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Open Recommendations (16 total)

Indian Affairs: Additional Actions Needed to Address Long-standing Challenges with Workforce Capacity

GAO-25-106825
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6 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop a proposal that identifies capacity-building opportunities and the resources necessary to pursue them and share the proposal with Interior for consideration. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should identify skills, knowledge, and competency gaps in mission-critical occupations across Indian Affairs. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should, by March 2027, collect lessons learned regarding the use and sufficiency of funds for administrative costs associated with legislation that provides funds for Tribes outside of baseline appropriations and share these lessons with Interior and Congress. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop a proposal that identifies legislative opportunities to build capacity and the resources necessary to pursue them and share the proposal with Congress for consideration. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop consolidated written guidance that clarifies what hiring authorities, recruitment incentives, and workforce flexibilities can be leveraged for recruitment and retention purposes. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should track vacancy data across Indian Affairs in a systematic and centralized manner. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Tribal Issues: Bureau of Indian Affairs Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Timely Delivery of Real Estate Services [Reissued with revisions on Nov. 6, 2023]

GAO-24-105875
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should, using available data, conduct an initial assessment of its processing times and compliance with regulatory and internal deadlines in delivering real estate services (mortgages, leases, rights-of-way, and TSR requests). As a part of that assessment, BIA should identify and develop a plan to address any areas for improvement, factors affecting processing times (including staff shortages), and additional data needs for future analysis. (Recommendation 4)
Open
As of September 2024, BIA officials told us the agency plans to implement strategies to monitor timeliness and will initiate a "strike team" to monitor high priority and backlog realty leases and transactions. To address this recommendation, BIA will need to complete an analysis of its processing times and compliance with deadlines for mortgages, leases, rights-of-way, and TSR requests. BIA needs to use the results of this analysis to identify areas with lengthy processing times; factors causing those lengthy processing times; and specific steps for improvement. BIA will also need to identify data needs for future analysis.

Tribal Issues: Bureau of Indian Affairs Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Timely Delivery of Real Estate Services [Reissued with revisions on Nov. 6, 2023]

GAO-24-105875
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3 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should enhance TAAMS to include additional data edit checks that require staff to enter all information necessary for measuring processing times and whether regulatory and internal deadlines are being met for new lease and right-of-way applications. (Recommendation 2)
Open – Partially Addressed
In September 2024, BIA provided documentation of requested updates to TAAMS that include the addition of data fields to measure processing times and deadlines for new lease and right-of-way applications, as well as the addition of a data edit check requiring these key data fields be populated. To fully address this recommendation, BIA will need to complete the TAAMS updates and provide evidence that requested changes have been implemented.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should develop performance goals and accompanying measures for the agency to monitor its processing times and compliance with regulatory and internal deadlines for delivering real estate services (mortgages, leases, rights-of-way, and TSR requests) on an ongoing basis and inform its plans to improve processing times, as appropriate. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us they have taken steps to develop a new GPRA performance measure related to mortgages. However, the measure has not been finalized. To address this recommendation, BIA will need to finalize new performance goals and measures to monitor its processing times and compliance with regulatory and internal deadlines for all realty types assessed in GAO's review, including leases (residential and commercial), rights-of-way, TSRs, and mortgages. Performance goals and associated measures do not necessarily have to be formalized through the Interior or BIA-wide performance management process, but BIA does need to demonstrate that it is tracking them over time.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Priority Rec.
The Director of BIA should conduct regular oversight and review of data entered into TAAMS to assess the degree to which new lease and right-of-way applications contain all information necessary to measure processing times and whether regulatory and internal deadlines are being met. BIA should also conduct this regular oversight and review of mortgage applications following implementation of the forthcoming TAAMS mortgage module that will replace the Mortgage Tracker. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us BIA will develop a plan to conduct regular oversight and review of the completeness of realty data entered in TAAMS for new lease, right-of-way, and mortgage applications. To address this recommendation, BIA will need to finalize and implement its plan by regularly conducting oversight of TAAMS data completeness.
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