Skip to main content

Department of Justice

Jump To:

Recent Reports

View More Reports

Open Recommendations (36 total)

Whistleblower Protection: DOJ and FBI Need to Improve Employees' Awareness of Rights

GAO-25-106547
Show
4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Justice The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy should ensure that DOJ guidance for developing future regulations requires that each rulemaking process establishes anticipated time frames for each stage of the process. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Deputy Attorney General should direct that the Counsel for Office of Professional Responsibility, in consultation with the Inspector General, identify and address issues with meeting regulatory notification requirements to contact the complainant within 15 days of receiving the complaint. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Director of the FBI, in consultation with the Inspector General, should update mandatory training to communicate that FBI complainants may seek additional review by the Office of the Inspector General if they believe a retaliatory security clearance or access determination has been taken in retaliation for a protected disclosure. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Assistant Attorney General for Administration should update DOJ's policy on security clearance or access determinations to align with statute regarding when corrective action must be taken. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Whistleblower Protection: DOJ and FBI Need to Improve Employees' Awareness of Rights

GAO-25-106547
Show
1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Justice The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy should ensure that DOJ guidance for developing regulations requires that an office is identified as primarily responsible for each rulemaking, particularly when regulations involve multiple components. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program: Transparency, Claims Assistance, and Program Management Improvements Needed

GAO-24-105549
Show
4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Justice The Attorney General should ensure that the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance assess the claims status information available to applicants so that it is sufficient and actionable. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DOJ agreed with this recommendation and outlined plans to implement it. The agency noted that by April 2025, the PSOB Office will collaborate with its national partners and stakeholders, including previous claimants, to identify ways to improve the clarity and completeness of claims status information available to claimants during the claims determination process. We will monitor progress on these efforts.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should ensure that the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance improve processes so all statutory reporting requirements, such as including all required performance data and meeting statutory timeframes, are met. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOJ agreed with this recommendation and outlined plans to implement it. The agency indicated it has already taken action to address part of the recommendation by including the total number of pending claims in the statutorily required weekly report. We will monitor DOJ's progress to implement the rest of the recommendation.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should ensure that the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance document and implement a comprehensive program performance management process. As part of this plan, the agency should:
  • Establish long-term strategic goals and short-term performance goals;
  • establish an oversight strategy for monitoring program activities to identify problems, determine corrective actions, identify lessons learned, and adopt new approaches; and
  • improve the collection and management of Public Safety Officers' Benefits program data to better ensure its accuracy, consistency, and completeness for assessing program performance. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DOJ agreed with this recommendation and outlined plans to implement it. The agency estimates documenting its process by May 2025, which will include developing long- and short-term goals, a monitoring strategy for program activities, and how it will ensure the accuracy, consistency and completeness of program data used to assess program performance. We await the completion of these efforts.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should ensure that the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance evaluate and take steps to improve the effectiveness of PSOB's outreach and claims assistance efforts. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOJ agreed with this recommendation and outlined plans to implement it. The agency noted that it currently works with various partners and stakeholders to provide assistance with filing PSOB claims. By April 2025, the PSOB Office anticipates evaluating its existing efforts and identifying additional efforts to coordinate and increase outreach and claims assistance to survivors of fallen officers and injured officers. We await further progress on this effort.

Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program: Transparency, Claims Assistance, and Program Management Improvements Needed

GAO-24-105549
Show
1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Justice The Attorney General should direct the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to document procedures for carrying out PSOB claims management and administrative procedures. (Recommendation 5)
Open
DOJ agreed with this recommendation and outlined plans to implement it. The agency stated that the PSOB Office's claims management and administrative procedures are currently under development and estimated to be completed by March 2025. We will consider closing the recommendation when these efforts are complete.
View More Recommendations

Related Pages