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Open Recommendations

Child Labor: DOL Action Needed to Better Protect Working Children
GAO-26-107722
Sep 29, 2026
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Wage and Hour Division Administrator and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner assess and mitigate the information gaps we identified in child labor fatality, injury, and illness data, including considering the need for increased or improved data collection. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the Wage and Hour Division Administrator to develop a systematic process to identify and evaluate potential data sources, including by obtaining and documenting input from regional- and district-level staff, as it considers adding new sources of data to target investigations under its National Strategic Enforcement Initiative on Child Labor. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Wage and Hour Division assesses its outreach efforts to educate employers and the public about child labor laws, including by (1) setting goals for long-term outcomes and assessing progress by breaking them into measurable performance goals, (2) collecting relevant data through related performance measures, and (3) using that information to inform the agency's future outreach strategies. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the Wage and Hour Division Administrator to establish procedures to track and analyze the questions it receives from field offices related to applying the hazardous occupations orders, as well as the technical assistance it provides, and use the analysis to regularly update guidance, as appropriate. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should strengthen its collaboration with other federal agencies to prevent and detect illegal child labor, including by incorporating GAO's eight leading collaboration practices and ensuring continuity of information sharing to sustain efforts during agency transitions and other changes. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Nonimmigrant Visas: State Should Consistently Conduct Global Staffing Needs Assessments to Help Balance Workloads and Address Long Wait Times
GAO-26-107902
Sep 28, 2026
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State The Secretary of State should establish a mechanism, such as a policy or other guidance, requiring State's Bureau of Consular Affairs to consistently conduct its Global Repositioning Exercise to help ensure proportionate levels of staffing to address workloads at each post. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Service Member Reemployment Rights: Enhanced Education and Additional Training Could Improve Investigations
GAO-26-108197
Jun 16, 2026
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that VETS reviews its existing resources on USERRA and identifies and implements options to streamline or modify them to help individuals better understand their potential eligibility under USERRA before filing a complaint as well as the evidence needed to show that an employer action constitutes a USERRA violation. (Recommendation 1)
Open
VETS agreed with this recommendations. VETS officials outlined steps they plan to take to improve claimants' ability to obtain information about their eligibility before filing a claim, such as redeveloping and modernizing the USERRA elaws Advisor. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that VETS's national office assesses investigator training needs and takes steps to address those needs, including soliciting input from investigators. (Recommendation 2)
Open
VETS agreed with this recommendations. VETS officials outlined steps they plan to take to address investigator training needs, such as continuing to solicit input from investigators who attend training courses and taking steps to address proposed improvements, as appropriate. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

Service Member Rights: Intelligence Community Guidance Could Better Address Reemployment Protections
GAO-26-108133
May 21, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DIA includes within DIA's guidance all five of the IC reemployment provisions, as required by sections 4315 and 4325 of title 38, U.S. Code. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DIA concurred with this recommendation and, in September 2026, stated it was in the process of rewriting its current guidance to include reemployment provisions that had been partially included. Upon revising this guidance, DIA plans to incorporate it into a DIA instruction that they anticipate will be available to its workforce in January 2027. Once DIA provides an update and documentation supporting the completion of these planned actions, we will assess the extent to which its actions address this recommendation and will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the NRO includes within NRO's guidance all five of the IC reemployment provisions as required by sections 4315 and 4325 of title 38, U.S. Code. (Recommendation 2)
Open
NRO concurred with this recommendation and, in September 2026, stated it had updated an NRO directive to incorporate all five reemployment provisions, with final publication of the revised directive anticipated in December 2026. Once NRO provides an update and documentation supporting the completion of its planned action, we will assess the extent to which it addresses this recommendation and will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the NSA includes within NSA's guidance all five of the IC reemployment provisions as required by sections 4315 and 4325 of title 38, U.S. Code. (Recommendation 3)
Open
NSA concurred with this recommendation and, in September 2026, stated it was actively working on updates to an NSA/CSS policy manual and anticipates completing this effort in June 2027. Once NSA provides an update and documentation supporting the completion of these planned actions, we will assess the extent to which its actions address this recommendation and will provide updated information.
Department of Justice The Attorney General should ensure that the Director of the FBI includes within FBI's guidance all five of the IC reemployment provisions as required by sections 4315 and 4325 of title 38, U.S. Code. (Recommendation 4)
Open
FBI concurred with this recommendation and indicated planned actions to address it. When we confirm what actions FBI has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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