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Consumer Product Safety Commission: Better Data Collection and Assessment of Consumer Information Efforts Could Help Protect Minority Children

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2004, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that 29,400 deaths in the United States were related to consumer products. As required under Section 107 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, this study reviews what is known about the relative incidence of preventable injuries and deaths among minority children associated with products intended for children's use a… more
Date: August 5, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicaid Preventive Services: Concerted Efforts Needed to Ensure Beneficiaries Receive Services

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicaid, a federal-state program that finances health care for certain low-income populations, can play a critical role in the provision of preventive services, which help prevent, diagnose, and manage health conditions. GAO examined available data to assess (1) the extent to which Medicaid children and adults have certain health conditions and receive certain preventive services, (2) for Medicaid chil… more
Date: August 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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United States Merchant Marine Academy: Internal Control Weaknesses Resulted in Improper Sources and Uses of Funds; Some Corrective Actions Are Under Way

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Academy), a component of the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), is one of five U.S. service academies. The Academy is affiliated with 14 non-appropriated fund instrumentalities (NAFI) and two foundations. GAO was asked to determine whether there (1) were any potentially improper or questionable sources and uses of funds by the Academy, inclu… more
Date: August 10, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Flood Insurance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Oversight of the WYO Program

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2004, private insurance companies participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Write-Your-Own (WYO) program have collected an average of $2.3 billion in premiums annually and, of this amount, have been paid or allowed to retain an average of $1 billion per year. Questions have been raised about FEMA's oversight of the program in light of the debts FEMA has incurred since the 2… more
Date: August 21, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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NASA: Constellation Program Cost and Schedule Will Remain Uncertain Until a Sound Business Case Is Established

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "NASA's Constellation program is developing the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle as the agency's first major efforts in a plan to return to the moon and eventually send humans to Mars. GAO has issued a number of reports and testimonies on various aspects of this program, and made several recommendations. GAO was asked to assess NASA's progress in implementing GAO's recomm… more
Date: August 26, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: More Strategic Approach Needed for Processing Complex Plans Prone to Delays and Overpayments

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As the insurer of over 29,000 private sector defined benefit plans, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) may be required to assume responsibility for the plans of a growing number of companies filing bankruptcy due to the recession. Concerns about PBGC's benefit determination process, reductions in benefits due to guarantee limits, and workers' retirement security overall led the chairmen and… more
Date: August 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: August 14, 2009
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proprietary Schools: Stronger Department of Education Oversight Needed to Help Ensure Only Eligible Students Receive Federal Student Aid

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "For-profit schools-also known as proprietary schools-received over $16 billion in federal loans, grants, and campus-based aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act in 2007/08. GAO was asked to determine (1) how the student loan default profile of proprietary schools compares with that of other types of schools and (2) the extent to which Education's policies and procedures for monitoring student el… more
Date: August 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DHS has generally relied on workforce data and has not regularly included employee input from available sources to identify "triggers," the term EEOC uses for indicators of potential barriers. GAO's analysis of DHS's MD-715 reports showed that DHS generally relied on workforce data to identify 13 of 15 triggers, such as promotion and separation rates. According to EEOC, in addition to workforce data, ag… more
Date: August 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Public Transportation: Better Data Needed to Assess Length of New Starts Process, and Options Exist to Expedite Project Development

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The New Starts program is an important source of new capital investment in mass transportation. To be eligible for federal funding, a project must advance through the different project development phases of the New Starts program, including alternatives analysis, preliminary engineering, and final design. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) evaluates projects as a condition for advancement into eac… more
Date: August 6, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Ballistic Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Planning and Information on Construction and Support Costs for Proposed European Sites

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) estimated in 2008 that the potential costs of fielding ballistic missile defenses in Europe would be more than $4 billion through 2015. Planned ballistic missile defenses in Europe are intended to defend the United States, its deployed forces, and its allies against ballistic missile attacks from the Middle East. They are expected to include a missile interceptor site in… more
Date: August 6, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Low-Income and Minority Serving Institutions: Management Attention to Long-standing Concerns Needed to Improve Education's Oversight of Grant Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Institutions that serve large proportions of low-income and minority students may receive funding under Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act. In fiscal year 2008, $667 million in grants were awarded to over 500 institutions. GAO was asked to determine (1) the characteristics of institutions eligible to receive grants under Titles III and V and characteristics of students served; (2) any challeng… more
Date: August 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Employee Misclassification: Improved Coordination, Outreach, and Targeting Could Better Ensure Detection and Prevention

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "When employers improperly classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees, those workers do not receive protections and benefits to which they are entitled, and the employers may fail to pay some taxes they would otherwise be required to pay. The Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are to ensure that employers comply with several labor and tax laws related to wo… more
Date: August 10, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nursing Homes: CMS's Special Focus Facility Methodology Should Better Target the Most Poorly Performing Homes, Which Tended to Be Chain Affiliated and For-Profit

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 1998, CMS established the Special Focus Facility (SFF) Program as one way to address poor performance by nursing homes. The SFF methodology assigns points to deficiencies cited on standard surveys and complaint investigations, and to revisits conducted to ensure that deficiencies have been corrected. CMS uses its methodology periodically to identify candidates for the program--nursing homes with the … more
Date: August 28, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Emergency Communications: National Communications System Provides Programs for Priority Calling, but Planning for New Initiatives and Performance Measurement Could be Strengthened

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Government functions and effective disaster response and management rely on the ability of national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) personnel to communicate. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Communications System (NCS), is responsible for ensuring continuity of NS/EP communications when network congestion or damage occurs. As requested, GAO assessed the (1) priority commu… more
Date: August 28, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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America Competes Act: NIST Applied Some Safeguards in Obtaining Expert Services, but Additional Direction from Congress Is Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The America COMPETES Act gave the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), within the Department of Commerce, the authority, through 2010, to obtain the temporary services of up to 200 experts or consultants per year, but did not specify how the agency should acquire these services. NIST has used this authority to award personal services contracts to obtain the services of individuals. The… more
Date: August 7, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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School Meal Programs: Changes to Federal Agencies' Procedures Could Reduce Risk of School Children Consuming Recalled Food

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past few years, several food recalls, such as for beef and peanut products, have affected schools. It is especially important that recalls affecting schools be carried out efficiently and effectively because young children have a higher risk of complications from food-borne illnesses. GAO was asked to determine how federal agencies (1) notified states and schools about food recalls, (2) advised… more
Date: August 20, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Equal Employment Opportunity: Pilot Projects Could Help Test Solutions to Long-standing Concerns with the EEO Complaint Process

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Delays in processing federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) complaints, apparent or perceived lack of fairness and impartiality in complaint processing, and fear of retaliation in the workplace have been long-standing concerns of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), other federal agencies, and Congress. Based on a Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Ac… more
Date: August 12, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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401(k) Plans: Policy Changes Could Reduce the Long-term Effects of Leakage on Workers' Retirement Savings

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under federal regulations, 401(k) participants may tap into their accrued retirement savings before retirement under certain circumstances, including hardship. This "leakage" from 401(k) accounts can result in a permanent loss of retirement savings. GAO was asked to analyze (1) the incidence, amount, and relative significance of the different forms of 401(k) leakage; (2) how plans inform participants ab… more
Date: August 28, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Disaster Housing: FEMA Needs More Detailed Guidance and Performance Measures to Help Ensure Effective Assistance after Major Disasters

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Concerns over the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) provision of temporary housing assistance, including travel trailers at group sites, after the 2005 hurricanes led to the development of the National Disaster Housing Strategy. GAO was asked to assess (1) the challenges households faced in transitioning to permanent housing, (2) the extent to which FEM… more
Date: August 28, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Border Patrol: Checkpoints Contribute to Border Patrol's Mission, but More Consistent Data Collection and Performance Measurement Could Improve Effectiveness

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Border Patrol, part of the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP), operates checkpoints on U.S. roads, mainly in the southwest border states where most illegal entries occur. As part of a three-tiered strategy to maximize detection and apprehension of illegal aliens, Border Patrol agents at checkpoints screen vehicles for illegal aliens and contraband. GAO was ask… more
Date: August 31, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Results-Oriented Management: Strengthening Key Practices at FEMA and Interior Could Promote Greater Use of Performance Information

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1997, periodic GAO surveys indicate that overall, federal managers have more performance information available but have not made any greater use of this information for decision making. Based on GAO's most recent survey in 2007, GAO was asked to (1) identify agencies with relatively low use of performance information and the factors that contribute to this condition; and (2) examine practices in a… more
Date: August 17, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Student Aid Formula: Cost-of-Living Adjustment Could Increase Aid to a Small Percentage of Students in High-Cost Areas but Could Also Further Complicate Aid Process

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2008, the Department of Education (Education) oversaw the distribution of approximately $96 billion in federal student financial aid, including $14.6 billion in Pell Grants to low- and middle-income students, to help students and their families pay for higher-education expenses. Much of this aid was distributed based on a formula specified in the Higher Education Act, as amended, that is … more
Date: August 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Improve Security Practices at National Icons and Parks

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The September 11 terrorist attacks have heightened concerns about the security of the nation's icons and parks, which millions of people visit every year. The National Park Service (Park Service) within the Department of the Interior (Interior) is responsible for securing nearly 400 park units that include icons and other parks. In 2004, GAO identified a set of key protection practices that include: all… more
Date: August 28, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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