GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Electronic Health Records: DOD's and VA's Sharing of Information Could Benefit from Improved Management. GAO-09-268, January 28.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-268
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09268high.pdf
• Homeland Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Management of Air Sovereignty Alert Operations to Protect U.S. Airspace. GAO-09-184, January 27.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-184
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09184high.pdf
• Information Security: Further Actions Needed to Address Risks to Bank Secrecy Act Data. GAO-09-195, January 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-195
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09195high.pdf
• Medicare: Callers Can Access 1-800-MEDICARE Services, but Responsibility within CMS for Limited English Proficiency Plan Unclear. GAO-09-104, December 29.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-104
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09104high.pdf
• Military Base Realignments and Closures: DOD Faces Challenges in Implementing Recommendations on Time and Is Not Consistently Updating Savings Estimates. GAO-09-217, January 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-217
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09217high.pdf
• Traumatic Brain Injury: Better DOD and VA Oversight Can Help Ensure More Accurate, Consistent, and Timely Decisions for the Traumatic Injury Insurance Program. GAO-09-108, January 29.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-108
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09108high.pdf
  
• Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Efforts to Address Transparency and Accountability Issues. GAO-09-296, January 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-296
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09296high.pdf

Correspondence

• Meal Counting and Claiming by Food Service Management Companies in the School Meals Programs. GAO-09-156R, January 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-156R
• Military Training: Navy and Air Force Need to More Fully Apply Best Practices to Enhance Development and Management of Combat Skills Training. GAO-09-220R, January 28.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-220R
• Secure Border Initiative Fence Construction Costs. GAO-09-244R, January 29.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-244R
  

Testimony

• U.S. Postal Service: Deteriorating Postal Finances Require Aggressive Actions to Reduce Costs, by Phillip R. Herr, director, physical infrastructure, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-09-332T, January 28.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-332T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09332thigh.pdf