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Financial Audit: Bureau of the Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2004 and 2003 Schedules of Federal Debt

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO is required to audit the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government. Due to the significance of the federal debt held by the public to the governmentwide financial statements, GAO has also been auditing the Bureau of the Public Debt's (BPD) Schedules of Federal Debt annually. The audit of these schedules is done to determine whether, in all material respects, (1) the schedules prepared… more
Date: November 5, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans Benefits: VA Needs Plan for Assessing Consistency of Decisions

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the past, we have reported concerns about possible inconsistencies in the disability decisions made by the 57 regional offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2002, we reported that VA did not systematically assess the consistency of decision making for any specific impairments included in veterans' disability claims. We recommended that VA conduct such assessments to help reduce any u… more
Date: November 19, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Air Traffic Control: FAA's Acquisition Management Has Improved, but Policies and Oversight Need Strengthening to Help Ensure Results

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) multibillion-dollar effort to modernize the nation's air traffic control (ATC) system has resulted in cost, schedule, and performance shortfalls for over two decades and has been on GAO's list of high-risk federal programs since 1995. According to FAA, performance shortfalls were due, in part, to restrictions imposed by federal acquisition and personnel regula… more
Date: November 12, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Audit: IRS's Fiscal Years 2004 and 2003 Financial Statements

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Because of the significance of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collections to federal receipts and, in turn, to the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government, which GAO is required to audit, and Congress's interest in financial management at IRS, GAO audits IRS's financial statements annually to determine whether (1) the financial statements IRS prepares are reliable, (2) IRS management ma… more
Date: November 10, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Embassy Construction: Proposed Cost-Sharing Program Could Speed Construction and Reduce Staff Levels, but Some Agencies Have Concerns

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of State is in the early stages of a proposed multibillion dollar program to build secure new embassies and consulates around the world. Under the proposed Capital Security Cost-Sharing Program, all agencies with staff assigned to overseas diplomatic missions would share in construction costs. This report describes (1) the rationale for and development of the program, (2) agency concerns … more
Date: November 15, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Informing Our Nation: Improving How to Understand and Assess the USA's Position and Progress

Description: A chapter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "There has been growing activity and interest in developing a system of key national indicators that would provide an independent, trusted, reliable, widely available, and usable source of information. Such a system would facilitate fact-based assessments of the position and progress of the United States, on both an absolute and relative basis. This interest emerges from the following perspectives. The … more
Date: November 10, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Audit: Congressional Award Foundation's Fiscal Years 2003 and 2002 Financial Statements

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report presents our opinion on the financial statements of the Congressional Award Foundation for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2003, and 2002. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Congressional Award Foundation. This report also presents (1) our opinion on the effectiveness of the Foundation's related internal control as of September 30, 2003, and (2) our conclusion on t… more
Date: November 15, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Conservation: USDA Should Improve Its Methods for Estimating Technical Assistance Costs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), working with state and local partners, provides landowners with technical assistance for multiple programs to plan and implement conservation measures that protect soil, water, and wildlife. For years, the Congress has been seeking detailed cost information on this assistance as it examined USDA budget requests. I… more
Date: November 30, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Business Systems Modernization: IRS's Fiscal Year 2004 Expenditure Plan

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Business Systems Modernization (BSM) program is a multibillion-dollar, high-risk, highly complex effort that involves the development and delivery of a number of modernized information systems that are intended to replace the agency's aging business and tax processing systems. BSM funds are not available until IRS submits an expenditure plan that meets various condit… more
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foster Youth: HHS Actions Could Improve Coordination of Services and Monitoring of States' Independent Living Programs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To improve outcomes for youth leaving foster care, Congress passed the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (FCIA), which increased the allocation of federal funds for independent living programs from $70 million to $140 million. This report reviews (1) how states' funding allocations changed to serve youth after FCIA, (2) the extent to which states have expanded services and age groups of foster youth … more
Date: November 18, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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VA Long-Term Care: Oversight of Nursing Home Program Impeded by Data Gaps

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates a $2.3 billion nursing home program that provides or pays for veterans' care in three settings: VA nursing homes, community nursing homes, and state veterans' nursing homes. The Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (Millennium Act) of 1999 and VA policy require that VA provide nursing home care to veterans with a certain eligibility. Congress … more
Date: November 10, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Multifamily Housing: Implementation of Fiscal Year 2003 Requirements Concerning Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Fees

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received $12.9 billion in fiscal year 2003 for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which helps about 2 million low-income families pay rent for privately owned housing. This amount included $1.1 billion in administrative fee payments to the public housing agencies that administer the program for HUD. In the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution of 2… more
Date: November 19, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Changes in Global Hawk's Acquisition Strategy Are Needed to Reduce Program Risks

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Global Hawk offers significant military capabilities to capture and quickly transmit high-quality images of targets and terrain, day or night, and in adverse weather--without risk to an onboard pilot. Global Hawk first flew in the late 1990s as a demonstrator and supported recent combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2001, the Air Force began an acquisition program to develop and produce improve… more
Date: November 5, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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VA and DOD Health Care: Efforts to Coordinate a Single Physical Exam Process for Servicemembers Leaving the Military

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Servicemembers who leave the military and file disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may be subject to potentially duplicative physical exams in order to meet requirements of both the Department of Defense's (DOD) military services and VA. To streamline the process for these servicemembers, the military services and VA have attempted to coordinate their physical exam requirement… more
Date: November 12, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Highway Safety: Improved Monitoring and Oversight of Traffic Safety Data Program Are Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Auto crashes kill or injure millions of people each year. Information about where and why such crashes occur is important in reducing this toll, both for identifying particular hazards and for planning safety efforts at the state and federal levels. Differences in the quality of state traffic data from state to state, however, affect the usability of data for these purposes. The National Highway Traffic… more
Date: November 4, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nursing Home Deaths: Arkansas Coroner Referrals Confirm Weaknesses in State and Federal Oversight of Quality of Care

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO was asked to assess the effectiveness of nursing home oversight by considering the effect of a unique Arkansas law that requires county coroners to investigate all nursing home deaths. Coroners refer cases of suspected neglect to the state survey agency and law enforcement entities such as the state Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with… more
Date: November 12, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Data Quality: Census Bureau Needs to Accelerate Efforts to Develop and Implement Data Quality Review Standards

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Data from the decennial census are used to apportion and redistrict seats in the House of Representatives, distribute billions of dollars of federal funds, and guide the planning and investment decisions of the public and private sectors. Given the importance of these data, it is essential that they meet high quality standards before they are distributed to the public. After questions arose about the qu… more
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Administration: IRS Improved Performance in the 2004 Filing Season, But Better Data on the Quality of Some Services Are Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Most taxpayers have their only contact with IRS during the filing season, with tens of millions filing their returns, getting refunds, and seeking assistance by calling or visiting IRS's offices or Web site. GAO was asked to assess IRS's performance in 2004 relative to goals and prior years' performance as well as initiatives or other factors that significantly affected performance for the following are… more
Date: November 15, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Aviation Security: Preliminary Observations on TSA's Progress to Allow Airports to Use Private Passenger and Baggage Screening Services

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Beginning on November 19, 2004, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to begin allowing commercial airports to apply to use private contractors to screen passengers and checked baggage. A federal workforce has performed this work since November 2002, in response to a congressional mandate that the federal government take over screening services after the terrorist attacks o… more
Date: November 19, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Homeland Security: Further Actions Needed to Coordinate Federal Agencies' Facility Protection Efforts and Promote Key Practices

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The war on terrorism has made physical security for federal facilities a governmentwide concern. The Interagency Security Committee (ISC), which is chaired by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with coordinating federal agencies' facility protection efforts, developing protection standards, and overseeing implementation. GAO's objectives were to (1) assess ISC's progress in fulfilling … more
Date: November 30, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Census 2000: Design Choices Contributed to Inaccuracy of Coverage Evaluation Estimates

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Evaluations of past censuses show that certain groups were undercounted compared to other groups, a problem known as "coverage error." To address this, the Census Bureau included in its 2000 Census design the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation Program (A.C.E.) to (1) measure coverage error and (2) use the results to adjust the census, if warranted. However, the Bureau found the A.C.E. results inaccurate a… more
Date: November 12, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare: CMS's Program Safeguards Did Not Deter Growth in Spending for Power Wheelchairs

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare spending for power wheelchairs--one of the program's most expensive items of durable medical equipment (DME)--rose more than fourfold from 1999 through 2003, while overall Medicare spending rose by about 11 percent for the same period, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This spending growth has raised concerns that some of the payments may have been improper. In Ma… more
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Health Care: Force Health Protection and Surveillance Policy Compliance Was Mixed, but Appears Better for Recent Deployments

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A lack of servicemember health and deployment data hampered investigations into the nature and causes of illnesses reported by many servicemembers following the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War. Public Law 105-85, enacted in November 1997, required the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a system to assess the medical condition of servicemembers before and after deployments. Following its September 2003 re… more
Date: November 12, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Air Traffic Control: FAA Needs to Ensure Better Coordination When Approving Air Traffic Control Systems

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) process for ensuring that air traffic control (ATC) systems will operate safely in the national airspace system is an integral part of the agency's multibillion-dollar ATC modernization and safety effort. GAO was asked to review (1) FAA's process for approving ATC systems for safe use in the national airspace system; (2) challenges FAA has faced approving ATC … more
Date: November 17, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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