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Disability Benefits: Benefit Amounts for Military Personnel and Civilian Public Safety Officers Vary by Program Provisions and Individual Circumstances

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Military personnel, as well as civilian public safety officers (PSO), risk their lives and face the prospect of incurring disabilities as they protect and defend the general public on a daily basis. To help assess the appropriateness of disability benefits available to military personnel, Congress mandated that GAO study the disability benefits available to federal, state, and local government employees… more
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Management Systems: Lack of Disciplined Process Puts Effective Implementation of Treasury's Governmentwide Financial Report System at Risk

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For the past 9 years, since the first audit of the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government (CFS), one of the major impediments to our ability to render an opinion on the CFS is that the federal government has not had adequate system, controls, and procedures to properly prepare the CFS. To address some of the internal control weaknesses identified in our audit report, Treasury began dev… more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contract Security Guards: Army's Guard Program Requires Greater Oversight and Reassessment of Acquisition Approach

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, increased security requirements and a significant number of active duty and reserve personnel sent overseas to support the war on terror left the Department of Defense (DOD) with fewer military personnel to rely on to protect domestic installations. To correct this shortage, Congress is temporarily allowing DOD to use contract security guards to ful… more
Date: April 3, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Housing: Management Issues Require Attention as the Privatization Program Matures

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) intends to privatize about 87 percent of the military-owned housing in the United States by 2010. As of December 2005, it had awarded 52 projects to privatize over 112,000 family housing units and had plans to award 57 more projects to privatize over 76,000 more units over the next 4 years. The program, begun in 1996, has become DOD's primary means to improve family housi… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Assistance: USAID Has Begun Tsunami Reconstruction in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but Key Projects May Exceed Initial Cost and Schedule Estimates

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused a tsunami that left more than 230,000 people killed or missing and presumed dead and an estimated $10 billion in damage in 12 countries. In May 2005, Congress appropriated $908 million for relief and reconstruction. U.S. emergency relief efforts budgeted at $327 million were nearly completed in December 2005. The U.S. Agency for Internati… more
Date: April 14, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Climate Change: EPA and DOE Should Do More to Encourage Progress Under Two Voluntary Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, two voluntary programs encourage participants to set emissions reduction goals. The Climate Leaders Program, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), focuses on firms. The Climate VISION (Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now) Program, managed by the Department of Energy (DOE) along with other agencies, focuse… more
Date: April 25, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard: Changes to Deepwater Plan Appear Sound, and Program Management Has Improved, but Continued Monitoring Is Warranted

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Deepwater program was designed to produce aircraft and vessels that would function in the Coast Guard's traditional at-sea roles. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, however, the Coast Guard began taking on additional homeland security missions, and so it revised the Deepwater implementation plan to provide assets that could better meet these new responsibilities. While many acknowled… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Commuter Rail: Commuter Rail Issues Should Be Considered in Debate over Amtrak

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Commuter rail agencies provide mobility to millions of people across the country, often using Amtrak infrastructure and services. Given these interactions, an abrupt Amtrak cessation could have a significant impact on commuter rail operations. Amtrak's chronic financial problems and recent budget proposals make such a cessation a possibility. GAO was asked to examine (1) the extent to which commuter rai… more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Audit: Significant Internal Control Weaknesses Remain in Preparing 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 9 years, since our 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 resulted in conditions that prevented GAO from expressing an opinion on the CFS. Specifically, GAO has reported that the U.S. government did not have adequate systems, controls,… more
Date: April 21, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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World Trade Organization: Limited Progress at Hong Kong Ministerial Clouds Prospects for Doha Agreement

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. officials often call the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda or "Round" of global trade talks, launched in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, a "once in a generation opportunity" to expand trade. President Bush has identified their success as his administration's top trade priority. Due to various U.S. notification and consultation requirements, concluding the negotiations in 2006 … more
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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VA Health Care: Experiences in Denver and Charleston Offer Lessons for Future Partnerships with Medical Affiliates

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains affiliations with medical schools, including the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Services Center and University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), to obtain enhanced medical care for veterans. As part of their plans for new medical campuses, both UCH and MUSC proposed jointly constructing and opera… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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IRS Offers in Compromise: Performance Has Been Mixed; Better Management Information and Simplification Could Improve the Program

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Taxpayers unable to fully pay their tax liabilities may apply for an offer in compromise (OIC), an agreement with IRS to pay what they can afford. IRS writes off the rest of the liability. In 2005, IRS accepted over 14,000 offers. Because of concerns about program performance and a new category of offers based on exceptional circumstances, GAO was asked to (1) describe the trends in program's performanc… more
Date: April 20, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tobacco Settlement: States' Allocations of Fiscal Year 2005 and Expected Fiscal Year 2006 Payments

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the 1990's, states sued major tobacco companies to obtain reimbursement for health impairments caused by the public's use of tobacco. In 1998, four of the nation's largest tobacco companies signed a Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) to make annual payments to 46 states in perpetuity as reimbursement for past tobacco-related health care costs. Some states have arranged to receive advance proceeds base… more
Date: April 11, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Sharing: DHS Should Take Steps to Encourage More Widespread Use of Its Program to Protect and Share Critical Infrastructure Information

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A wide array of cyber and physical assets is critical to America's national security, economic well-being, and public health and safety. Information related to threats, vulnerabilities, incidents, and security techniques is instrumental to guarding these critical infrastructures against attacks and mitigating the impact of attacks that may occur. The ability to share security-related information can uni… more
Date: April 17, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Company Formations: Minimal Ownership Information Is Collected and Available

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Companies form the basis of most commercial and entrepreneurial activities in market-based economies; however, "shell" companies, which have no operations, can be used for illicit purposes such as laundering money. Some states have been criticized for requiring minimal ownership information to form a U.S. company, raising concerns about the ease with which companies may be used for illicit purposes. In … more
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Security Assistance: State and DOD Need to Assess How the Foreign Military Financing Program for Egypt Achieves U.S. Foreign Policy and Security Goals

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1979, Egypt has received about $60 billion in military and economic assistance with about $34 billion in the form of foreign military financing (FMF) grants that enable Egypt to purchase U.S.-manufactured military goods and services. In this report, GAO (1) describes the types and amounts of FMF assistance provided to Egypt; (2) assesses the financing arrangements used to provide FMF assistance to… more
Date: April 11, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Acquisitions: Major Weapon Systems Continue to Experience Cost and Schedule Problems under DOD's Revised Policy

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) is planning to invest $1.3 trillion between 2005 and 2009 in researching, developing, and procuring major weapon systems. How DOD manages this investment has been a matter of congressional concern for years. Numerous programs have been marked by cost overruns, schedule delays, and reduced performance. Over the past 3 decades, DOD's acquisition environment has undergone ma… more
Date: April 14, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Conservation Security Program: Despite Cost Controls, Improved USDA Management Is Needed to Ensure Proper Payments and Reduce Duplication with Other Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Conservation Security Program (CSP)--called for in the 2002 farm bill and administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)--provides financial assistance to producers to reward past conservation actions and to encourage further conservation stewardship. CSP payments may be made for structural or land management practices, such as strip croppin… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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General Hospitals: Operational and Clinical Changes Largely Unaffected by Presence of Competing Specialty Hospitals

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "There has been much debate about specialty hospitals--short-term acute care hospitals with physician owners or investors that primarily treat patients who have specific medical conditions or need surgical procedures--and the competitive effects they may have on general hospitals. Advocates of specialty hospitals contend that competition from these physician-owned facilities can prompt general hospitals … more
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Rental Housing Assistance: Policy Decisions and Market Factors Explain Changes in the Costs of the Section 8 Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Annual appropriations for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Section 8 programs--a key federal tool for subsidizing rents of low-income households--have increased sharply in recent years, raising concerns about their cost. Section 8 pays the difference between a unit's rent and the household's payment (generally 30 percent of adjusted income). Section 8 includes a voucher program ad… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Pay: Hundreds of Battle-Injured GWOT Soldiers Have Struggled to Resolve Military Debts

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As part of the Committee on Government Reform's continuing focus on pay and financial issues affecting Army soldiers deployed in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), the requesters were concerned that battle-injured soldiers were not only battling the broken military pay system, but faced blemishes on their credit reports and pursuit by collection agencies from referrals of their Army debts. GAO was aske… more
Date: April 27, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Adjustment Assistance: Labor Should Take Action to Ensure Performance Data Are Complete, Accurate and Accessible

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the current tight budgetary environment, program performance is likely to be an increasingly significant factor used to help policymakers assess programs and determine funding levels. Given concerns over the quality of performance data for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program and the importance of having meaningful information to assess program performance, we examined (1) whether the TAA pe… more
Date: April 25, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Hospital Pharmaceuticals: Survey Shows Price Variation and Highlights Data Collection Lessons and Outpatient Rate-Setting Challenges for CMS

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish payment rates for a set of new pharmaceutical products--drugs and radiopharmaceuticals--provided to beneficiaries in a hospital outpatient setting. These products were classified for payment purposes as specified covered outpatient drugs (SCOD). The legislation directed CMS to set 2006 Medica… more
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Electronic Warfare: Option of Upgrading Additional EA-6Bs Could Reduce Risk in Development of EA-18G

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The EA-6B has conducted airborne electronic attack for all services since 1996. In 2002, the Department of Defense (DOD) completed an analysis of alternatives for the EA-6B that concluded the inventory would be insufficient to meet the DOD's needs beyond 2009. Since then, the services have embarked on separate acquisition efforts to develop airborne electronic attack assets. In 2003, the Navy started de… more
Date: April 26, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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