanges for individuals. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-601?source=ra The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will operate a health insurance exchange in the 34 states that will not operate a state-based exchange for 2014. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-695T?source=ra This statement today highlights the key findings of GAO's May 8, 2013, report on the TWIC program, which addressed the extent to which the results from the TWIC reader pilot were sufficiently complete, accurate, and reliable for informing Congress and the TWIC card reader rule. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-516?source=ra Transactions within virtual economies or using virtual currencies could produce taxable income in various ways, depending on the facts and circumstances of each transaction. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-139?source=ra The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has taken several steps to strengthen its safeguards program since GAO's 2005 report, including increasing the number of countries that are subject to a broader range of safeguards measures, upgrading its analytical laboratories, and producing its first long-term strategic plan. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-713T?source=ra There has been limited improvement in bridge conditions in the past decade, but a substantial number of bridges remain in poor condition. Of the 607,380 bridges on the nation's roadways in 2012, 1 in 4 was classified as deficient. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-524?source=ra Since January 2010, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and selected agencies have held multiple TechStat Accountability Sessions (TechStats) on information technology (IT) investments that varied in terms of function, significance, and risk. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-704T?source=ra Ten states concentrated in the western, midwestern, and southeastern United States--areas where the housing market had experienced strong growth in the prior decade--each experienced 10 or more commercial bank or thrift (bank) failures between 2008 and 2011. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-531?source=ra Few federal judicial districts have consolidated their court clerks' offices; courts are sharing services among the clerks' offices, but the costs and benefits are unclear. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-703T?source=ra Ex-Im's Business Plan concluded that the exposure limits in the Reauthorization Act were appropriate, but GAO’s May 2013 report found weaknesses in the methodology Ex-Im used to justify that conclusion. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-696T?source=ra GAO reported in June 2005 that EPA has historically faced the following challenges in implementing the provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):Obtaining adequate information on chemical toxicity and exposure. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-707T?source=ra While each agency's suspension and debarment program that GAO reviewed in 2011 was unique, agencies with the most suspension and debarment activity shared certain characteristics. Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-544?source=ra Thirteen of the 16 state transportation agencies GAO contacted used Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to select the pavement type (e.g., asphalt or concrete) for certain road construction and rehabilitation projects. Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-455?source=ra The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has taken initial steps toward applying key project management practices in the areas of project planning, requirements management, and acquisition planning for its Federal Housing Administration Transformation (FHA Transformation) Initiative to address performance gaps in housing insurance programs and its Next Generation Management System (NGMS) to improve management of its affordable housing programs. Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:06:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-430?source=ra Less than 0.1 percent of payments Medicare made in 2011 were for amounts of services that exceeded certain unpublished limits for excess billing and where the claims did not include information from the providers to indicate why the additional services were medically necessary. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-685T?source=ra GAO has identified a number of issues related to information technology (IT) duplication across the federal government. For example, GAO has previously reported that hundreds of investments provide similar functions. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-360?source=ra The Department of Defense's (DOD) preliminary cost estimate for its current realignment plan is not reliable, because it is missing costs and is based on limited data. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-256?source=ra The advanced spectroscopic portal monitor (ASP)--a next-generation radiation portal monitor (RPM) for screening trucks and cargo containers--did not pass field validation tests conducted in 2009 and 2010. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-369?source=ra The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not conducted a recent evaluation of demand for Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) toxicity assessments with input from users inside and outside EPA. Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-474?source=ra Of the 9,215 veterans who entered the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Independent Living (IL) track within the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program in fiscal years 2008 to 2011, most were male Vietnam era veterans in their 50s or 60s. Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-549?source=ra Four factors facilitated the ability of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Gallery of Art, Presidio Trust, and Smithsonian Institution to leverage nonfederal resources: (1) unique legal authorities and management flexibilities; (2) benefits received from these congressionally chartered organizations' (CCO) federal status; (3) governing boards that provided management and oversight; and (4) informal networks that enabled CCOs to share lessons. Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-517?source=ra The GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) requires Performance.gov to provide program and performance information accessible to the public and members and committees of Congress. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-227?source=ra The Department of Defense (DOD) did not adequately implement key provisions of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA) and the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (IPERA) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirements for fiscal year 2011. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-368?source=ra Publishers included in GAO's study have disclosed textbook information required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), such as pricing and format options, and made components of bundled materials available individually, but stakeholders GAO interviewed said these practices have had little effect on faculty decisions. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-673T?source=ra In summary, GAO found that SSA struggles to effectively administer its Representative Payee Program, despite steps the agency has taken to address its challenges in identifying, selecting, and monitoring representative payees. Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400