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Exhibit 87 — In re Bank of America California Unemployment Benefits Litigation (Dkt. 350-88, S.D. Cal. No. 3:21-md-02992)
Filed October 24, 2024 in In re Bank of America California Unemployment Benefits Litigation; one of 1415 filings from this case.
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| Court | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California |
|---|---|
| Filed | 2024-10-24 |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California · No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB · Doc. 350-88 · 2024-10-24 · Docket on CourtListener
Full text
EXHIBIT 87
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 350-88 Filed 10/24/24 PageID.11530
Page 1 of 122
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
GAO-22-105301
Report to Congressional Addressees
Additional Opportunities to Reduce
Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and
Achieve Billions of Dollars in Financial Benefits
ANNUAL
REPORT
May 2022
GAO
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Page 2 of 122
United States Government Accountability Office
Highlights of GAO-22-105301, a report to
congressional addressees
May 2022
2022 ANNUAL REPORT
Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation,
Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Billions of
Dollars in Financial Benefits
What GAO Found
GAO identified 94 new actions in 21 new and nine existing areas for Congress or
executive branch agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
government. For example:
•
The Department of Energy could pursue less expensive disposal options of
nuclear and hazardous waste, such as immobilizing waste in grout, which
could help save tens of billions of dollars.
•
Contracting leaders at federal agencies should use metrics measuring cost
reduction or avoidance to improve the performance of their procurement
organizations and potentially save billions of dollars annually.
•
Congress should consider directing the Department of Health and Human
Services to implement additional payment reductions for Skilled Nursing
Facilities with high rates of potentially preventable hospital readmissions and
emergency room visits, potentially saving hundreds of millions of dollars in
Medicare costs.
•
The Internal Revenue Service could improve taxpayer service and better
manage refund interest payments, potentially saving $20 million or more
annually, by establishing a mechanism to identify, monitor, and mitigate
issues contributing to refund interest payments.
•
The Social Security Administration could potentially save millions of dollars
by identifying and addressing the causes for overpayments to disability
beneficiaries in its Ticket to Work program.
•
The Department of Defense could improve various administrative services,
such as by better managing fragmentation in its food program and
strengthening ongoing initiatives to reduce improper defense travel
payments, potentially saving millions of dollars in those programs.
Congress and executive branch agencies have made significant progress in
addressing many of the 1,299 actions that GAO identified from 2011 to 2022 to
reduce costs, increase revenues, and improve agencies’ operating effectiveness,
although work remains to fully address them. As shown in the figure below, these
efforts have resulted in approximately $552 billion in financial benefits, an
increase of $35 billion from GAO’s last duplication report. These are rough
estimates based on a variety of sources that considered different time periods
and used different data sources, assumptions, and methodologies.
Total Reported Financial Benefits of $552 Billion, as of March 2022
View GAO-22-105301. For more information,
contact Jessica Lucas-Judy at (202) 512-6806
or lucasjudyj@gao.gov or Michelle Sager at
(202) 512-6806 or sagerm@gao.gov.
Why GAO Did This Study
GAO issues annual reports on federal
programs, agencies, offices, and
initiatives—either within departments
or government-wide—that have
duplicative goals or activities. As part
of this work, GAO also identifies
additional opportunities for greater
efficiency and effectiveness that result
in cost savings or enhanced revenue
collection.
This report discusses new
opportunities for achieving billions of
dollars in financial savings and
improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of a wide range of federal
programs. It also evaluates progress in
addressing actions identified in GAO’s
previous 11 annual reports.
In addition, the report provides
examples of open actions where
further steps by Congress and
executive branch agencies could yield
significant financial and non-financial
benefits.
GAO
Highlights
i------------$631 billion ---------------------1f----i
accrued benefits (2010 through 2021)
$21 billion
projected benefits
(2022 and later)
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
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To achieve these benefits, as of March 2022, Congress and executive branch agencies have fully addressed 724 (about
56 percent) of the 1,299 actions GAO identified from 2011 to 2022 and partially addressed 240 (about 18 percent).
Examples of actions taken that led to significant financial benefits include:
•
The Department of Health and Human Services changed processes to curtail some problematic methods of
determining budget neutrality and restricted the amount of unspent funds states can accrue and carry forward to
expand Medicaid demonstrations, which resulted in more than $140 billion in federal savings.
•
In support of the Office of Management and Budget’s Data Center Optimization Initiative, 22 federal agencies have
been consolidating their data centers to improve government efficiency with related cost savings of approximately $5.7
billion.
Further steps are needed to fully address the actions GAO identified from 2011 to 2022. While GAO is no longer tracking
106 actions due to changing circumstances, GAO estimates that fully addressing the remaining 469 open actions could
result in savings of tens of billions of dollars and improved government services, among other benefits. For example:
Examples of Areas with Open Actions with Potential Financial and Non-Financial Benefits
Area name and description
(Year-number links to Action Tracker)
Mission
Potential benefits
(Source when financial)
Medicare Payments by Place of Service (2016-30): Congress should
consider directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
equalize payment rates between settings for evaluation and management
office visits and other services that the Secretary deems appropriate and
return the associated savings to the Medicare program.
Health
Billions of dollars annually
(MedPAC and Bipartisan Policy Center)
Category Management (2021-06): The Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) should further its Category Management initiative to
improve how agencies buy common goods and services by taking such
actions as addressing agencies’ data management challenges and
establishing additional performance metrics to help the federal
government achieve cost savings, as well as potentially eliminate
duplicative contracts.
General
Government
Billions of dollars over the next 5
years
(OMB and GAO)
Disability and Unemployment Benefits (2014-08): Congress should
consider passing legislation to require the Social Security Administration
to offset Disability Insurance benefits for any Unemployment Insurance
benefits received in the same period.
Income
Security
$2.2 billion over 10 years
(OMB)
Navy Shipbuilding (2017-18): The U.S. Navy could achieve cost savings
by improving its acquisition practices and ensuring that ships can be
efficiently sustained.
Defense
Billions of dollars
(GAO)
SBA’s Microloan Program (2020-03): The Small Business
Administration’s Microloan Program should enhance its collaboration with
other federal agencies that engage in microlending activities to better
manage fragmentation.
Economic
Development
Improved coordination and
collaboration in microlending activities
Consumer Product Safety Oversight (2015-04): Congress should
consider establishing a formal comprehensive oversight mechanism for
consumer product safety agencies to address crosscutting issues as well
as inefficiencies related to fragmentation and overlap such as
communication and coordination challenges and jurisdictional questions
between agencies.
General
Government
Increased efficiency and effectiveness
of consumer product oversight
Federal Research (2019-15): Federal agencies could improve their
research efforts to maintain U.S. competitiveness in quantum computing
and synthetic biology by implementing leading practices for collaboration
to better manage fragmentation.
Science and
the
Environment
Maintain U.S. competitiveness in the
global economy
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Note: All estimates of potential financial benefits are dependent on various factors, such as whether action is taken and how it is taken. For estimates of
potential financial benefits where outside estimates of potential financial benefits were not available, GAO developed the notional estimates, which are
intended to provide a sense of the potential magnitude of benefits. Notional estimates have been developed using broad assumptions about potential
financial benefits which are rooted in previously identified losses, the overall size of the program, previous experience with similar reforms, and similar
rough indicators of potential financial benefits.
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB Document 350-88 Filed 10/24/24 PageID.11533
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Page i
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Letter
1
New Opportunities Exist to Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness
across the Federal Government
4
Congress and Executive Branch Agencies Continue to Address
Actions Identified over the Last 12 Years across the Federal
Government, Resulting in Significant Benefits
8
Action on Remaining Open Areas and New Areas Could Yield
Significant Additional Benefits
16
Appendix I
Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
25
Appendix II
New Areas in Which GAO Has Identified Fragmentation, Overlap, or
Duplication
31
Appendix III
New Areas in Which GAO Has Identified Other Cost Savings or
Revenue Enhancement Opportunities
64
Appendix IV
New Actions Added to Existing Areas in 2022
75
Appendix V
Open Congressional Actions, by Mission
85
Appendix VI
Additional Information on Programs Identified
105
Tables
Table 1: New Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication Areas
Identified in This Report
4
Table 2: New Areas with Cost Savings and Revenue
Enhancement Opportunities Identified in This Report
6
Table 3: New Actions Added to Existing Areas in 2022
6
Table 4: Status of 2011 to 2022 Actions Directed to Congress and
the Executive Branch, as of March 2022
9
Contents
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Table 5: Examples of Fully Addressed or Partially Addressed
Actions with Associated Cost Savings and Revenue
Enhancements, as of March 2022
12
Table 6: Examples of Areas with Open Actions with Potential
Financial Benefits of $1 Billion or More
20
Table 7: Additional Examples of Open Areas Directed to Congress
and Executive Branch Agencies
21
Figures
Figure 1: Definitions of Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
2
Figure 2: Status of 2011 to 2022 Actions Directed to Congress
and the Executive Branch, as of March 2022
8
Figure 3: Total Reported Financial Benefits of $552 Billion, as of
March 2022
10
Figure 4: Summary of 12 Years of Benefits Achieved by Mission,
as of March 2022
11
Figure 5: Number of Partially Addressed and Not Addressed
Actions Since 2011 by Agency, as of March 2022
17
Figure 6: Fiscal Year 2021 Outlays and Number of Open Actions
Since 2011, by Agency
19
This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the
United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety
without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain
copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be
necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
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Page 1
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
441 G St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20548
May 11, 2022
Congressional Addressees
We issue annual reports on federal programs, agencies, offices, and
initiatives—either within departments or government-wide—that have
duplicative goals or activities.1 As part of this work, we also identify
additional opportunities for greater efficiency and effectiveness that result
in cost savings or enhanced revenue collection.
Since 2011, we have introduced more than 400 areas and 1,299 actions
for Congress or executive branch agencies to reduce, eliminate, or better
manage fragmentation, overlap, or duplication; achieve cost savings; or
enhance revenues.2 Congress and executive branch agencies have
partially or fully addressed 964 (about 74 percent) of the actions we
identified from 2011 to 2022. Actions from Congress and executive
branch agencies to address many of these actions had resulted in about
$552 billion in financial benefits, including $531 billion that accrued
through 2021 and $21 billion that are projected to accrue in future years.
We also estimate tens of billions more dollars could be saved by fully
implementing all of our remaining open actions.3
1Pub. L. No. 111-139, § 21, 124 Stat. 8, 29 (2010), codified at 31 U.S.C. § 712 note.
2This count includes the areas and actions introduced in this report as well as the 394
areas and 1,200 actions identified in prior years. See GAO’s Duplication and Cost Savings
webpage for links to the 2011 to 2021 annual reports: http://www.gao.gov/duplication-cost-
savings.
3In calculating our total estimated realized and potential financial benefits, we relied on
individual estimates from a variety of sources, which considered different time periods and
used different data sources, assumptions, and methodologies. These totals represent a
rough estimate of financial benefits. Realized benefits have been rounded down to the
nearest $1 billion. Estimated potential benefits are subject to increased uncertainty,
depending on whether, how, and when they are addressed, and are presented using a
notional statement of magnitude.
Letter
GAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Figure 1 defines the terms we use in this work.
Figure 1: Definitions of Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Fragmentation refers to those
circumstances in which more than
one federal agency ( or more than
one organization within an agency)
is involved in the same broad area of
national need and opportunities exist
to improve service delivery.
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
Overlap occurs when multiple
agencies or programs have similar
goals, engage in similar activities or
strategies to achieve them, or target
similar beneficiaries.
' O
0
7
Duplication occurs when two or
more agencies or programs are
engaged in the same activities or
provide the same services to the
same beneficiaries.
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Page 3
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
This report identifies 21 new areas where a broad range of federal
agencies could achieve greater efficiency or effectiveness. For each area,
we suggest actions that Congress or executive branch agencies could
take to reduce, eliminate, or better manage fragmentation, overlap, or
duplication, or achieve other financial benefits.
In addition to identifying new areas and actions, we continue to monitor
the progress Congress and executive branch agencies have made in
addressing actions we previously identified (see sidebar).
This report is based upon work we previously conducted in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards or our quality
assurance framework. See appendix I for more information on our scope
and methodology.
GAO’s online Action Tracker
GAO’s Action Tracker, a publicly accessible
website, allows Congress, executive branch
agencies, and the public to track the federal
government’s progress in addressing the
issues we have identified. GAO’s Action
Tracker includes a downloadable
spreadsheet containing all actions.
Areas and actions in the spreadsheet can be
sorted and filtered by the year identified,
mission, area name, implementation status,
and implementing entities (Congress or
executive branch agencies). The
spreadsheet additionally notes which actions
are also GAO priority recommendations—
those recommendations GAO believes
warrant priority attention from the heads of
departments or agencies.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
This report presents 60 new actions for Congress or executive branch
agencies across 21 new areas.4 Of these 21 new areas, 16 concern
fragmentation, overlap, or duplication in government missions and
functions (see table 1). Appendix II provides more detailed information
about the 16 new areas.
Table 1: New Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication Areas Identified in This Report
Mission
New area
Page
Defense
1.
DOD’s Congressional Reporting Process: The Department of Defense’s Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs should consult with internal stakeholders
and identify opportunities to better manage duplication and fragmentation in its congressional
reporting process.
32
2.
DOD Food Program Costs: The Department of Defense should assess the effectiveness and
efficiency of its food program, as well as identify and define specific categories of costs for use
in developing common measures to better manage fragmentation in its food program and
potentially save millions of dollars annually.
34
3.
DOD Nuclear Enterprise Oversight: The Department of Defense should clearly identify roles
and responsibilities, among other steps, to improve coordination and better manage
fragmentation among its new nuclear oversight organization and other nuclear oversight
groups and stakeholders.
36
Energy
4.
DOI’s Oil and Gas Data Systems: The Department of the Interior could better manage
fragmentation and potential duplication by implementing a plan to address challenges with the
key data systems it uses to manage oil and gas development, resulting in improved oversight
and saved staff time.
38
General
Government
5.
Drug Control Grant Tracking: The Office of National Drug Control Policy should document its
process for identifying duplication, overlap, and fragmentation among drug control grants to
better manage fragmented grant efforts, retain organizational knowledge, and demonstrate its
internal control system’s effectiveness.
40
6.
Trade-Based Money Laundering: The Departments of the Treasury and Homeland Security
could better manage fragmentation among their departments and other agencies with trade
enforcement responsibilities and better detect illicit financial and trade activity by taking actions
to enhance information sharing.
42
4In addition to the 60 new actions, 34 actions were also added to nine existing areas (see
table 3), which are not a part of the 21 new areas. This brings the total to 94 new open
actions. We also added five actions in five new areas that agencies addressed before this
report was issued. In four of these areas, all actions were addressed before this report
was issued and are, therefore, not included in tables 1 and 2. More information on the 99
actions mentioned here is available in the Action Tracker and in appendix I.
New Opportunities
Exist to Improve
Efficiency and
Effectiveness across
the Federal
Government
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Mission
New area
Page
Health
7.
Diet-Related Chronic Health Conditions: Congress should consider identifying and directing
a federal entity to lead a federal strategy for reducing diet-related chronic health conditions,
which could help manage fragmentation and overlap across 200 federal programs and
activities.
44
8.
Medicaid Behavioral Health Demonstration: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
should issue clear and consistent guidance to states participating in the certified community
behavioral health clinics demonstration to help avoid potential duplication between
demonstration payments and other Medicaid payments.
46
Homeland
Security/Law
Enforcement
9.
Alternative Technologies for Radioactive Materials: Congress could help better manage
fragmentation between the relevant agencies and mitigate potential fiscal exposure to the
federal government from accidental or intentional incidents by directing the establishment of a
national strategy for replacing technologies that use high-risk radioactive materials with
alternatives.
48
10. Biodefense Preparedness and Response: Federal and non-federal entities have
opportunities to better prepare for and respond to significant biological incidents, including to
better manage fragmented federal efforts.
50
11. Law Enforcement’s Use of Force: The Department of Justice should analyze use of force
data collection efforts to identify the extent of potential overlap, validate these findings using
relevant information, and identify options to better manage any existing overlap.
52
Information
Technology
12. Digital Service Guidance: The Office of Management and Budget and General Services
Administration could better manage fragmentation and reduce the risk of overlapping and
duplicating efforts in developing information technology guidance for federal agencies by
improving coordination between their U.S. Digital Service and 18F programs.
54
13. Farm Production and Conservation IT Duplication and Overlap: By developing a strategic
plan with performance goals and measures, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm
Production and Conservation mission area could maximize efficiencies and reduce IT
duplication and overlap.
56
Science and the
Environment
14. Emergency Watershed Protection: The U.S. Department of Agriculture should clarify and
document roles and responsibilities for Emergency Watershed Protection projects on National
Forest System lands to help address fragmentation and ensure sponsors design the most
effective projects.
58
15. High-Performance Computing: The Office of Science and Technology Policy could better
manage fragmentation in federal efforts to advance high-performance computing by fully
incorporating desirable characteristics of a national strategy.
60
16. Nuclear Waste Cleanup Research and Development Efforts: By following leading practices
for collaboration, the Department of Energy could better manage fragmentation and reduce
potential duplication and overlap in its research and development to address its nuclear waste
cleanup mission.
62
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
We also present five new areas where Congress or executive branch
agencies could take action to reduce the cost of government operations
or enhance revenue collections for the U.S. Department of the Treasury
(see table 2). Appendix III provides more detailed information about these
five areas.
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Table 2: New Areas with Cost Savings and Revenue Enhancement Opportunities Identified in This Report
Mission
New area
Page
Defense
17. F-35 Lightning II Sustainment: The Department of Defense could reduce F-35 sustainment
costs by hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars over several years by
developing a strategic approach to ensure that the services can afford to operate and support
the F-35.
65
General
Government
18. Federal Contracting Metrics: Contracting leaders at federal agencies should use metrics
measuring cost reduction or avoidance to improve the performance of their procurement
organizations and potentially save billions of dollars annually.
67
Health
19. Staffing and Critical Incidents in Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities: Congress should
consider directing the Department of Health and Human Services to implement additional
payment reductions for Skilled Nursing Facilities with high rates of potentially preventable
hospital readmissions and emergency room visits, potentially saving hundreds of millions of
dollars to Medicare.
69
Homeland
Security/Law
Enforcement
20. BOP Emergency Preparedness and Response: The Bureau of Prisons should take steps to
establish and incorporate cost-effective and feasible analytic features into its data systems and
use these features to regularly conduct an analysis of its maintenance and repair project
trends, which could save hundreds of thousands of dollars.
71
Social Services
21. Social Security Disability Payments: The Social Security Administration could potentially
save millions of dollars by identifying and addressing the causes for overpayments to Ticket
to Work participants.
73
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
In addition to the 21 new areas, we identified 34 new actions related to
nine existing areas presented in our 2011 to 2021 annual reports (see
table 3). Appendix IV provides more detailed information about these new
actions.
Table 3: New Actions Added to Existing Areas in 2022
Mission
Existing area with new action(s) (area name links to Action Tracker)
Year introduced
(year links to report)
Page
Defense
•
Department of Defense Commissaries and Exchanges:a In February
2022, GAO identified one new action to help the Department of
Defense better manage fragmentation among its commissaries and
exchanges by establishing an overarching policy and more consistent
processes to provide reasonable assurance that its resale goods are
not produced by forced labor.
2017
76
•
Defense Travel: In June 2021, GAO identified one new action to help
the Department of Defense strengthen its ongoing initiatives to reduce
improper travel payments, potentially saving millions of dollars over
5 years.
2020
77
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Mission
Existing area with new action(s) (area name links to Action Tracker)
Year introduced
(year links to report)
Page
Economic
Development
•
Economic Development Programs: In July 2021, GAO identified five
new actions to help the Departments of Commerce, Housing and
Urban Development, and Agriculture incorporate further collaboration
to help grantees and local communities better manage fragmented
efforts related to federal economic development.
2011
78
Energy
•
DOE’s Treatment of Hanford’s Low-Activity Waste:b In December
2021, GAO identified three new actions to help save tens of billions
of dollars by allowing the Department of Energy to pursue less
expensive disposal options.
2018
79
•
Oil and Gas Resources: In November 2021, GAO identified two new
actions to help the Bureau of Land Management improve its oil and
gas leasing process, which could potentially result in millions of
dollars in additional revenues over the next decade.
2011
80
General
Government
•
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Construction: In
October 2021, GAO identified two new actions to help the Department
of Veterans Affairs avoid schedule delays and better manage medical
facility construction projects by improving communication between
offices.
2017
81
•
IRS Taxpayer Service: In April 2022, GAO identified three new actions
to help IRS improve taxpayer service and better manage refund
interest payments, potentially saving $20 million or more annually.
2021
82
•
Spectrum Management: In June 2021, GAO identified eight new
actions to enhance coordination between the two agencies that
manage radio-frequency spectrum—a scarce natural resource—to
better manage fragmentation.
2012
83
Social Services
•
Homelessness Programs: In September 2021, GAO identified nine
new actions for federal agencies to coordinate youth homelessness
information and programs in order to manage fragmented services to
better support communities.
2011
84
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
aThe area name Department of Defense Commissaries and Exchanges was formerly named
Department of Defense Commissaries. The area name is being changed to fully reflect the one new
action that is being added in 2022.
bOne of the new actions being added to this area replaces one of the existing actions. The current
potential financial benefits from these actions remain consistent with prior reporting.
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Congress and executive branch agencies have made consistent progress
in addressing many of the actions we have identified since 2011, as
shown in figure 2 and table 4. As of March 2022, Congress and executive
branch agencies had fully or partially addressed 964 (about 74 percent) of
the 1,299 actions; of these, they had fully addressed 724 and partially
addressed 240 actions. See GAO’s online Action Tracker for the status of
all actions.
Figure 2: Status of 2011 to 2022 Actions Directed to Congress and the Executive Branch, as of March 2022
Notes: Other actions include actions categorized as “consolidated or other” and “closed-not
addressed.” Actions categorized as “consolidated or other” and “closed-not addressed” are no longer
assessed. In most cases, “consolidated or other” actions were replaced or subsumed by new actions
based on additional audit work or other relevant information. Actions are generally “closed-not
addressed” when the action is no longer relevant due to changing circumstances.
Congress and
Executive Branch
Agencies Continue to
Address Actions
Identified over the
Last 12 Years across
the Federal
Government,
Resulting in
Significant Benefits
Addressed
Partially
Addressed
Not
Addressed
New for
2022
Other
0
Actions
1111 Executive
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
150
300
450
600
750
~
Congressional
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Table 4: Status of 2011 to 2022 Actions Directed to Congress and the Executive Branch, as of March 2022
Status
Number of congressional
actions (percentage)a
Number of executive branch
actions (percentage)b
Total
(percentage)
Addressed
42
(35%)
682
(58%)
724
(56%)
Partially addressed
12
(10%)
228
(19%)
240
(18%)
Not addressed
39
(32%)
96
(8%)
135
(10%)
New for 2022
8
(7%)
86
(7%)
94
(7%)
Otherc
20
(17%)
86
(7%)
106
(8%)
Total
121
(100%)
1,178
(100%)
1,299
(100%)
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Notes: Due to rounding, the total percentages may not add up to exactly 100 percent.
aIn assessing actions suggested for Congress, GAO applied the following criteria: “addressed” means
relevant legislation has been enacted and addresses all aspects of the action needed; “partially
addressed” means a relevant bill has passed a committee, the House of Representatives, or the
Senate during the current congressional session, or relevant legislation has been enacted but only
addressed part of the action needed; and “not addressed” means a bill may have been introduced but
did not pass out of a committee, or no relevant legislation has been introduced. Actions suggested for
Congress may also move to “addressed” or “partially addressed,” with or without relevant legislation,
if an executive branch agency takes steps that address all or part of the action needed. At the
beginning of a new congressional session, GAO reapplies the criteria. As a result, the status of an
action may move from partially addressed to not addressed if relevant legislation is not reintroduced
from the prior congressional session.
bIn assessing actions suggested for the executive branch, GAO applied the following criteria:
“addressed” means implementation of the action needed has been completed; “partially addressed”
means the action needed is in development or started but not yet completed; and “not addressed”
means the administration, the agencies, or both have made minimal or no progress toward
implementing the action needed.
cOf the 106 “other” actions, 51 are categorized as “consolidated or other” and 55 as “closed-not
addressed.” GAO no longer assesses actions categorized as “closed-not addressed” or “consolidated
or other.” In most cases, “consolidated or other” actions were replaced or subsumed by new actions
based on additional audit work or other relevant information. An action is categorized as “closed-not
addressed” when the action is no longer relevant due to changing circumstances.
As a result of steps Congress and executive branch agencies have taken
to address our open actions, we have identified approximately $552
billion in total financial benefits, including $35 billion identified since our
Actions Taken By
Congress and Executive
Branch Agencies Led to
Hundreds of Billions in
Financial Benefits
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
September 2021 report.5 About $531 billion of the total benefits accrued
from 2010 through 2021, while approximately $21 billion are projected to
accrue in 2022 or later, as shown in figure 3.6
Figure 3: Total Reported Financial Benefits of $552 Billion, as of March 2022
Note: In calculating these totals, we relied on individual estimates from a variety of sources, which
considered different time periods and used different data sources, assumptions, and methodologies.
These totals represent a rough estimate of financial benefits and have been rounded down to the
nearest $1 billion.
These benefits have contributed to missions across the federal
government, as shown in figure 4.
5GAO, ADDRESSING FRAGMENTATION, OVERLAP, AND DUPLICATION: Progress in
Enhancing Government Effectiveness and Achieving Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in
Financial Benefits, GAO-21-104648 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 28, 2021).
6In calculating our total estimated realized and potential financial benefits, we relied on
individual estimates from a variety of sources, which considered different time periods and
used different data sources, assumptions, and methodologies. These totals represent a
rough estimate of financial benefits. Realized benefits have been rounded down to the
nearest $1 billion.
$552 billion
-
$53
IP•'•'•1 $35 billion .d
.
accrued ben fi 1 billion
1 ent1fied •
e its (201 o
Source: GAO I
since GAO's la t
through 2021)
.
GAo-22-1 os301
s report
i~
1--------1
. $21 billi
proJected bene~t~
(2022 and later)
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Figure 4: Summary of 12 Years of Benefits Achieved by Mission, as of March 2022
Notes: Due to rounding, the total combined benefits do not add up to exactly $552 billion. Other
Mission Areas include Economic Development, Information Technology, Income Security,
International Affairs, Science and the Environment, and Social Services. Additionally, combined
benefits include benefits that have accrued through 2021 and benefits expected to accrue in 2022 or
later. These totals rely on individual estimates from a variety of sources, which considered different
time periods and utilized different data sources, assumptions, and methodologies, and represent a
rough estimate of financial benefits that have been rounded down to the nearest $1 billion.
The 106 actions that were closed-not addressed or consolidated are included in these totals.
Table 5 highlights examples of results achieved over the past 12 years.
Defense
Health
Agriculture
General Government
Energy
Other Mission Areas
Source: GAO, Department of Defense, Helene C. Stikkel, Dynamic Graphics, USDA, ©Corbis, and PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
Training, Employment,
and Education
Homeland Security/
Law Enforcement
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Table 5: Examples of Fully Addressed or Partially Addressed Actions with Associated Cost Savings and Revenue
Enhancements, as of March 2022
Area name (annual report
year/area number links to
Action Tracker)
Actions taken
Financial benefit
Weapon Systems Acquisition
Programs (2011-38)
Congress passed the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform
Act of 2009, which implemented a number of GAO’s
recommendations for how the Department of Defense
(DOD) develops and acquires weapon systems. GAO
highlighted the need for additional action in this area in its
2011 report. In 2017 and 2019, GAO reported that DOD had
followed more best practices for these acquisitions, which
greatly reduced cost growth for weapons systems over
time.a
Savings of approximately $180.0
billion from 2011 through 2017,
according to GAO analysis. DOD
concurred with GAO’s methodology.
Medicaid Demonstration
Waivers (2014-21)
The Department of Health and Human Services changed
processes to curtail some problematic methods of
determining budget neutrality and restricted the amount of
unspent funds states can accrue and carry forward to
expand demonstrations. The department could further
reduce federal spending by addressing other problematic
methods.
Federal savings of approximately
$140.6 billion from 2016 through
2021, and tens of billions of
additional savings could potentially
accrue in 2022, according to agency
and GAO estimates.
Higher Education Assistance
(2013-16)
The Department of Education adjusted borrower incomes
for inflation in its Direct Loan program reestimates for the
fiscal year 2017 Agency Financial Report. GAO previously
reported that this step resulted in a downward reestimate of
income-driven repayment plan costs for loans issued
through the 2016 cohort totaling $17.5 billion. Education
modified its estimation approach to produce separate cost
estimates for each type of loan eligible for IDR plans,
resulting in a downward reestimate of plan cost totaling $6.7
billion for loans issued through the 2016 cohort and also
estimated that Direct Loan subsidy costs for new loans
issued from the fiscal year 2017 through 2020 cohorts were
a net present value of $15.4 billion lower than they would
have been without this correction.
Savings of approximately $43 billion
through 2020, according to agency
estimates.
Agencies’ Use of Strategic
Sourcing (2013-23)
The Department of Veterans Affairs evaluated strategic
sourcing opportunities, set goals, tracked metrics, and
ultimately procured a larger share of goods and services—
including information technology (IT)—using contracts
aligned with strategic sourcing principles.
The Department of Veterans Affairs
realized cost avoidance of about $10.8
billion from fiscal years 2013 through
2017, according to GAO estimates.
Veterans Affairs concurred with GAO’s
methodology. Billions more of savings
are possible across the federal
government, according to OMB
estimates based on 2017 to 2020
data.
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Area name (annual report
year/area number links to
Action Tracker)
Actions taken
Financial benefit
Virtual Currency Tax
Information Reporting
(2020-23)
Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act, section 80603 of which requires third-party reporting on
digital assets, such as virtual currency. This provision that
takes effect beginning with the 2023 tax year increases
third-party reporting and could improve tax compliance by
providing IRS with better information about virtual currency
transactions.b
$10 billion or more could potentially
accrue from 2024 to 2031, according
to estimates from the Joint Committee
on Taxation.
Children’s Disability Reviews
(2015-21)
The Social Security Administration conducted additional
continuing disability reviews in fiscal years 2013 through
2016 to ensure that only child Supplemental Security
Income recipients who are eligible for benefits receive them,
thereby preventing potentially costly overpayments.
Savings of approximately $9.6 billion
from fiscal year 2013 through fiscal
year 2016, according to agency
estimates. Billions in additional
savings could potentially accrue,
according to agency estimates.
Federal Payments for
Hospital Uncompensated
Care (2017-25)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced
in a final rule that the agency would begin basing Medicare
Uncompensated Care payments on hospital
uncompensated care costs.c
Savings of about $9.4 billion in fiscal
years 2018 through 2022. The Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services
concurred with GAO’s estimates.
Billions in potential savings could
accrue by addressing an additional
action in this area, according to GAO
estimates.
Tax Policies and
Enforcement (2015-17)
Congress amended the audit procedures applicable to
certain large partnerships to require that they pay audit
adjustments at the partnership level.d
Increased revenue of about $9.3
billion from fiscal years 2019 to 2025,
of which about $3.3 billion has
accrued and about $6 billion is
expected to accrue in fiscal year 2022
or later, according to the Joint
Committee on Taxation. Billions in
additional savings could potentially
accrue by addressing other actions in
this area, according to Joint
Committee on Taxation estimates.
Federal Data Centers
(2011-15)
Twenty-two federal agencies have been consolidating their
data centers to improve government efficiency and
supporting the Office of Management and Budget’s Data
Center Optimization Initiative. For example, the Department
of Defense has closed 46 data centers and also identified
additional data center-related cost savings of $178.5 million
in fiscal year 2020 alone.
Savings of approximately $5.7 billion
from fiscal years 2011 to 2021,
according to quarterly cost savings
report from agencies. Tens of
millions in additional savings could
potentially accrue, according to
estimates from federal agencies.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Note: The estimates in this report are from a range of sources, including GAO, executive branch
agencies, CBO, and the Joint Committee on Taxation. Some estimates have been updated since
GAO’s 2021 report to reflect more recent analysis.
aPub. L. No. 111-23, 123 Stat. 1704 (2009).
bPub. L. No. 117-58, § 80603, 135 Stat. 429, 1339 (2021).
c82 Fed. Reg. 37990, 38000 (2017).
dBipartisan Budget Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-74, § 1101, 129 Stat. 584, 625–638 (2015).
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Our suggested actions, when implemented, often result in benefits, such
as more effective government through improved interagency coordination;
improvements in major government programs or agencies; reduced
mismanagement, fraud, waste, and abuse; and increased assurance that
programs comply with internal guidance. The following examples illustrate
these types of benefits.
•
Arctic Maritime Infrastructure (2021-05). Arctic sea ice has
diminished, lengthening the navigation season and increasing
opportunities for maritime shipping. However, the U.S. Arctic lacks
maritime infrastructure, exacerbating risks inherent to shipping in the
Arctic, such as vast distances and dangerous weather.
In 2020, we found that existing U.S. Arctic interagency groups do not
reflect leading collaboration practices, such as sustained leadership,
and the White House had not designated which entity is to lead U.S.
Artic maritime infrastructure efforts. We recommended that the
appropriate entities within the Executive Office of the President,
including the Office of Science and Technology Policy, should
designate the interagency group responsible for leading and
coordinating federal efforts to address maritime infrastructure in the
U.S. Arctic.
In response, the Office of Science and Technology Policy has taken
multiple actions, such as (1) reactivating the Arctic Executive Steering
Committee to advance U.S. interests and coordinate federal actions in
the Arctic; (2) developing a proposal for an interagency team to
collaborate on research used for federal investment in the Arctic to
reduce duplicative efforts; and (3) working with the Office of
Management and Budget on a process to convene interested federal
agencies to review current infrastructure needs in the U.S. Arctic
recommended for federal spending. As a result of these actions, the
Office of Science and Technology Policy has interagency leadership
and coordination efforts in place to help leverage federal resources to
address maritime infrastructure and achieve government-wide
priorities in the complex and changing U.S. Arctic.
•
Chemical Terrorism (2019-09). The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) manages several programs and activities designed to
prevent and protect against domestic attacks using chemical agents.
In 2018, we found that DHS had not fully integrated and coordinated
its chemical defense programs and activities, with several
components having already conducted similar activities without DHS-
Other Benefits Resulting
from Actions Taken by
Congress and Executive
Branch Agencies
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wide direction and coordination. We recommended that DHS develop
a strategy and implementation plan to help guide, support, integrate,
and coordinate its chemical defense programs and activities; leverage
resources and capabilities; and provide a roadmap for addressing any
identified gaps to help address fragmentation and coordination issues.
In response, DHS issued a Chemical Defense Strategy in December
2019 and an implementation plan in September 2021. These efforts
included overarching goals to combat chemical threats and incidents
along with identified roles and responsibilities to address these goals,
which are essential to helping guide DHS’s efforts to address
fragmentation and coordination issues.
•
STEM Education Programs (2018-13). Education programs in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are
intended to enhance the nation’s global competitiveness.
In 2018, we reported that the Committee on STEM Education, an
interagency body responsible for implementing the federal STEM
education strategic plan, reported it managed STEM education
program overlap through coordination with agencies administering
these programs. However, we found that the Committee had not fully
met its responsibilities to assess the federal STEM education portfolio.
Specifically, the Committee had not reviewed programs’ performance
assessments, as required by its authorizing charter. We
recommended that the leadership of the Committee review
performance assessments of federal STEM education programs and
take appropriate steps to enhance effectiveness of the portfolio.
In response, the Committee issued a 5-year STEM education
strategic plan to enhance the effectiveness of the STEM education
portfolio, which required federal agencies that comprise the
Committee to perform a systematic review of evidence from current
programs. According to the Committee’s December 2021 Annual
Report, Committee agencies shared how they assessed the impact of
their STEM education programs. The report specified the number of
programs that had been evaluated, the number of evaluations
underway, and links to recently issued performance reports for
individual programs. By sharing recent performance reports, the
Committee has taken steps to foster interagency learning, which could
enhance the portfolio’s effectiveness.
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Congress and executive branch agencies have made progress in
addressing many of the 1,299 total actions we have identified since 2011.
However, further steps are needed to fully address the 469 actions that
are partially addressed, not addressed, or new for 2022. We estimate that
tens of billions of dollars in additional financial benefits could be realized
should Congress and executive branch agencies fully address these
actions, and other improvements can be achieved as well.7
In our 2011 to 2022 annual reports, we directed 121 actions to Congress.
Of the 121 actions, 59 (about 49 percent) remained open as of March
2022. Appendix V has a full list of all open congressional actions.
We also directed 1,178 actions to executive branch agencies. As shown
in figure 5, these actions span the government and are directed to dozens
of federal agencies. Of the 1,178 actions, 410 (about 35 percent)
remained open as of March 2022. Six agencies—Department of Defense
(DOD), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Internal
Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office
of Management and Budget, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—
each have at least 20 open actions.
7In calculating this estimate, we relied on individual estimates from a variety of sources,
which considered different time periods and used different data sources, assumptions,
and methodologies. These estimates are subject to increased uncertainty, depending on
whether, how, and when they are addressed. This amount represents a rough estimate of
financial benefits.
Action on Remaining
Open Areas and New
Areas Could Yield
Significant Additional
Benefits
Open Areas Directed to
Congress and Executive
Branch Agencies with
Potential Financial
Benefits
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Figure 5: Number of Partially Addressed and Not Addressed Actions Since 2011 by Agency, as of March 2022
Agency
Department of Defense
Department of Health and Human Services
Internal Revenue Service
Department of Homeland Security
Office of Management and Budget
Department of Veterans Affairs
Other federal entities•
Department of Agriculture
Department of Energy
Department of Justice
Department of Commerce
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Social Security Administration
Department of the Treasury
Department of Transportation
Office of Personnel Management
Department of Education
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of State
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
Department of Labor
Small Business Administration
General Services Administration
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Number of open actions
-
24
41
.. 16
35
El
11
25
.. 6
16
~
15
12
EJ 4
17
'-----
@
@
@
@
@
@)
~
®
f& G)
1111 0
B ®
1111 ®
111 ®
ml ®
11 0
11 0
IJ ®
~ ®
m CD
~
New for 2022
-
Number of actions not addressed
-
Number of actions partially addressed
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
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Note: The total number of open actions in this figure (427) does not equal the total number of open
actions directed to executive branch agencies (410), as of March 2022. Individual actions that were
introduced from 2011 through 2019 are counted multiple times when they are directed to more than
one federal department or agency. Open actions include actions that are partially addressed, not
addressed, and new for 2022.
a”Other federal entities” reflects open actions directed to the following federal entities: The Executive
Office of the President, the Committee on STEM Education, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
Federal Communications Commission, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Office of Science and
Technology Policy, and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Approximately 64 percent of the open executive branch actions are
directed to 10 agencies—Department of the Treasury (including IRS),
HHS, Social Security Administration, DOD, Department of Labor, Small
Business Administration, Department of Education, Department of
Agriculture, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Office of Personnel
Management—that made up about 95 percent of federal outlays in fiscal
year 2021. Figure 6 highlights agencies with open actions, as well as their
fiscal year 2021 share of federal outlays.
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Figure 6: Fiscal Year 2021 Outlays and Number of Open Actions Since 2011, by Agency
Notes: Due to rounding, the total percentages may not add up to exactly 100 percent.
aTreasury’s percentage of fiscal year 2021 outlays includes interest payments on the national debt as
well as costs associated with administering its bureaus, including the Internal Revenue Service. The
total open actions for Treasury also include open actions from the Internal Revenue Service.
bOther agencies include all federal agencies with fiscal year 2021 outlays not listed above.
Office of Personnel Management (2.3%)
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education
Small Business
Administration
Otherb
Department
of Labor
Department of
Defense-
Military Programs
4.7%
Social Security Administration
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
Number of open actions
□~
1 - 20
21 - 40
41 - 60
61+
16.0%
Department of Health
and Human Services
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Congress and executive branch agencies have made progress toward
addressing actions that we have identified since 2011. Further steps by
Congress and executive branch agencies are needed to fully address
open actions that could yield significant financial benefits, as shown in
table 6. Specifically, Congress and executive branch agencies could
realize potential financial benefits ranging from millions of dollars to
billions of dollars.8
Table 6: Examples of Areas with Open Actions with Potential Financial Benefits of $1 Billion or More
Area name and description
(Year-number links to Action Tracker)
Mission
Potential financial
benefitsa
(Source)
*Medicare Payments by Place of Service (2016-30): Congress should consider
directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to equalize payment rates
between settings for evaluation and management office visits and other services that
the Secretary deems appropriate and return the associated savings to the Medicare
program. (GAO-16-189)
Health
Billions of dollars
annually
(MedPAC and Bipartisan
Policy Center)
Category Management (2021-06): The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
should further its Category Management initiative to improve how agencies buy
common goods and services by taking such actions as addressing agencies’ data
management challenges and establishing additional performance metrics to help the
federal government achieve cost savings, as well as potentially eliminate duplicative
contracts. (GAO-21-40)
General
Government
Billions of dollars over
the next 5 years
(OMB and GAO)
*Disability and Unemployment Benefits (2014-08): Congress should consider
passing legislation to require the Social Security Administration to offset Disability
Insurance benefits for any Unemployment Insurance benefits received in the same
period. (GAO-12-764)
Income Security
$2.2 billion over 10 years
(OMB)
Student Loan Income-Driven Repayment Plans (2020-29): The Department of
Education should obtain data in order to verify income information for borrowers
reporting zero income on Income-Driven Repayment applications. (GAO-19-347)
Training,
Employment,
and Education
More than $2 billion over
10 years
(Congressional Budget
Office)
Navy Shipbuilding (2017-18): The U.S. Navy could achieve cost savings by
improving its acquisition practices and ensuring that ships can be efficiently
sustained. (GAO-20-2, GAO-17-211,GAO-16-71)
Defense
Billions of dollars
(GAO)
8In calculating this estimate, we relied on individual estimates from a variety of sources,
which considered different time periods and used different data sources, assumptions,
and methodologies. These estimates are subject to increased uncertainty, depending on
whether, how, and when they are addressed. This amount represents a rough estimate of
financial benefits.
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Area name and description
(Year-number links to Action Tracker)
Mission
Potential financial
benefitsa
(Source)
*Internal Revenue Service Enforcement Efforts (2012-44): Enhancing the Internal
Revenue Service enforcement and service capabilities can help reduce the gap
between taxes owed and paid by collecting tax revenue and facilitating voluntary
compliance. This could include expanding third-party information reporting. For
example, reporting could be required for certain payments that rental real estate
owners make to service providers, such as contractors who perform repairs on their
rental properties, and for payments that businesses make to corporations for
services. (GAO-12-176, GAO-11-493, GAO-09-238, GAO-08-956)
General
Government
Billions of dollars
(GAO)
Legend: * = Legislation is likely to be necessary to fully address all actions in this area.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Note: The potential financial benefits shown in this table represent estimates of amounts GAO or
others believe could accrue if steps are taken to implement the actions described. All estimates of
potential savings are dependent on various factors, such as whether action is taken and how it is
taken. Actual savings may be less, depending on costs associated with implementing the action,
unintended consequences, and the effect of controlling for other factors. The individual estimates in
this table should be compared with caution, as they come from a variety of sources, which consider
different time periods and use different data sources, assumptions, and methodologies.
aGAO developed the notional estimates, which are intended to provide a sense of the potential
magnitude of savings. Notional estimates have been developed using broad assumptions about
potential savings, which are rooted in previously identified losses, the overall size of the program,
previous experience with similar reforms, and similar rough indicators of potential savings. GAO
generally determines the notional labels (millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, etc.) using a
risk-based approach that takes into account factors such as the possible minimum and maximum
values of the cost savings estimate (where available), the quality of the data underlying those values,
the certainty of those values, and the rigor of the estimation method used.
Table 7 shows selected areas where agencies can take action to achieve
other benefits, such as improved access to long-term care for veterans,
maintained global economic competitiveness, and more effective
oversight of consumer products and food.
Table 7: Additional Examples of Open Areas Directed to Congress and Executive Branch Agencies
Area name and description
(Year-number links to Action Tracker)
Mission
Potential benefit
SBA’s Microloan Program (2020-03): The Small Business Administration’s
Microloan Program should enhance its collaboration with other federal agencies that
engage in microlending activities to better manage fragmentation. (GAO-20-49)
Economic
Development
Improved coordination and
collaboration in
microlending activities.
VA Long-Term Care Fragmentation (2020-11): The Department of Veterans Affairs
should implement a consistent approach to better manage long-term care programs
at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center level and improve access to the right care for
veterans. (GAO-20-284)
Health
Improved ability to provide
consistent care and
access to long-term care
for veterans.
Open Areas with Other
Benefits Directed to
Congress and Executive
Branch Agencies
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Area name and description
(Year-number links to Action Tracker)
Mission
Potential benefit
Federal Research (2019-15): Federal agencies could improve their research efforts
to maintain U.S. competitiveness in quantum computing and synthetic biology by
implementing leading practices for collaboration to better manage fragmentation.
(GAO-18-656)
Science and the
environment
Improved federal research
efforts to maintain U.S.
competitiveness in the
global economy.
Imported Seafood Oversight (2018-01): Improved coordination between the Food
and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service on the
oversight of imported seafood would help the agencies better manage fragmentation
and more consistently protect consumers from unsafe drug residues. (GAO-17-443)
Agriculture
More effective oversight of
imported seafood.
Graduate Medical Education Funding (2018-05): The Department of Health and
Human Services should coordinate with federal agencies, including the Department
of Veterans Affairs, to improve the effectiveness and oversight of fragmented federal
funding for physician graduate medical education, which cost the federal government
$14.5 billion in 2015. (GAO-18-240)
Health
Better data quality for
examining graduate
medical education
programs.
*Consumer Product Safety Oversight (2015-04): Congress should consider
establishing a formal comprehensive oversight mechanism for consumer product
safety agencies to address crosscutting issues as well as inefficiencies related to
fragmentation and overlap such as communication and coordination challenges and
jurisdictional questions between agencies. (GAO-15-52)
General
Government
Increased efficiency and
effectiveness of consumer
product oversight
Legend: * = Legislation is likely to be necessary to fully address all actions in this area.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
This report was prepared under the coordination of Jessica Lucas-Judy,
Director, Strategic Issues, who may be reached at (202) 512-6806 or
lucasjudyj@gao.gov, and Michelle Sager, Managing Director, Strategic
Issues, who may be reached at (202) 512-6806 or sagerm@gao.gov.
Contact points for our Office of Congressional Relations and Public
Affairs may be found on the last page of this report.
Gene L. Dodaro
Comptroller General of the United States
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List of Congressional Addressees
The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Chairman
The Honorable Richard Shelby
Vice Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
The Honorable Bernie Sanders
Chairman
The Honorable Lindsey Graham
Ranking Member
Committee on the Budget
United States Senate
The Honorable Gary C. Peters
Chairman
The Honorable Rob Portman
Ranking Member
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
United States Senate
The Honorable Rosa L. DeLauro
Chair
The Honorable Kay Granger
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
House of Representatives
The Honorable John Yarmuth
Chairman
The Honorable Jason Smith
Republican Leader
Committee on the Budget
House of Representatives
The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney
Chairwoman
The Honorable James Comer
Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight and Reform
House of Representatives
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The Honorable Mark R. Warner
United States Senate
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Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and
Methodology
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Section 21 of Public Law 111-139, enacted in February 2010, requires us
to conduct routine investigations to identify federal programs, agencies,
offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities within
departments and government-wide.1 This provision also requires us to
report annually to Congress on our findings, including the cost of such
duplication, with recommendations for consolidation and elimination to
reduce duplication and specific rescissions (legislation canceling
previously enacted budget authority) that Congress may wish to consider.
Our objectives in this report are to (1) identify potentially significant areas
of fragmentation, overlap, and duplication, and opportunities for cost
savings and enhanced revenues that exist across the federal
government; (2) assess to what extent Congress and executive branch
agencies made progress on actions we identified in our 2011-2021
annual reports; and (3) highlight examples of open actions directed to
Congress or executive branch agencies.
For the purposes of our analysis, we used the term “fragmentation” to
refer to circumstances in which more than one federal agency (or more
than one organization within an agency) is involved in the same broad
area of national need. We used the term “overlap” when multiple
agencies or programs have similar goals, engage in similar activities or
strategies to achieve them, or target similar beneficiaries. We considered
“duplication” to occur when two or more agencies or programs are
engaged in the same activities or provide the same services to the same
beneficiaries.2 While fragmentation, overlap, and duplication are
associated with a range of potential costs and benefits, we include them
in this report only if there may be opportunities to improve how the
government delivers these services.
This report presents 16 new areas of fragmentation, overlap, or
duplication where greater efficiencies or effectiveness in providing
government services may be achievable. The report also highlights five
other new opportunities for potential cost savings or revenue
enhancements. In addition to the 60 new actions across these 21 new
1Pub. L. No. 111-139, § 21, 124 Stat. 8, 29 (2010), codified at 31 U.S.C. § 712 note.
2We recognize that there could be instances where some degree of program
fragmentation, overlap, or duplication may be warranted because of the nature or
magnitude of the federal effort.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and
Methodology
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areas, we also identified 34 new actions related to nine existing areas
presented in our 2011 to 2021 annual reports.3
In prior reports, we have identified actions to address fragmentation,
overlap, and duplication. These actions—identified in our prior 2011 to
2021 annual reports—form the basis of our review. The prior reports
identified the potential financial and other benefits that might result from
actions addressing fragmentation, overlap, or duplication, or taking
advantage of other opportunities for cost savings and enhanced
revenues. We collected and analyzed data on costs and potential savings
to the extent they were available.
To identify what actions, if any, exist to address fragmentation, overlap,
and duplication and that take advantage of opportunities for cost savings
and enhanced revenues, we reviewed and updated our prior work and
recommendations to identify what additional actions Congress may wish
to consider and agencies may need to take. For example, we used our
prior work that identified leading practices that could help agencies
address challenges associated with interagency coordination and
collaboration and with evaluating performance and results in achieving
efficiencies.4
To identify the potential financial and other benefits that might result from
actions addressing fragmentation, overlap, or duplication, or taking
advantage of other opportunities for cost savings and enhanced
revenues, we collected and analyzed data on costs and potential savings
3The 94 new actions do not include five actions in five new areas that agencies addressed
before this report was issued, four of which were not included in table 1 or table 2.
Specifically, the U.S. Postal Service addressed one action related to the USPS Non-
Career Workforce new area (2022-22); the Department of Defense addressed one action
related to the DOD Suicide Prevention new area (2022-23); the Department of Health and
Human Services addressed one action related to the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity new
area (2022-24); and the Department of Homeland Security addressed one action related
to the FCC Disaster Response Role new area (2022-25). Congress also addressed one
action related to the F-35 Lightning II Sustainment new area (2022-17) in table 2. As such,
we have added these actions to the Action Tracker with a status of “addressed.” More
information on these five actions is available in the Action Tracker.
4See, for example, GAO, Managing for Results: Practices for Effective Agency Strategic
Reviews, GAO-15-602 (Washington, D.C.: July 29, 2015); and Managing for Results: Key
Considerations for Implementing Interagency Collaborative Mechanisms, GAO-12-1022
(Washington, D.C.: Sept. 27, 2012). Additional information on GAO’s work on the GPRA
Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) can be found at https://www.gao.gov/leading-
practices-managing-results-government and information on GAO’s work on best and
leading practices in collaboration can be found at https://www.gao.gov/leading-practices-
collaboration-across-governments%2C-nonprofits%2C-and-private-sector.
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to the extent they were available. Estimating the benefits that could result
from addressing these actions was not possible in some cases because
information about the extent and impact of fragmentation, overlap, and
duplication among certain programs was not available.
Further, the financial benefits that can be achieved from addressing
fragmentation, overlap, or duplication or taking advantage of other
opportunities for cost savings and enhanced revenues were not always
quantifiable in advance of congressional and executive branch decision-
making. In addition, the needed information was not readily available on,
among other things, program performance, the level of funding devoted to
duplicative programs, or the implementation costs and time frames that
might be associated with program consolidations or terminations. We
used partial data and conservative assumptions to provide rough
estimates of the magnitude of potential savings when more precise
estimates were not possible.
Appendix VI provides additional information on the federal programs or
other activities related to the new areas of fragmentation, overlap,
duplication, and cost savings or revenue enhancement discussed in this
report, including budgetary information when available.
We assessed the reliability of any computer-processed data that
materially affected our findings, including cost savings and revenue
enhancement estimates. The steps that we take to assess the reliability of
data vary but are chosen to accomplish the auditing requirement that the
data be sufficiently reliable given the purposes for which they are used in
our products. We review published documentation about the data system
and inspector general or other reviews of the data. We may interview
agency or outside officials to better understand system controls and to
assure ourselves that we understand how the data are produced and any
limitations associated with the data. We may also electronically test the
data to see whether values in the data conform to agency testimony and
documentation regarding valid values, or we may compare data to source
documents. In addition to these steps, we often compare data with other
sources as a way to corroborate our findings. For each new area in this
report, specific information on data reliability is located in the related
products.
We provided drafts of our new area summaries to the relevant agencies
for their review and incorporated these comments as appropriate.
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Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and
Methodology
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To examine the extent to which Congress and executive branch agencies
have made progress in implementing the 1,200 actions in the
approximately 394 areas we have reported on in previous annual reports
on fragmentation, overlap, and duplication, we reviewed relevant
legislation and agency documents such as budgets, policies, strategic
and implementation plans, guidance, and other information between April
2021 and March 2022.
We also analyzed, to the extent possible, whether financial or other
benefits have been attained, and included this information as appropriate
(see discussion below on the methodology we used to estimate financial
benefits). In addition, we discussed the implementation status of the
actions with officials at the relevant agencies. Throughout this report, we
present our counts as of March 2022 because that is when we received
our last updates. The progress statements and updates are published on
GAO’s Action Tracker.
We used the following criteria in assessing the status of actions:5
•
In assessing actions suggested for Congress, we applied the following
criteria: “addressed” means relevant legislation has been enacted and
addresses all aspects of the action needed; “partially addressed”
means a relevant bill has passed a committee, the House of
Representatives, or the Senate during the current congressional
session, or relevant legislation has been enacted but only addressed
part of the action needed; and “not addressed” means a bill may have
been introduced but did not pass out of a committee, or no relevant
legislation has been introduced.
•
Actions suggested for Congress may also move to “addressed” or
“partially addressed” with or without relevant legislation if an executive
branch agency takes steps that address all or part of the action
needed. At the beginning of a new congressional session, we reapply
the criteria. As a result, the status of an action may move from
partially addressed to not addressed if relevant legislation is not
reintroduced from the prior congressional session.
5Since 2011, we have categorized 106 actions as “other” and are no longer assessing
these actions. We categorized 51 “other” actions as “consolidated or other.” In most
cases, “consolidated or other” actions were replaced or subsumed by new actions based
on additional audit work or other relevant information. We also categorized 55 of the
“other” actions as “closed-not addressed.” Actions are generally “closed-not addressed”
when the action is no longer relevant because of changing circumstances
Assessing the Status
of Selected
Previously Identified
Actions
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In assessing actions suggested for the executive branch, we applied the
following criteria: “addressed” means implementation of the action
needed has been completed; “partially addressed” means the action
needed is in development or started but not yet completed; and “not
addressed” means the administration, the agencies, or both have made
minimal or no progress toward implementing the action needed.
To calculate potential financial benefits from (1) new actions identified for
inclusion in the 2022 report and (2) actions already taken (addressed or
partially addressed) and potential financial benefits from actions that are
not fully addressed, we collected and analyzed data on costs and
potential savings to the extent they were available and linked supporting
documentation to those estimates. Each estimate was reviewed by one of
our technical specialists to ensure that estimates were based on
reasonably sound methodologies.
The financial benefits estimates came from a variety of sources, including
our analysis, Congressional Budget Office estimates, individual agencies,
and others, and use different time frames, underlying assumptions, data
quality, and methodologies among these individual estimates. Our
potential financial benefits estimates represent a rough estimate of
financial benefits, rather than an exact total. Estimating the benefits that
could result from addressing these actions was not possible in some
cases because information about the extent and impact of fragmentation,
overlap, and duplication among certain programs was not available.
Further, the financial benefits that can be achieved from addressing
fragmentation, overlap, or duplication or taking advantage of other
opportunities for cost savings and enhanced revenues were not always
quantifiable in advance of congressional and executive branch decision-
making. In addition, the needed information was not readily available on,
among other things, program performance, the level of funding devoted to
duplicative programs, or the implementation costs and time frames that
might be associated with program consolidations or terminations. We
used partial data and conservative assumptions to provide rough
estimates of potential savings magnitude, when more precise estimates
were not possible.
For actions that have already been taken, individual estimates of realized
financial benefits covered a range of time periods stretching from 2010
through 2029. To calculate the total amount of realized financial benefits
that have already accrued and those that are expected to accrue, we
separated those that accrued from 2010 through 2021 and those
Methodology for
Generating Financial
Benefits Estimates
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expected to accrue between 2022 and 2029. For individual estimates that
span both periods, we assumed that financial benefits were distributed
evenly over the period of the estimate. For each category, we summed
the individual estimates to generate a total. To account for uncertainty
and imprecision resulting from the differences in individual estimates, we
present these realized savings to the nearest billion dollars, rounded
down.
There is a higher level of uncertainty for estimates of potential financial
benefits that could accrue from actions not yet taken because these
estimates are dependent on whether, how, and when agencies and
Congress take our recommended actions, or due to a lack of sufficiently
detailed data to make reliable forecasts. As a result, many estimates of
potential savings are notionally stated using terms, such as millions, tens
of millions, or billions, to demonstrate a rough magnitude without
providing a more precise estimate. Further, many of these estimates are
not tied to specific time frames for the same reason. To calculate a total
for potential savings, with a conservative approach, we used the minimum
number associated with each term.6 To account for the increased
uncertainty of potential estimates and the imprecision resulting from
differences among individual estimates, we calculated potential financial
benefits to the nearest $10 billion, rounded down, and presented our
results using a notional term.
This report is based upon work we previously conducted in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards. Generally
accepted government auditing standards require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a
reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit
objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable
basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.
6For example, if we had stated that an agency could potentially save “hundreds of
millions,” we would use $100 million as part of our calculation of the total.
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Appendix II: New Areas in Which GAO Has
Identified Fragmentation, Overlap, or
Duplication
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This appendix presents 16 new areas in which we found evidence of
fragmentation, overlap, or duplication among federal government
programs.
Appendix II: New Areas in Which GAO Has
Identified Fragmentation, Overlap, or
Duplication
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Each year, the Department of Defense (DOD) must respond to congressional reporting requirements on an
array of national security topics. According to DOD data, the number of new reporting requirements from
Congress has more than doubled from 513 requirements in fiscal year 2000 to 1,429 requirements in fiscal
year 2020. Recently, Congress has expressed concerns with DOD’s congressional reporting process, and
several provisions in recent national defense authorization acts have addressed reforming and modernizing
this process.
In February 2022, GAO identified cases of duplication and fragmentation in DOD’s congressional reporting
process. For example, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs uses its own
tracking system to assign and track reporting requirements. However, DOD component officials told us that the
legislative affairs tracking system is not interoperable with the systems each component uses. As a result,
DOD component officials said they must manually copy information from the legislative affairs tracking system
into their respective systems to internally assign and track reporting requirements.
While the legislative affairs office is undertaking a number of efforts to reform and modernize its congressional
reporting process, GAO found that these efforts do not fully address duplication and fragmentation in the
process, including DOD’s fragmented approach to tracking congressional reporting requirements. This is in
part because legislative affairs officials have not consulted with internal stakeholders, such as DOD component
officials, in developing their reform and modernization efforts. A leading practice for federal agency reform
efforts identified by GAO is to consult with relevant stakeholders when developing reforms.
GAO recommended that the DOD legislative affairs office consult with internal stakeholders to inform DOD’s
congressional reporting reform and modernization efforts. This consultation should include identifying
opportunities to address stakeholders’ challenges and better managing duplication and fragmentation within
DOD’s congressional reporting process. DOD concurred with GAO’s recommendation.
Given the integral role that DOD components play in responding to congressional reporting requirements,
addressing the concerns of those stakeholders could more fully address the challenges with the current
process that GAO identified—including duplication and fragmentation—and improve DOD’s congressional
reporting process for all stakeholders.
Table 20 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
1. DOD’s Congressional Reporting Process
The Department of Defense’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Legislative Affairs should consult with internal
stakeholders and identify opportunities to better manage duplication
and fragmentation in its congressional reporting process.
Implementing Entity
Department of Defense
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-105183
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for DOD to
better manage duplication and
fragmentation in its congressional
reporting process. See GAO’s Action
Tracker.
Contact Information
Elizabeth A. Field at (202) 515-2775 or
fielde1@gao.gov
Source: Department of Defense/Helene C. Stikkel. I
GAO-22-105301
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Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOD for review
and comment. DOD had no comments on this report section.
Related GAO Product: Defense Management: DOD Should Collect More Stakeholder Input and
Performance Data on Its Congressional Reporting Process. GAO-22-105183. Washington, D.C.: February 10,
2022.
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The Department of Defense’s (DOD) food program policy is to provide high-quality and cost-effective food
service to military and civilian personnel. DOD spends billions of dollars to operate its food program. However,
congressional committees have raised questions about how the military services within DOD provide nutritious
food to enlisted servicemembers with a meal entitlement. Also, questions have been raised about how they
manage the costs of running their respective food programs, such as whether the military services are
accurately measuring costs per meal.
In March 2022, GAO found that the military services track use of their dining facilities, but they do not assess
how effectively or efficiently they provide food across their installations. For example, enlisted servicemembers
can eat at other venues, such as food trucks and kiosks, and use their meal entitlements to pay for meals at
these venues. While the military services assess the installations’ compliance with nutrition and menu
standards, they do not evaluate the resources required for the different dining options and the tradeoffs
entailed in using venues aside from traditional dining facilities to provide meals to servicemembers.
Further, GAO found that fragmentation in DOD’s food program effectively prevents the department from
comparing costs across the services. For example, each military service was tracking and reporting
inconsistent information on food costs. The military services included different components in their reported
total food service contract costs; some services, but not all, included costs for meals at contingency operations
locations, prisons, and overseas locations. GAO also found that military service food program officials were
missing some food program cost data at the installation level, such as the cost of locally procured supplies,
and some major cost categories of their food service contracts, such as equipment maintenance and repair
costs. GAO also found that each military service calculated the cost per meal using different factors.
GAO’s Performance Measurement and Evaluation states that performance measurement and evaluation
should support resource allocation and other policy decisions to improve service delivery and program
effectiveness. Office of Management and Budget guidance also indicates that evaluations should use
systematic data collection and analysis to assess effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, DOD guidance for
its food service program requires standard, accurate, and timely common data throughout the department for
reporting purposes and recording of metrics. However, DOD has not established guidance in coordination with
the military services that identifies or defines standard categories of costs that can be used to develop common
measures for assessing DOD’s food program costs.
In March 2022, GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense
(Comptroller), with the assistance of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Sustainment), and in
2. DOD Food Program Costs
The Department of Defense should assess the effectiveness and
efficiency of its food program, as well as identify and define specific
categories of costs for use in developing common measures to better
manage fragmentation in its food program and potentially save
millions of dollars annually.
Implementing Entity
The Departments of Defense, Army, Air
Force, and Navy, and the U.S. Marine
Corps
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-103949
Link to Actions
GAO identified five actions to improve
information for assessing DOD’s food
program use and costs. See GAO’s
Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Elizabeth Field at (202) 512-2775 or
fielde1@gao.gov
Source: Department of Defense/Helene C. Stikkel. I
GAO-22-105301
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coordination with the military services, establishes guidance that identifies and defines specific categories of
costs for use in developing common measures, such as cost per meal, for assessing DOD’s food program
costs. GAO also recommended that the military services require food program officials to conduct
assessments of the effectiveness and efficiency of their installation-wide food programs, including all other
dining venues, in providing healthy meals to servicemembers with a meal entitlement. DOD agreed with
GAO’s recommendations.
By implementing these recommendations, the military services would be able to evaluate the effectiveness and
efficiency of their programs in feeding enlisted servicemembers with meal entitlements. The military services
would also be able to more effectively measure performance and compare operations across installations to
maintain or improve food service operations, allocate resources, and control or reduce costs. In addition, by
better managing fragmentation in its food program, the department would be able to make meaningful
comparisons across the military services to help Congress evaluate the overall performance of DOD’s food
program. GAO cannot precisely estimate the amount of cost savings resulting from these recommendations,
because it would depend on DOD’s actions taken to realize efficiencies, and the associated costs. However, if
even 1 percent of the operating costs could be reduced at dining facilities for enlisted service members, it could
result in millions of dollars of annual savings.
Table 21 in appendix VI provides additional budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to the Departments of
Defense, Army, Air Force, and Navy, and the U.S. Marine Corps for review and comment. DOD and the
military services did not provide comments on this report section.
Related GAO Product: Food Program: DOD Should Formalize Its Process for Revising Food Ingredients and
Better Track Dining Facility Use and Costs. GAO-22-103949. Washington, D.C.: March 24, 2022.
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In 2014, in response to incidents involving the nation’s nuclear forces and their senior leadership, the Secretary
of Defense directed two reviews of the Department of Defense (DOD) nuclear enterprise. The DOD nuclear
enterprise includes Air Force intercontinental ballistic missiles; Air Force nuclear-capable bombers and tactical
fighters; Navy ballistic missile submarines; and the supporting infrastructure and personnel to build, maintain,
and control these assets. The two reviews examined DOD’s nuclear deterrent mission and identified long-
standing issues with leadership, organization, investment, morale, policy, and procedures, as well as other
shortcomings that were adversely affecting the mission and long-term health of the enterprise. Among other
things, the reviews identified fragmentation issues with nuclear enterprise leadership and oversight. For
example, the reviews found that senior DOD and military department leadership were not aware of issues
affecting the nuclear enterprise and emphasized the importance of communication across the enterprise. The
resulting reports, also issued in 2014, made 175 recommendations to address DOD’s management of nuclear
personnel, security requirements for nuclear weapons, and the availability of key equipment and support parts,
among other issues.
In January 2021, DOD issued a charter to create a new oversight organization, the Secretary of Defense
Nuclear Transition Review (SNTR), to assume responsibility for aspects of defense nuclear enterprise
oversight. The SNTR charter establishes a Nuclear Transition Steering Committee co-led by the Under
Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the
Commander, U.S. Strategic Command. According to DOD officials, the Under Secretary of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment’s Office of Strategic, Space, and Intelligence Portfolio Management will take the
lead in further identifying SNTR roles and responsibilities. Officials also said that they envision the charter as a
working document that will grow as the Office of Strategic, Space, and Intelligence Portfolio Management
determines how their office will work with other organizations to fulfill the SNTR’s mission. According to DOD
officials, as of August 2021, no SNTR meetings had been held yet.
In August 2021, GAO found that DOD has not defined specific roles and responsibilities for the SNTR or
documented how it will communicate internally and with other organizations, such as DOD offices and other
nuclear oversight bodies. Multiple other organizations, such as the Nuclear Weapons Council and the Council
on Oversight of the National Leadership Command, Control, and Communications System, oversee portions of
the nuclear enterprise and coordinate among various DOD entities and with the Department of Energy. The
SNTR will need to collaborate and communicate with these entities. Defining specific roles and responsibilities
is a leading practice for enhancing collaboration, and communicating internally and externally is called for by
federal internal control best practices. Additionally, DOD and the military services have made some progress in
identifying areas used to monitor the health of the nuclear enterprise, but DOD has not identified the means by
which it will monitor long-standing issues related to the long-term health of the enterprise, as envisioned by
DOD leadership.
3. DOD Nuclear Enterprise Oversight
The Department of Defense should clearly identify roles and
responsibilities, among other steps, to improve coordination and
better manage fragmentation among its new nuclear oversight
organization and other nuclear oversight groups and stakeholders.
Implementing Entity
Department of Defense
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-486
Link to Actions
GAO identified three actions to DOD to
improve oversight of the nuclear
enterprise. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Joe Kirschbaum at (202) 512-9971 or
kirschbaumj@gao.gov
Source: Department of Defense/Helene C. Stikkel. I
GAO-22-105301
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In August 2021, GAO recommended that DOD document (1) roles and responsibilities for the new oversight
organization, (2) communication methods for the new oversight organization, and (3) guidance that identifies a
means to monitor long-standing nuclear enterprise issues. DOD agreed with GAO’s recommendations. In
January 2022, in emailed technical comments on this report section, DOD stated that it uses a number of
existing oversight fora to communicate and coordinate within the nuclear enterprise. DOD also stated that it is
actively working to formalize the roles, responsibilities, and lines of communication between various fora to
monitor long-standing issues in the nuclear enterprise.
Without clearly documenting the SNTR’s roles and responsibilities for monitoring the long-term health of the
nuclear enterprise and methods for how the SNTR is to communicate with other existing nuclear enterprise
oversight organizations, DOD will be unable to effectively oversee the defense nuclear enterprise in a
coordinated, holistic manner that would address problems identified by the 2014 nuclear enterprise reviews or
other issues it may need to address in the future. Additionally, in the absence of a means to monitor long-term
issues, including challenges identified in the 2014 nuclear enterprise reviews, DOD is limited in its ability to
ensure that it is proactively identifying and addressing those challenges.
By taking these actions, DOD could improve coordination and communication among DOD’s new nuclear
oversight organization and other nuclear oversight groups and stakeholders, and DOD would have better
assurances that long-standing issues were monitored.
Table 22 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOD for review
and comment. DOD provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated.
Related GAO Product: Defense Nuclear Enterprise: DOD Can Improve Processes for Monitoring Long-
Standing Issues. GAO-21-486. Washington, D.C.: August 18, 2021.
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The Department of the Interior oversees the development of oil and gas resources on leased federal lands that
supply the U.S. with important energy resources and generate billions of dollars annually in revenues. Interior
uses three key data systems to inform its oversight: the Automated Fluid Minerals Support System, Legacy
Rehost 2000, and the Minerals Revenue Management Support System. Staff in Interior’s Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) and Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) rely on data from across these
systems to carry out responsibilities such as processing permits for drilling wells and ensuring appropriate
production payments are made. BLM manages Legacy Rehost 2000 and the Automated Fluid Minerals
Support System, and ONRR manages the Minerals Revenue Management Support System.
In May 2021, GAO found that the three data systems have limited interconnectivity and communication and
therefore do not automatically share common information—such as lease and well numbers—used by BLM
and ONRR. As a result, staff spend significant time reconciling data between the three systems in order to use
the data for the agencies’ oversight purposes. For example, GAO calculated, based on agency estimates, that
ONRR spends the equivalent of approximately 10 full-time employees in staff hours—over 22,750 staff hours—
every year on conversion and error correction due to data-sharing challenges with the data systems.
Interior has taken some steps to improve data sharing across the three key data systems. For example, BLM
and ONRR have drafted a vision statement outlining how data sharing might be improved between the
fragmented data systems. However, while BLM and ONRR are planning for or are actively updating or
modernizing the Automated Fluid Minerals Support System, Legacy Rehost 2000, and the Minerals Revenue
Management Support System, the new systems are not being designed to facilitate comprehensive, automated
data sharing.
Additionally, in August 2019, Interior created a leadership position within the Office of the Chief Information
Officer for aligning the department’s data management with best practices. This office has an important role in
ensuring that BLM’s and ONRR’s data system investments are serving the agencies’ and Interior’s overall
goals, but it has not developed a final plan to address the data sharing functions of the Automated Fluid
Minerals Support System, Legacy Rehost 2000, and the Minerals Revenue Management Support System as
updates continue.
OMB’s Federal Data Strategy calls for coordinating and sharing data assets across federal agencies. Without a
plan to comprehensively address data sharing, including automated data-sharing functions and adopting
common identifiers for leases and operators, Interior risks perpetuating its challenges related to the
fragmentation of these systems, and related issues with data sharing.
4. DOI’s Oil and Gas Data Systems
The Department of the Interior could better manage fragmentation
and potential duplication by implementing a plan to address
challenges with the key data systems it uses to manage oil and gas
development, resulting in improved oversight and saved staff time.
Implementing Entity
Department of the Interior
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-209
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for Interior to
develop a plan to address data-sharing
challenges to better manage
fragmentation and potential
duplication. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Frank Rusco at (202) 512-3841 or
ruscof@gao.gov
Source: ©Corbis. I GAO-22-105301
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In May 2021, GAO recommended that Interior develop a plan to address data-sharing challenges in the course
of updating and modernizing key oil and gas data systems. Interior agreed with the recommendation. As of
February 2022, Interior had taken steps, including requiring each Interior agency to have an Associate Chief
Data Officer responsible for governing data systems throughout their lifecycle and managing the overall
portfolio of data systems, which Interior anticipates will become the building blocks of a plan to address data-
sharing challenges.
Using agency data, GAO identified staff time being spent on activities that could potentially be saved if key
data systems shared data more systematically. However, GAO could not estimate the potential savings that
could accrue from implementation of these recommendations because it would depend on the timing and
details of specific actions agencies take, the extent to which these actions reduce unnecessary staff time, the
specific staff impacted, and the costs associated with improving the interoperability of the systems. Beyond the
potential for savings, comprehensive data sharing could improve Interior’s oversight of oil and gas
development on federal lands.
Table 23 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to Interior for review
and comment. Interior provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated, as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Oil and Gas: Interior Should Strengthen Management of Key Data Systems Used to
Oversee Development on Federal Lands. GAO-21-209. Washington, D.C.: May 27, 2021.
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According to the most recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during the
12-month period ending in April 2021, an approximate 100,300 drug overdose deaths occurred. The federal
government has spent billions of dollars in recent years and enlisted more than a dozen agencies, such as the
Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, to address drug misuse and its effects. In fiscal year
2021, the federal drug control budget was approximately $36 billion, which includes agency activities and drug
control grants fragmented across several agencies.
Within the Executive Office of the President, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is responsible
for overseeing the implementation of the nation’s national drug control policy and leading related efforts, which
involves coordinating with the National Drug Control Program agencies on those efforts. Section 8217(g)(2) of
the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and
Communities Act (SUPPORT Act), Pub. L. No. 115-271, § 8217, 132 Stat. 3894, 4119-25 (see 21 U.S.C. §
1704(f)) requires ONDCP to track federally funded grant programs for substance use disorder treatment,
prevention, and enforcement, among other things, to facilitate efforts to identify duplication, overlap, or gaps in
this grant funding to provide increased accountability.
GAO reported in December 2021 that ONDCP officials stated they meet the SUPPORT Act requirement by
assessing drug control grants for duplication, overlap, and fragmentation during their annual budget review
process. GAO was not able to evaluate ONDCP’s efforts because ONDCP does not document this process.
Federal standards for internal control call for documentation to demonstrate the design, implementation, and
operating effectiveness of an entity’s internal control system and provide a means to retain organizational
knowledge.
GAO recommended that ONDCP document its process and procedures to identify duplication, overlap, and
fragmentation among drug control grants, including ensuring that the documentation details standard
definitions, how specific grants are to be selected for each review, and what factors—services, beneficiaries,
and target populations—are to be assessed. ONDCP agreed with this recommendation. As of February 2022,
ONDCP plans to take action to implement the recommendation in calendar year 2022.
Documenting the process for identifying duplication, overlap, and fragmentation among drug control grants will
help ONDCP better manage fragmented drug control grant efforts and ensure that it retains organizational
knowledge of its duplication, overlap, and fragmentation process. Further, ONDCP can communicate and
demonstrate the effectiveness of its internal control system.
5. Drug Control Grant Tracking
The Office of National Drug Control Policy should document its
process for identifying duplication, overlap, and fragmentation among
drug control grants to better manage fragmented grant efforts, retain
organizational knowledge, and demonstrate its internal control
system’s effectiveness.
Implementing Entity
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104666
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for ONDCP
to document its process for identifying
duplication, overlap, and fragmentation
among its drug control grants. See
GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Triana McNeil at (202) 512-8777 or
mcneilt@gao.gov
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Table 24 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to ONDCP for review
and comment. ONDCP provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Drug Control Grants: ONDCP Should Document Its Process for Identifying
Duplication, Overlap, and Fragmentation. GAO-22-104666. Washington, D.C.: December 8, 2021.
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Criminal organizations, terrorists, and other malign actors engage in money laundering—exploiting
vulnerabilities in the global financial system to obscure the source and destination of ill-gotten proceeds and
further their illicit activity. Further, the size of the United States financial system makes it an attractive place for
these organizations to launder their illicit proceeds. Trade-based money laundering is one of the mechanisms
criminal organizations use to launder illicit proceeds, by manipulating the trade price of goods and services,
among other techniques. These schemes often involve many types of illicit activity—such as the trade of
counterfeit goods and sanctions evasion—that cut across multiple agencies’ roles and responsibilities.
In November 2021, GAO found that current federal efforts to combat this type of money laundering are
fragmented and do not include some key agencies involved in overseeing trade, and information on suspicious
financial and trade activity is siloed among different agencies. For example, the Department of the Treasury’s
2020 National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing does not incorporate the views and
perspectives of several agencies positioned to identify illicit trade, such as the U.S. Maritime Administration, as
well as private-sector entities, such as customs brokers. There is no formal collaboration mechanism focused
on combating trade-based money laundering among federal agencies with anti-money laundering and trade
enforcement responsibilities, such as a working group or task force.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Data Analysis and Research for Trade Transparency System
(DARTTS) incorporates partner countries’ trade data. According to agency officials familiar with this system,
trade and financial data are not proactively analyzed to identify emerging trends or patterns of illicit activity.
Further, the data and analysis are not shared with other relevant agencies involved in combating illicit finance
and trade that could potentially identify suspicious activity, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Officials from DHS’s Trade Transparency Unit (TTU), which maintains DARTTS, told GAO that the TTU’s data-
sharing agreements with partner countries limit its ability to share DARTTS data, but they could take steps to
explore ways to incorporate interagency data sharing into those agreements.
In November 2021, GAO recommended that (1) Treasury establish an interagency mechanism to promote
greater information sharing and data analysis, and (2) DHS take steps to allow the sharing of TTU data with
relevant U.S. agencies. Treasury neither agreed nor disagreed with GAO’s recommendation that it establish an
interagency collaboration mechanism and has not provided updates related to the actions it plans to take to
address this. Treasury stated that the success of any interagency coordination mechanism would rely on DHS
and the TTU making data more broadly available to Treasury, law enforcement, and other agencies.
Specifically, Treasury stated that it believes that access to and analysis of trade data outside of DHS should be
6. Trade-Based Money Laundering
The Departments of the Treasury and Homeland Security could better
manage fragmentation among their departments and other agencies
with trade enforcement responsibilities and better detect illicit financial
and trade activity by taking actions to enhance information sharing.
Implementing Entity
Department of the Treasury and
Department of Homeland Security
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-447
Link to Actions
GAO identified two actions for
Treasury and DHS to better share
information to combat illicit financial
and trade activity. See GAO’s Action
Tracker.
Contact Information
Michael Clements at (202) 512-8678 or
clementsm@gao.gov or Rebecca
Shea at (202) 512-6722 or
shear@gao.gov
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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recognized as a critical component to any coordination effort. Along with GAO, Treasury also emphasized the
importance of the TTU sharing its unique trade data with other agencies with analytic capabilities, but DHS did
not concur.
DHS officials stated that the leadership within DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is
concerned about sharing the TTU’s data with the private sector. However, that was not part of GAO’s findings
or recommendation—GAO recommended that the TTU share its data with U.S agencies with roles and
responsibilities related to enforcing trade laws and combating illicit financial activity. As of March 2022, ICE
continued to non-concur with GAO’s recommendation. In response to a draft of this report section, ICE
emphasized that its bi-lateral agreements with its foreign counterparts do not allow data sharing with other U.S.
agencies, and sharing such data would require a concession that ICE do the same for its foreign counterparts.
ICE also highlighted the dangers of unregulated sharing of personally identifiable information. However, GAO
only recommended that ICE take steps to enable data sharing with U.S. agencies with roles and
responsibilities related to enforcing trade laws and combating illicit financial activity, as appropriate.
Additionally, ICE’s agreements with its foreign counterparts include a process to allow data sharing with other
U.S. agencies. ICE officials previously noted their willingness to share their unique data with other federal
agencies—specifically, by partnering with relevant agencies to analyze data and identify trends within a
working group capacity. GAO continues to believe the recommendation is warranted.
Without a mechanism to better manage the fragmented efforts through greater information sharing and
collaboration to identify risks with public and private-sector entities, U.S. agencies are missing opportunities to
better analyze and distribute information that can combat trade-based money laundering and related schemes.
Additionally, without access to data that could be useful for identifying illicit trade and illicit financial activity,
U.S. agencies may not be able to identify emerging risks and trends related to trade-based money laundering
and other illicit trade schemes, which could inform investigative priorities and resource allocation. Potential
financial benefits could be realized if trade enforcement agencies are better able to identify, for example,
schemes to evade the payment of customs duties, taxes, and fees. However, GAO cannot estimate the
amount of savings because it would depend on the amount of future illicit trade activity, and the actions the
agencies may take to implement GAO’s recommendations.
Table 25 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to Treasury and DHS
for review and comment. Treasury and DHS provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as
appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Countering Illicit Finance and Trade: Better Information Sharing and Collaboration
Needed to Combat Trade-Based Money Laundering. GAO-22-447. Washington, D.C.: November 30, 2021.
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Numerous federal agencies have a role in addressing diet and its link to chronic health conditions, many of
which are preventable with healthy eating and other changeable behaviors. For example, 42 percent of adults
met the clinical definition of obesity in 2018, and obesity is associated with increased risk for conditions
including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. In 2018, these three conditions accounted for half of
all U.S. adult deaths, with spending on treatment totaling $383.6 billion. During the pandemic, people with such
conditions were 12 times more likely to die from a COVID-19 infection.
In August 2021, GAO identified 200 federal diet-related efforts for reducing Americans’ risk of chronic health
conditions, efforts which are fragmented across 21 agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. The 200 efforts fall into four categories of
overlap: (1) research, (2) education and clinical services, (3) food assistance and access, and (4) regulatory
action. Multiple agencies lead efforts in the first three categories; the Food and Drug Administration leads all
efforts in the regulatory action category.
Federal agencies have taken some actions to coordinate with each other on their diet-related efforts, but they
have not effectively managed fragmentation. This has compromised their ability to (1) achieve desired
outcomes and accountability, (2) designate resources to fund critical efforts, and (3) sustain government-wide
leadership over the long term. For example, agencies have not been able to identify sufficient shared
resources to update or publish new Dietary Reference Intakes, which identify specific nutrient needs and
underpin federal dietary guidelines.
Additionally, GAO previously found that coordinating agencies should identify and leverage sufficient funding
for their work, though in some instances, specific congressional authority may be necessary in order to provide
for interagency funding. In contrast, an agency official who led the Dietary Reference Intakes said that officials
must seek resources from participating agencies on an ad hoc basis each year because they do not have
specific budget appropriations.
Leading practices for collaboration identified by GAO state that to achieve a common outcome, coordinating
agencies can establish mutually reinforcing or joint strategies. Federal strategies to coordinate programs that
address cross-cutting issues of broad national need—such as addressing the risk to Americans from diet-
related chronic health conditions—can help manage fragmented efforts.
However, the 21 agencies lack a federal strategy for diet-related chronic health conditions. Agency officials
GAO interviewed generally supported a new federal strategy, but no agency officials asserted that their
agencies had the authority to lead a federal strategy that would have reasonable assurance of being sustained.
7. Diet-Related Chronic Health Conditions
Congress should consider identifying and directing a federal entity to
lead a federal strategy for reducing diet-related chronic health
conditions, which could help manage fragmentation and overlap
across 200 federal programs and activities.
Implementing Entity
Congress
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-593
Link to Actions
GAO identified one matter for
Congress to consider identifying and
directing a federal entity to lead a
strategy. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Steve D. Morris at (202) 512-3841 or
morriss@gao.gov
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GAO-22-105301
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In August 2021, GAO recommended that Congress consider identifying and directing a federal entity to lead
the development and implementation of a federal strategy to coordinate diet-related efforts that aim to reduce
Americans’ risk of chronic health conditions.
A federal strategy—with a designated federal entity that has commensurate authority (e.g., over budgets and
resources) to lead its development and implementation—could help agencies with a role in diet to identify
potential gaps and assess the effectiveness of current efforts in order to achieve improved, cost-effective
outcomes. A federal strategy may also help agencies identify opportunities to better manage potential overlap
and fragmentation. This could result in cost savings, if agencies adopt efficiencies or cut any unnecessary
efforts to a degree that exceeds the costs of developing and implementing the strategy. However, GAO cannot
estimate the potential cost savings, because consistent budget information for the efforts was not available for
all agencies. Some efforts also do not have unique budget line items.
Table 26 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to USDA and the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for review and comment. USDA and HHS did not provide
comments on this report section.
Related GAO Product: Chronic Health Conditions: Federal Strategy Needed to Coordinate Diet-Related
Efforts, GAO-21-593. Washington, D.C.: August 17, 2021.
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Behavioral health conditions (e.g., depression and opioid use disorder) affected an estimated 73.8 million
adults in the United States in 2020, and research has shown that low-income individuals, such as those
enrolled in Medicaid, are at greater risk of developing such conditions. Congress has taken steps to expand
access to behavioral health treatment, including authorizing the certified community behavioral health clinics
(CCBHC) demonstration. The demonstration provided funds to eight states to test whether changes to the
delivery and payment of behavioral health care would help improve beneficiaries' access to and use of these
services.
Clinics participating in the demonstration are required to provide a broad range of behavioral health services
and are reimbursed by state Medicaid programs using clinic-specific rates designed to cover expected costs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency within the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) that oversees Medicaid at the federal level, is responsible for ensuring that states’ Medicaid
payments are consistent with efficiency, economy, and quality of care, and are sufficient to ensure access to
care.
In September 2021, GAO found that CMS’s 2015 guidance to states on developing payment rates for the
demonstration lacked clear and consistent information for states that could prevent duplicate Medicaid
payments when clinics participating in the demonstration were also certified as additional provider types under
Medicaid, such as a Federally Qualified Health Center, behavioral health home, or both. Such clinics may offer
services that overlap with those covered under the demonstration and their other provider type, and without
clear and consistent guidance from CMS, there is the potential for these clinics to receive duplicate Medicaid
payments for the same service.
In September 2021, GAO recommended that the Administrator of CMS provide clear and consistent written
guidance to states on how to avoid potential duplication between demonstration payments and other Medicaid
payments. HHS concurred with the recommendation and stated that CMS would issue updated written
guidance on demonstration payments. As of February 2022, CMS had not updated its written guidance. HHS
noted that CMS had provided guidance to states on the payment of CCBHCs that are also certified as another
provider type in presentation slides from a technical assistance webinar. However, these slides do not
constitute consistent written guidance because they are not published and available for states to consult, and
they do not supersede CMS’s 2015 written guidance.
Five of the eight demonstration states have clinics participating in the CCBHC demonstration that are also
certified as another provider type, and while these five states have taken action to prevent payment
8. Medicaid Behavioral Health Demonstration
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should issue clear and
consistent guidance to states participating in the certified community
behavioral health clinics demonstration to help avoid potential
duplication between demonstration payments and other Medicaid
payments.
Implementing Entity
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-104466
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for CMS to
improve demonstration guidance for
states. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Carolyn L. Yocom at (202) 512-7114 or
yocomc@gao.gov
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GAO-22-105301
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duplication, updating the guidance is important because two new states are joining the demonstration in fiscal
year 2022 and there is congressional interest in expanding the CCBHC demonstration nationwide.
Consistent and clear written guidance from CMS could help new demonstration states avoid potential payment
duplication, safeguarding financial resources intended to help ameliorate behavioral health conditions for
vulnerable populations. However, GAO cannot estimate the value of future resource savings if this action was
taken because it would depend on various factors. Such factors could include whether and to what extent
services are provided by the CCBHC participating clinic and accounted for in the CCBHC payment rate;
whether each state has already taken action to prevent duplicate payments, and if so, how effective these
actions were; and whether and to what extent services provided by clinics participating in the CCBHC
demonstration that are also certified as another provider type were utilized, resulting in charges under each
payment rate.
Table 27 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to HHS for review
and comment. HHS provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated, as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Medicaid Behavioral Health: CMS Guidance Needed to Better Align Demonstration
Payment Rates with Costs and Prevent Duplication. GAO-21-104466. Washington, D.C.: September 27, 2021.
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Although radioactive materials will likely be needed in medical and industrial applications for many years to
come, recent events demonstrate the security and financial risks presented by the continued use of even small
quantities of high-risk radioactive materials. For example, a 2019 accident at a medical research facility
involving the release of a small quantity of radioactive material when contractors inadvertently cut into the
source containment unit cost the federal government $156 million to remediate. Separately, regulated
radioactive materials were stolen from a facility in Arizona in 2019 with intent to disperse them and cause
harm. Further, Sandia National Laboratories has estimated that a dirty bomb using radioactive material could
have socioeconomic costs between $24 billion and $30 billion. Some viable technology alternatives have been
developed and have market acceptance, and research into additional alternatives continues.
Figure 7: Irradiator with Radioactive Material (left) and Alternative Technology (right)
In October 2021, GAO found that the federal government has undertaken various efforts to advance
technology alternatives to high-risk radioactive materials. For example, since 2004, the National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA) has removed 355 cesium-137 irradiators used for medical and research
applications and subsidized the replacement of some with alternative x-ray technology. In addition, the Office
of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a guide in 2016 with recommendations for how the federal
government might transition to alternative technologies. However, there is currently no federal strategy to
coordinate and implement these fragmented agency efforts in a manner that effectively addresses the risk
presented by the continued use of these radioactive materials, and reduces their use where possible.
9. Alternative Technologies for Radioactive
Materials
Congress could help better manage fragmentation between the
relevant agencies and mitigate potential fiscal exposure to the federal
government from accidental or intentional incidents by directing the
establishment of a national strategy for replacing technologies that
use high-risk radioactive materials with alternatives.
Implementing Entity
Congress
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104113
Link to Actions
GAO identified three matters for
Congress to promote alternative
technologies that replace high-risk
radioactive materials in medical and
industrial applications. See GAO’s
Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Allison Bawden at (202) 512-3841 or
bawdena@gao.gov
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
Sources: Brookhaven National Lab (left photo) and Xstrahl (right photo). I GAO-22-105301
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GAO has reported that complex interagency undertakings like advancing the development and adoption of
alternative technologies across different industries can benefit from a national strategy with clear goals and
meaningful performance measures, clear roles to address organizational differences, and an overall leader
with authority to implement the strategy. However, this has not occurred because no entity has addressed how
organizational differences among relevant agencies could hinder the government’s ability to align its collective
efforts to support alternative technologies. For example, NNSA is mandated to eliminate the use of cesium-137
blood irradiators in the U.S., and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has a mandate to license cesium-
137 and other high-risk radioactive material consistent with its mission. NNSA officials acknowledged that
these functions conflict. However, according to NRC officials, NRC does not consider the availability of viable
alternatives when it considers a license application because they believe doing so would not be consistent with
their statutory authority, although NRC stated that both functions could be viewed as consistent with each
agency’s respective missions and authorities. As a result, agencies’ efforts are fragmented and in some cases,
working at cross purposes.
In October 2021, GAO identified three matters for consideration by Congress: (1) to consider directing
establishment of a national strategy for replacing technologies that use high-risk radioactive materials with
alternative technologies; (2) to provide authority to agencies directed to implement any aspects of the strategy;
and (3) to consider directing and authorizing the NRC to incorporate the consideration of alternative
technologies in its licensing process. As of March 2022, these matters for consideration have not been
implemented.
With a national strategy in place to guide federal efforts to advance alternative technologies for applications
using high-risk radioactive materials, agencies will be better able to coordinate actions, articulate meaningful
goals, and define roles and leadership toward reducing fiscal exposure and health and security risks. Although
there could be savings, GAO cannot estimate any savings because it would depend on a number of factors,
including (1) when and how the national strategy would be implemented, (2) the impact of that plan and
associated changes on the risk of a dirty bomb, and (3) specific details about the nature of any dirty bomb that
might be prevented.
Table 28 in appendix VI provides additional program related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to the Department of
Energy (DOE), NNSA, NRC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and OSTP for review and comment.
OSTP and DOE said they had no comments on this report section. NNSA, NRC, and FDA provided technical
comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Alternatives to Radioactive Materials: A National Strategy to Support Alternative
Technologies May Reduce Risks of a Dirty Bomb. GAO-22-104113. Washington, D.C.: October 21, 2021.
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The unprecedented scope and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic placed into sharp focus the critical capabilities
needed to execute a nationwide response to a worldwide significant biological incident. However, the response
to the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a disconnect between preparedness activities and exercises conducted
prior to the pandemic and what was needed for an effective response.
Preparing to detect, respond to, and recover from potentially catastrophic biological threats is an inherently
enterprise-wide undertaking, meaning it requires the capabilities and coordination of multiple federal agencies,
multiple levels of government, and nongovernmental entities. Capabilities such as global supply chain logistics,
mass testing and vaccination, data integration and analysis, and communication among various levels of
government and directly with the public reach beyond the mission space of a single agency. The 2018 National
Biodefense Strategy outlines the nationwide approach with specific goals and objectives to help prepare for
and respond to such incidents.
In August 2021, GAO found that challenges previously identified in numerous exercises and incidents from
2009 through 2019 persisted during the COVID-19 response. Further, GAO interviewed selected nonfederal
partners, such as officials from state emergency management and public health departments who stated they
felt underprepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, GAO found that the nation lacked
elements necessary for preparing for nationally significant biological incidents, including a process at the
interagency level to assess and communicate priorities for exercising biodefense capabilities.
GAO also identified common long-standing biodefense challenges in coordinating response capabilities,
managing information, and overall planning and exercise efforts. Further, GAO determined that agencies with
biodefense responsibilities do not routinely work together in monitoring results from exercises and real-world
incidents to identify patterns and root causes for systemic challenges. Existing gaps in preparing for nationally
significant biological events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, limit the ability to implement the preparedness
and response goals of the National Biodefense Strategy.
The nature of biological incidents presents inherent and unique challenges, not only because of the
fragmented nature of preparedness and response activities but also because nationally significant biological
incidents tend to be low-probability, yet high-consequence, events. To help the biodefense enterprise prepare
for nationally significant biological incidents, GAO recommended the following actions that the interagency
bodies responsible for implementing the National Biodefense Strategy should take:
•
Define a set of capabilities for responding to nationally significant biological incidents;
10. Biodefense Preparedness and Response
Federal and non-federal entities have opportunities to better prepare
for and respond to significant biological incidents, including to better
manage fragmented federal efforts.
Implementing Entity
Departments of Homeland Security,
Defense, Health and Human Services,
and Agriculture
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-513
Link to Actions
GAO identified 16 actions—four
actions each for DHS, DOD, HHS, and
USDA—to work through the
Biodefense Steering Committee in
order to better prepare for the next
biological threat. See GAO’s Action
Tracker.
Contact Information
Christopher Currie at (404) 679-1875
or curriec@gao.gov
Source: Photo Disc. I GAO-22-105301
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•
Establish a process at the interagency level for agencies to assess and communicate priorities for
exercising biodefense capabilities;
•
Provide guidance for federal and nonfederal partners on how to report on biodefense capabilities in after-
action reports for exercises and real-world incidents in a consistent manner; and
•
Routinely monitor the results of interagency biological exercises and real-world incidents to identify and
report patterns of challenges, potential root causes, and recommendations for addressing them, including
the responsible agencies, to the Biodefense Steering Committee.
In August 2021, the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS), and
Agriculture (USDA) concurred with all four recommendations made to each agency and the Department of
Defense (DOD) partially concurred with all four recommendations. In January 2022 and March 2022, DHS,
DOD, and USDA reported that the process for interagency biodefense coordination was undergoing review.
DHS, DOD, and HHS further stated that they were continuing to work with interagency partners to incorporate
GAO’s recommendations during this time.
The ability to monitor and assess the outcomes of interagency biological incident exercises and real-world
events could be instrumental in identifying persistent challenges and their root causes before they become
systemic, intractable problems. Identifying these issues could also help agencies prioritize which capabilities
need further development or exercising. Implementing these measures to better manage fragmentation will
help ensure the nation is better positioned to respond to the next biological threat.
Table 29 in appendix VI lists federal programs or other activities related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DHS, DOD, HHS,
and USDA for review and comment. DOD and HHS said they had no comments on this report section. DHS
and USDA provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Biodefense: After-Action Findings and COVID-19 Response Revealed Opportunities
to Strengthen Preparedness. GAO-21-513. Washington, D.C.: August 4, 2021.
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Recent deaths during encounters with law enforcement have generated interest in the federal government's
efforts to better understand and reduce the use of excessive force. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has noted
that such incidents can erode public trust in law enforcement and hamper its effectiveness. According to DOJ,
law enforcement officers may use force to mitigate an incident, make an arrest, or protect themselves or others
from harm. If an officer uses more force than is reasonable under the circumstances, that use of force is
excessive and may violate an individual’s civil rights.
DOJ collects data from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on their use of force and deaths in
custody, but in December 2021 GAO found that DOJ faced challenges in its efforts to collect data on law
enforcement’s use of force due to insufficient participation and incomplete reporting by state and local law
enforcement agencies. Further, GAO found that some of DOJ’s data collection efforts may overlap. GAO’s
analysis indicates that DOJ may collect overlapping data through some of its data collection efforts, which
could lead to lower response rates, and ultimately, undermine the completeness and quality of submissions.
For example, both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) collect
data on the number and characteristics of individuals who died in arrest-related incidents involving state and
local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, both the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics collect similar
data on fatal use of force incidents involving federal law enforcement agencies. However, despite the potential
for overlap in these data collections, DOJ has not completed a review of the extent of the potential overlap
among them.
DOJ officials told GAO that the components have taken some steps to coordinate data collection efforts related
to law enforcement’s use of force; however, at the time of GAO’s review, these steps were incomplete, had not
been formalized, and did not include all relevant components. FBI and BJA officials told GAO they had drafted
a memorandum outlining the responsibilities of each agency and the terms of data sharing. However, the
memorandum was not yet finalized in August 2021 and further, DOJ has not completed an analysis of potential
overlap or established a deadline for such analysis. Additionally, the draft memorandum, as described by
agency officials, discusses data sharing between the BJA and the FBI but does not include potential overlap
with data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. GAO has outlined steps for agencies to take when there
might be duplication, overlap, or fragmentation. This guidance recommends that agencies identify the potential
overlap and its related effects, validate their findings using relevant information, and identify options to better
manage overlap, as appropriate.
GAO recommended that the Attorney General complete an analysis to understand the extent of potential
overlap among its data collection efforts related to use of force and its positive or negative effects, validate
11. Law Enforcement’s Use of Force
The Department of Justice should analyze use of force data collection
efforts to identify the extent of potential overlap, validate these
findings using relevant information, and identify options to better
manage any existing overlap.
Implementing Entity
Department of Justice
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104456
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for DOJ to
take to analyze potential overlap
among its data collection efforts
related to law enforcement’s use of
force. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Gretta L. Goodwin at (202) 512-8777
or goodwing@gao.gov
Source: Photo Disc. I GAO-22-105301
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these findings using relevant information, and identify options for managing such overlap. DOJ concurred with
this recommendation, stating that it will expand its efforts to identify and implement death in custody data
collection best practices and identify the effects of any overlapping data collection efforts, including all data
collection related to law enforcement’s use of force.
This analysis on the extent of potential overlap among DOJ’s data collection efforts related to use of force
could help increase participation in these data collection efforts, thereby improving the quality of the data
collected.
Table 30 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOJ for review
and comment. In February 2022, DOJ officials stated that the FBI and BJA had finalized their memorandum of
understanding regarding the sharing of death in custody data in September 2021. The DOJ officials stated that
DOJ was working to document a cross-comparison analysis of arrest-related death data, to be completed later
in 2022.
Related GAO Product: Law Enforcement: DOJ Can Improve Publication of Use of Force Data and Oversight
of Excessive Force Allegations. GAO-22-104456. Washington, D.C.: December 7, 2021.
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Federal agencies spend more than $100 billion annually on IT to improve their mission delivery and support
and enhance infrastructure, security, and management. However, because of longstanding challenges, the
federal government’s management of IT acquisitions and operations has been on GAO’s high-risk list since
2015.
To help address agencies’ troubled IT efforts, the federal government established the Office of Management
and Budget’s (OMB) U.S. Digital Service (USDS) and the General Services Administration’s (GSA) 18F
programs. These programs help federal agencies deliver digital services, such as public facing websites and
online benefit applications. To fulfill their missions, they conduct similar activities, such as providing expertise
to agencies on specific IT projects, recruiting IT experts, and developing IT guidance to assist agencies.
In December 2021, GAO found that although USDS and 18F coordinated on IT projects and recruiting efforts,
they did not consistently coordinate on IT acquisition and development guidance for agencies, as called for by
leading collaboration practices identified in GAO’s prior work. Specifically, GAO found that USDS and 18F had
collaborated on guidance to help government teams design and build websites (the U.S. Web Design System),
but they had also separately issued multiple IT guidance documents—USDS issued 10 guides and 18F issued
14 guides.
Although the guidance at times covered the same topics (e.g., both programs had issued guides on acquiring
digital services using agile software development methods), GAO did not find significant issues with the
content of the guidance released separately, such as conflicting information. However, GAO found that USDS
and 18F did not have a formalized, documented approach to coordinating on guidance. USDS and 18F officials
said they had coordinated on guidance when it made sense to do so and described examples of ad hoc ways
in which communication about guidance had occurred, such as in meetings on other topics and informal
communication among their employees. These officials also acknowledged the need to improve guidance
coordination but did not have specific plans to do so.
In December 2021, GAO made two recommendations—one to OMB and one to GSA—to have USDS and 18F
work with each other to establish and document how they will coordinate on the IT guidance they provide to
agencies. In response, OMB and GSA generally agreed with GAO’s recommendations, and said they will work
with each other to address the recommendations and had begun meeting to develop new processes to ensure
future coordination between the USDS and 18F programs. As of March 2022, OMB and GSA stated that they
were continuing to meet together to develop new processes.
12. Digital Service Guidance
The Office of Management and Budget and General Services
Administration could better manage fragmentation and reduce the risk
of overlapping and duplicating efforts in developing information
technology guidance for federal agencies by improving coordination
between their U.S. Digital Service and 18F programs.
Implementing Entity
Office of Management and Budget and
General Services Administration
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104492
Link to Actions
GAO identified two actions, one each
for OMB and GSA to improve
coordination on the planning and
development of IT guidance. See
GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Carol Harris at (202) 512-4456 or
harriscc@gao.gov
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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By formally coordinating on planning and developing guidance, USDS and 18F would better manage
fragmented efforts to develop guidance for agencies and could reduce the risk of overlapping or duplicating
their efforts, or presenting conflicting information in their guidance. Additionally, by coordinating more
strategically on their guidance, USDS and 18F are more likely to identify and leverage each other’s expertise in
ways that enhance the guidance and assistance they provide to agencies.
Table 31 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to OMB and GSA for
review and comment. OMB and GSA provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Information Technology: Digital Service Programs Need to Consistently Coordinate on
Developing Guidance for Agencies. GAO-22-104492. Washington, D.C.: December 10, 2021.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as part of its mission, helps farmers manage the risks inherent in
farming and promotes economic development in rural areas. In fiscal year 2019, U.S. farmers, ranchers, and
foresters received more than $71 billion in USDA payments administered by agencies in the department’s
Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area. USDA’s IT infrastructure enables farmers, ranchers,
and other customers to enroll in programs, access services, and exchange information. In 2017, three USDA
agencies—Farm Service Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Risk Management Agency—
consolidated certain operations under the FPAC mission area, in part to increase efficiencies in their IT
systems and thereby serve their customers better.
GAO reported that FPAC had several IT modernization initiatives underway to maximize efficiencies and
reduce IT duplication and overlap. However, as of September 2021, FPAC had not developed a mission area
IT strategic plan that included the necessary performance goals and measures to monitor its IT program
performance. For example, FPAC had not yet defined the level of performance to be achieved related to
reducing unnecessary IT duplication and overlap, or identified the indicators to be used in measuring progress
towards the ongoing initiatives’ goals. FPAC officials noted they were in the process of developing a 5-year IT
roadmap to reflect the new administration’s priorities and to identify areas of consolidation to reduce overlap or
duplication, which they said would be used as a strategic document.
Accordingly, GAO recommended that FPAC develop an IT strategic plan, in alignment with USDA
departmental policies and procedures, to include performance goals and measures for maximizing efficiencies
and reducing IT duplication and overlap, and to monitor IT program performance against this plan. USDA
agreed with the recommendations and noted that, as of September 2021, FPAC was updating a draft 5-year IT
plan to help reduce overlap and provide a roadmap for IT modernization. USDA added that it intended for the
roadmap to include methods to track progress and measure efficiencies, which is expected to enable the
department and FPAC to monitor progress in reducing IT overlap and duplication. As of February 2022, USDA
officials noted that FPAC plans to complete its 5-year IT plan and begin conducting quarterly reviews on
progress against the IT plan to reduce IT overlap and duplication in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022.
Until FPAC has a strategy to guide its duplication and overlap initiatives and the associated performance goals
and measures to monitor IT program performance, the mission area may miss opportunities for achieving
financial savings and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its programs. Further, without a strategy and
associated performance goals and measures, the mission area will lack insight to effectively demonstrate how
its IT and information resources goals map to FPAC’s mission and organizational priorities.
13. Farm Production and Conservation IT
Duplication and Overlap
By developing a strategic plan with performance goals and measures,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Production and
Conservation mission area could maximize efficiencies and reduce IT
duplication and overlap.
Implementing Entity
United States Department of Agriculture
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-512
Link to Actions
GAO identified two actions for USDA
to maximize efficiencies, reduce IT
duplication and overlap, and monitor
program performance. See GAO’s
Action Tracker.
Contact Information
David B. Hinchman at (214) 777-5719
or hinchmand@gao.gov
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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While the FPAC agencies can achieve cost savings by eliminating duplicative IT or reducing overlap, GAO is
unable to estimate the potential savings because the amount of savings will depend on various factors
including the extent of unnecessary duplicative or overlapping efforts identified. Until FPAC defines the level of
performance to be achieved related to reducing IT duplication and overlap, or identifies the indicators to be
used in measuring progress towards the initiatives’ goals, the mission area will not be able to track progress
and measure efficiencies.
Table 32 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to USDA for review
and comment. USDA provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and
Conservation Mission Area. GAO-21-512. Washington, D.C.: September 23, 2021.
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Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters can damage watersheds, creating threats to life and
property. Congress appropriated over $1.3 billion to the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program
from fiscal years 2015 through 2020.The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) EWP program provides
technical and financial assistance to help nonfederal entities implement emergency measures to relieve
imminent threats to life and property in watersheds damaged by a natural disaster. The program is primarily
administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Forest Service has a role in
implementing it. Emergency watershed protection projects may be implemented on federal and nonfederal
lands.
Wildfires on federal lands may lead to flooding that can negatively affect life and property on nonfederal land
downstream, such as by reducing water quality, damaging roads, and threatening homes. Some stakeholders
said that, in certain cases, EWP projects may be more effective at protecting nonfederal land downstream if
the projects were carried out on National Forest System land, but they were either discouraged from doing so
or told by NRCS officials that they could not implement EWP projects on such lands.
In October 2021, GAO found that NRCS and the Forest Service do not have a current memorandum of
understanding (MOU) or guidance that clarifies their respective roles and responsibilities in administering the
EWP program on National Forest System lands. In the absence of an MOU or guidance that clarifies roles and
responsibilities under the EWP program, NRCS and the Forest Service may continue to face challenges
managing fragmented implementation of post-fire emergency measures in damaged watersheds.
GAO recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Chiefs of NRCS and the Forest
Service, develop an MOU or guidance clarifying roles and responsibilities for how and when EWP projects can
be done on National Forest System lands. NRCS and the Forest Service concurred with the recommendation.
Better managing fragmentation by clarifying roles and responsibilities and formally documenting how NRCS
and the Forest Service will collaborate to operate the EWP program would help the agencies and stakeholders
better understand the Forest Service’s role and implement the most effective watershed protection projects
within the constraints of the program.
Table 33 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
14. Emergency Watershed Protection
The U.S. Department of Agriculture should clarify and document roles
and responsibilities for Emergency Watershed Protection projects on
National Forest System lands to help address fragmentation and
ensure sponsors design the most effective projects.
Implementing Entity
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104326
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for USDA to
clarify roles and responsibilities for
how and when emergency watershed
protection projects can be done on
National Forest System lands. See
GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Nathan Anderson at (202) 512-3841 or
andersonn@gao.gov
Source: Brand X Pictures. I GAO-22-105301
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Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to USDA for review
and comment. USDA did not provide comments on this section.
Related GAO Product: Emergency Watershed Protection: Assistance Program Helps Meet Post-Disaster
Needs and Could Be Improved with Additional Guidance. GAO-22-104326. Washington D.C.: October 28,
2021.
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High-performance computing—the use of aggregated computing power to achieve much higher performance
than a typical desktop computer or workstation—is essential to the nation’s security, global economic
competitiveness, and scientific discovery. Issues of strategic importance require high-performance computing,
such as management of the national nuclear stockpile, research on COVID-19, development of climate
models, and support for advances in commercial manufacturing.
In 2015, Executive Order 13702, which established the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI), stated
that it is the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance U.S. scientific, technological, and economic
leadership in high-performance computing through a coordinated federal strategy. It addressed fragmentation
of strategic computing responsibilities across the government by outlining roles for 10 federal agencies and
establishing the NSCI Executive Council. This council, co-chaired by the Directors of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget, was established to ensure
accountability for, and coordination of, high-performance computing research, development, and deployment
activities within the NSCI. The executive council issued a strategic plan in 2016, which was updated in 2020.
In September 2021, GAO found that federal agencies made significant advances toward implementing the
objectives of the 2016 strategic plan. In particular, the Department of Energy was close to delivering the first of
three computing systems that were expected to be among the most powerful computers in the world when
completed.
However, OSTP and other agencies inconsistently reported on progress towards the 2016 strategic plan’s
objectives, and OSTP was not aware of any reports prepared by the executive council that documented
progress. The executive order that established the NSCI required the executive council to document progress
annually for 5 years after the establishment of an implementation plan. Some nonfederal stakeholders from
academia and industry told GAO the lack of progress reports limited their visibility into the accomplishments
achieved under the 2016 strategic plan and remaining work.
GAO also found that the 2020 strategic plan did not fully address some of the desirable characteristics of a
national strategy that GAO described in its prior work. For example, the plan did not describe the resources or
investments needed to implement it. In addition, the 2020 strategic plan did not contain performance measures
or a process for monitoring and reporting on progress. OSTP and agency officials said they planned to release
a more detailed implementation roadmap but did not describe what details the roadmap would include.
In 2021, GAO made two recommendations to OSTP to (1) address each of the desirable characteristics of a
national strategy, as practicable, in the implementation roadmap for the 2020 strategic plan or through other
15. High-Performance Computing
The Office of Science and Technology Policy could better manage
fragmentation in federal efforts to advance high-performance
computing by fully incorporating desirable characteristics of a national
strategy.
Implementing Entity
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-104500
Link to Actions
GAO identified two actions for OSTP to
better achieve the objectives of the
national strategy for high-performance
computing. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Candice Wright at (202) 512-6888 or
wrightc@gao.gov
Source: Brand X Pictures. I GAO-22-105301
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means; and (2) prepare publicly available annual reports, in consultation with the 10 federal agencies,
assessing progress made in implementing the 2020 strategic plan. OSTP concurred with both
recommendations. As of January 2022, OSTP stated that the implementation plan for the 2020 strategic plan
was undergoing interagency review and would be published soon. OSTP also stated that the relevant
interagency coordinating bodies for the plan had initiated a process to develop an annual report that would
provide information on the progress toward the goals of the 2020 strategic plan.
The desirable characteristics of an effective national strategy consist of elements that help federal agencies
implement the strategy and achieve its goals. By more fully addressing these desirable characteristics and
providing annual reports on implementation of the 2020 strategic plan, OSTP and agencies can better manage
fragmentation and help Congress and the public gain a better understanding of efforts to sustain and enhance
U.S. leadership in high-performance computing.
Table 34 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to OSTP for review
and comment. OSTP provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: High Performance Computing: Advances Made Towards Implementing the National
Strategy, but Better Reporting and a More Detailed Plan Are Needed. GAO-21-104500. Washington, D.C.:
September 30, 2021.
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Research and development has played an essential role in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) efforts to safely
and effectively clean up massive amounts of contamination from decades of nuclear weapons production and
energy research. DOE is responsible for the largest share—about 85 percent as of fiscal year 2020—of the
federal government’s environmental liabilities. In 2017, GAO designated the federal government’s
environmental liabilities as a high-risk area because of the large and growing estimated costs of cleaning up
areas where federal activities have contaminated the environment. DOE’s Office of Environmental
Management (EM) is responsible for cleaning up nuclear waste at the 16 sites under the agency’s care and
identifies research and development needed to conduct this cleanup in more effective and efficient ways.
In October 2021, GAO found that EM uses both formal and informal mechanisms to coordinate research and
development across its complex, which refers to EM headquarters, its cleanup sites, and DOE’s national
laboratories. For example, EM facilitates collaboration through working groups to share information with other
offices and programs throughout DOE. EM’s coordination of research and development efforts fully aligns with
four of GAO’s seven leading practices for collaboration, such as clarifying roles and responsibilities and
including relevant participants.
However, EM does not fully follow the other three leading practices of (1) common terminology and definitions
to bridge organizational cultures, (2) identifying and tracking resources, and (3) defining outcomes and
monitoring progress for accountability. Specifically, GAO found that EM has not shared a common definition of
research and development with relevant stakeholders. Also, EM officials said that the agency does not have an
internal system to identify and track research and development funding, throughout the complex. Finally, the
agency’s ongoing efforts to monitor outcomes do not cover the entire EM complex; for example, a recent
review did not include all 16 sites in its scope.
In October 2021, GAO recommended that DOE develop and disseminate a common definition of research and
development for EM and its sites, systematically collect comprehensive data on its research and development
funding, and deploy a system to collect these data to monitor and evaluate progress toward outcomes
throughout the EM complex. DOE agreed with these recommendations.
By taking these actions to align research and development efforts with leading practices for collaboration, DOE
could help ensure that EM is positioned to better manage fragmentation across the EM complex and reduce
potentially duplicative and overlapping activities to address EM’s nuclear waste cleanup mission.
16. Nuclear Waste Cleanup Research and
Development Efforts
By following leading practices for collaboration, the Department of
Energy could better manage fragmentation and reduce potential
duplication and overlap in its research and development to address its
nuclear waste cleanup mission.
Implementing Entity
Department of Energy
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104490
Link to Actions
GAO identified three actions for DOE
to better manage fragmentation and
reduce potentially duplicative and
overlapping research and development
to address its nuclear cleanup mission.
See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Nathan Anderson at (202) 512-3841 or
andersonn@gao.gov
Source: Brand X Pictures. I GAO-22-105301
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Table 35 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOE for review
and comment. DOE said it had no comments on this report section.
Related GAO Product: Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE Needs to Better Coordinate and Prioritize Its Research
and Development Efforts. GAO-22-104490. Washington, D.C.: October 28, 2021.
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This appendix summarizes five new areas for Congress or executive
branch agencies to consider taking action that could either reduce the
cost of government operations or enhance revenue collections for the
U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Appendix III: New Areas in Which GAO Has
Identified Other Cost Savings or Revenue
Enhancement Opportunities
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The F-35 Lightning II will be the cornerstone of the United States military’s tactical air force for decades to
come. With its advanced capabilities, this aircraft represents a growing portion of the Department of Defense’s
(DOD) tactical aviation fleet, with about 400 aircraft fielded. DOD plans to procure nearly 2,500 F-35s at an
estimated 66-year life cycle cost exceeding $1.7 trillion—with about $1.3 trillion of those costs associated with
operating and sustaining the aircraft.
In July 2021, GAO found that since 2012, estimated F-35 life cycle sustainment costs have increased steadily
from $1.11 trillion to $1.27 trillion, even though DOD has made efforts to reduce costs. Also, the Air Force,
Marine Corps, and Navy face a substantial and growing gap between estimated sustainment costs and
affordability constraints (i.e., costs per tail (aircraft) per year the services project they can afford), totaling about
$6 billion in 2036 alone, when not factoring in potential aircraft attrition (see figure 8). As a result, the services
collectively will be confronted with sustainment costs that they project will be unaffordable over the life cycle of
the program.
Figure 8: Gap between F-35 Affordability Constraints and Estimated Sustainment Costs in 2036
Note: Costs are in constant year 2012 dollars as that was the year when the F-35 program was most recently re-baselined.
aSteady state years for the F-35 program are defined in each respective service’s affordability analysis as: US Air Force/F-35A – 2036-2041; US Marine
Corps/F-35B – 2033-2037; and US Navy/F-35C – 2036-2043. Steady state refers to the program’s peak operating point.
GAO found that DOD does not have a pathway to close the substantial gap between estimated sustainment
costs for the F-35 and service-established affordability constraints, nor is it required to periodically report to
Congress on these. Cost reductions become increasingly difficult as the program matures, and achieving cost
reductions of this magnitude in sustainment costs presents a formidable challenge for the program. Within
17. F-35 Lightning II Sustainment
The Department of Defense could reduce F-35 sustainment costs by
hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars over several
years by developing a strategic approach to ensure that the services
can afford to operate and support the F-35.
Implementing Entity
Congress and the Department of
Defense
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-439
Link to Actions
GAO identified one matter for
Congress and four actions to DOD to
improve the affordability of the F-35
program. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Diana Maurer at (202) 512-9627 or
maurerd@gao.gov
Source: Department of Defense/Helene C. Stikkel.
GAO-22-105301
Service
2020 JPO
Affordability
and
CPTPY
constraint
aircraft
estimate in
steady stale'
Air Force
$7.8
$4.1
F-35A
Marine Corps
$9.1
$6.8
F-35B
Marine Corps
$7.9
$6.8
F-35C
Navy
$9.9
$7.5
F-35C
CPTPY
cost per tail (aircraft) per year
Source: GAO analysis of Joint Pro~ram Office (JPO) data.
Gap between
Planned
Total cost
projected cost
aircraft total
overrun in
and affordability
in steady stale'
steady state'
constraint
year 2036
year 2036
=
$3.7
X
1,192
= $4.4 billion
=
$2.3
X
353
= $812 million
=
$1.1
X
67
= $74 million
=
$2.4
X
273
= $655 million
Costs in millions unless otheiwise noted ■iYHI
GAO-22-105301
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DOD there are differing perspectives on the best course of action to achieve the affordability constraints and
the program does not have a strategic approach for ensuring the services can afford to operate and support
the F-35.
GAO suggested that Congress consider (1) requiring DOD to report annually on progress achieving the
services’ affordability constraints, and (2) making future F-35 aircraft procurement decisions contingent on
DOD’s progress in achieving F-35 sustainment affordability constraints. In the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2022, Congress took steps to limit the quantity of F-35s procured by the military services
beginning in fiscal year 2029 based on their ability to achieve affordability cost targets.
GAO also made four recommendations to DOD. Specifically, DOD should (1) assess its ability to meet the
services’ affordability constraints with existing or planned cost-reduction efforts, (2) assess and document
changes to service-related F-35 program requirements (e.g., the number of aircraft purchases and flying hours)
to achieve cost-reductions, (3) develop a plan with detailed actions and milestones for achieving affordability
constraints, and (4) develop a risk-management approach for addressing potential challenges or making
adjustments to achieve affordability objectives.
DOD generally concurred with each recommendation and identified actions it was taking or planning to
address them. As of March 2022, DOD said it is working to develop updated F-35 sustainment affordability
constraints by the end of 2022 to reflect any changes in department priorities that result from the fiscal year
2023 budget process.
Implementing GAO’s recommendations will help ensure that DOD can afford to sustain the F-35 program.
Successful actions aligned with GAO’s recommendations could result in hundreds of millions, or even billions,
of dollars in cost avoidance. For example, just a 10-percent reduction in the projected $6 billion affordability
gap in the year 2036 could result in $600 million in cost avoidance in that year alone with cost avoidance
totaling billions of dollars over the entirety of the program’s life cycle. DOD could also decide to revise its
affordability constraints—increasing the costs it finds acceptable to be allocated to the sustainment of the F-35.
However, this would likely mean that DOD would need to make adjustments in its planning and budget
priorities to offset the acceptance of higher F-35 sustainment costs. Ultimately, DOD’s decisions will be
informed by national security considerations, competing budgetary priorities, and congressional direction and
appropriations.
Table 36 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOD for review
and comment. DOD provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: F-35 Sustainment: DOD Needs to Cut Billions in Estimated Costs to Achieve
Affordability. GAO-21-439. Washington, D.C.: July 7, 2021.
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Each year, federal agencies spend over $500 billion to buy a wide variety of products and services, ranging
from cutting-edge military aircraft to common office supplies. Given the amount of federal funds spent and the
missions these contracts support, it is critical that agencies’ procurement leaders effectively manage the
organizations that award the contracts for these products and services.
In July 2021, GAO identified key practices that leading private sector companies use to improve the way they
buy products and services and found that several of the federal government’s largest agencies do not
consistently use those key practices to improve the performance of their procurement organizations. GAO
reviewed six agencies, selected because they had very large contract obligations or were included in GAO’s
High Risk List because of contract management challenges: the Departments of the Air Force, the Army, the
Navy, Homeland Security (DHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA), and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
GAO found only procurement leaders at NASA collaborated with end users when developing performance
metrics, and none of the leaders consistently used outcome-oriented metrics to measure the timeliness of
deliveries, quality of deliverables, or end user satisfaction. Additionally, GAO found that procurement leaders at
five of the six agencies—the Army, the Navy, DHS, VA, and NASA—do not consistently use outcome-oriented
metrics that could help these agencies reduce or avoid costs, such as metrics that measure whether products
and services cost more or less than they should.
GAO recommended that contracting leaders at the Army, Navy, DHS, VA, and NASA use metrics measuring
cost reduction or avoidance to improve the performance of their procurement organizations and potentially
save billions of dollars annually. Army, Navy, VA, and NASA agreed with the recommendations, and GAO is
tracking progress made toward implementing them.
DHS did not agree, stating that metrics measuring cost reduction or avoidance, among other outcomes, do not
necessarily capture the most relevant aspects of procurement organizations’ performance. In February 2022,
DHS restated its position but stated it would review its current metrics to determine whether they appropriately
measure the intended procurement outcomes. DHS stated it would complete this effort by November 2022.
GAO continues to believe the recommendation is relevant. For example, GAO found the Air Force’s senior
procurement leader had used a metric measuring cost reduction or avoidance to manage the Air Force’s
procurement organizations, and as of March 2021, the Air Force had identified $2.38 billion in cost savings and
avoidance.
18. Federal Contracting Metrics
Contracting leaders at federal agencies should use metrics measuring
cost reduction or avoidance to improve the performance of their
procurement organizations and potentially save billions of dollars
annually.
Implementing Entity
Departments of the Army, the Navy,
Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs,
and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-491
Link to Actions
GAO identified five actions for federal
agencies to improve the performance
of their procurement organizations.
See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Timothy J. DiNapoli at (202) 512 4841
or dinapolit@gao.gov
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Using outcome-oriented performance measures—including metrics measuring cost reduction or avoidance—
can help the these agencies realize billions of dollars in cost savings each year by identifying improvement
opportunities, setting priorities, and better allocating resources. Experts at academic institutions and
professional associations told GAO that companies use such metrics to identify which of their procurement
teams are reducing costs, and corporate procurement leaders provided specific examples of how they have
used outcome-oriented performance data to make management decisions. In fiscal year 2020, the five
agencies to which GAO addressed these recommendations awarded contracts totaling more than $320 billion.
While GAO cannot precisely estimate the future savings resulting from these actions, even a 1 percent
improvement in performance would result in billions of dollars in annual savings.
Table 37 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to the Departments of
the Army, the Navy, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, and NASA for review and comment. VA said it
had no comments on this report section. The Departments of the Army, Navy, and Homeland Security, and
NASA provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Federal Contracting: Senior Leaders Should Use Leading Companies’ Key Practices
to Improve Performance. GAO-21-491. Washington, D.C.: July 27, 2021.
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In 2019, Medicare spent nearly $28 billion on care provided to 1.5 million beneficiaries in about 15,500 skilled
nursing facilities (SNF)—a type of nursing facility that provides residents short-term rehabilitation care after a
hospital stay. Medicare pays SNFs a daily payment rate intended to cover almost all services provided to
beneficiaries, including nursing, therapy, and ancillary services such as drugs and laboratory tests. Medicare
adjusts the daily payment rates to account for differences in the medical needs of residents in each SNF.
Research has shown that inadequate nurse staffing of SNFs can result in potentially preventable critical
incidents, such as hospital readmissions or emergency room visits that occur within 30 days of the SNF
admission. Medicare incurs additional spending for such critical incidents above and beyond spending for the
daily payments to SNFs.
In July 2021, GAO estimated that in 2018 (the most recent SNF-level data available at the time of GAO’s
analysis), Medicare incurred over $5 billion in additional spending—most of which was for about 377,000
hospital readmissions generated by all SNFs (including those with lower than average nurse staffing rates).
While it may not be feasible for SNFs to completely eliminate their hospital readmissions in a given year, GAO
estimated that Medicare could have saved about $476 million in 2018 if all SNFs had reduced their hospital
readmissions by 2 percentage points.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)—which administers Medicare—is authorized to reduce
certain SNFs’ daily payments by up to 2 percent to incentivize them to reduce their rates of hospital
readmissions. Experts have noted that payment incentives under current law may not be sufficient to motivate
SNFs to improve their staffing, which in turn could lead to reductions in critical incidents.
GAO recommended that Congress consider directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to
implement additional reductions in payments to SNFs that generate Medicare spending on potentially
preventable critical incidents, either through the existing payment reduction mechanism or some other vehicle.
Congress has yet to do so as of March 2022. However, in August 2021, CMS stated that the COVID-19
pandemic had significantly affected the health care system, including hospital readmission rates, and these
effects were not uniform across SNFs nationwide. To avoid unfairly penalizing SNFs, CMS stated that it would
not base payment reductions on SNFs’ hospital readmission rates for the duration of the pandemic.
Without stronger payment incentives, Medicare is unlikely to reduce the billions in spending on potentially
preventable critical incidents or the patient harm that can occur from them. As previously noted, while it may
19. Staffing and Critical Incidents in Medicare
Skilled Nursing Facilities
Congress should consider directing the Department of Health and
Human Services to implement additional payment reductions for
Skilled Nursing Facilities with high rates of potentially preventable
hospital readmissions and emergency room visits, potentially saving
hundreds of millions of dollars to Medicare.
Implementing Entity
Congress
Related GAO Product
GAO-21-408
Link to Actions
GAO identified a matter for Congress
to help reduce unnecessary spending
in Medicare. See GAO's Action
Tracker.
Contact Information
Jessica Farb at (202) 512-7114 or
farbj@gao.gov
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GAO-22-105301
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not be feasible for SNFs to completely eliminate their hospital readmissions in a given year, GAO’s analysis
showed that even small incremental improvements could yield significant savings. For example, even a 2
percentage point reduction in readmissions could potentially save hundreds of millions of dollars to Medicare.
Table 38 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to HHS for review
and comment. HHS did not provide comments on this report section.
Related GAO Product: Medicare: Additional Reporting on Key Staffing Information and Stronger Payment
Incentives Needed for Skilled Nursing Facilities. GAO-21-408. Washington, D.C.: July 9, 2021.
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The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is responsible for the maintenance and repair of 122 institutions. According to
BOP officials, from calendar years 2017 through 2020, adverse weather events, such as hurricanes, affected
15 BOP institutions. As a result of some of these events, BOP institutions sustained damages, such as downed
fencing, which require repairs to its infrastructure.
BOP has two systems—financial and property management—for collecting information on maintenance and
repair projects, including those related to disasters. However, in February 2022, GAO found that BOP’s
ongoing efforts to make its data systems interoperable by October 2022 do not include analytic features such
as project milestones and cost indicators. Without these analytic features, BOP is not positioned to identify
trends in the type, timeliness, and cost of its projects.
Further, BOP officials stated that its existing two systems to collect information on maintenance and repair
projects do not allow for certain query functionalities—such as alerts or analysis of trends—because they were
not designed to do so. GAO’s Asset Management and Disaster Resilience Frameworks emphasize the
importance of organizations collecting and analyzing asset data that are accurate, understandable, and from a
trusted source to help decision makers identify current and future disaster risk, and the impact of risk-reduction
strategies.
GAO recommended both that BOP establish cost-effective and feasible analytic features and that it incorporate
these features, as appropriate, into its planned interoperable financial and property management data systems
to better monitor its maintenance and repair projects. GAO also recommended that BOP use these analytic
features to regularly conduct an analysis of trends and make any warranted changes.
BOP disagreed with GAO’s recommendations and stated that incorporating the recommended features into an
interoperable system that is not designed for this type of analysis could require additional funding. However,
GAO maintains that implementing these recommendations remains important because the process to make
the data systems interoperable is underway. The timing presents an opportunity for BOP to consider the costs
and feasibility of establishing and incorporating the analytic features to determine which features would be
most feasible and cost-effective, and take steps to incorporate them. Furthermore, this would position BOP to
not only make these improvements in the most cost-effective manner but also to better address unnecessary
delays and costs moving forward.
20. BOP Emergency Preparedness and Response
The Bureau of Prisons should take steps to establish and incorporate
cost-effective and feasible analytic features into its data systems and
use these features to regularly conduct an analysis of its maintenance
and repair project trends, which could save hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
Implementing Entity
Bureau of Prisons
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104289
Link to Actions
GAO identified three actions for the
Bureau of Prisons to better monitor its
maintenance and repair projects for
possible project delays and cost
escalation. See GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Gretta L. Goodwin at (202) 512-8777
or goodwing@gao.gov
Source: Photo Disc. I GAO-22-105301
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In March 2022, BOP reiterated its position that incorporating the recommended features could require
additional funding and that it would need to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine feasibility before being
implemented. However, as GAO notes above, BOP’s current process to make its data systems interoperable
will allow BOP to consider the costs and feasibility of the recommended features to determine which features
would be most feasible and cost-effective and take steps to incorporate them. Further, BOP stated that it has
mechanisms to routinely monitor its projects through standard contract monitoring processes. Nevertheless,
while these mechanisms allow BOP to monitor projects individually, BOP lacks mechanisms to give it visibility
over its projects overall.
Ensuring that its planned interoperable systems incorporate appropriate analytic features could help BOP
systematically collect information to assist with project monitoring and oversight. Specifically, these actions
could enhance BOP’s ability to identify trends in the timeliness of projects and the factors driving those trends.
These actions could also help BOP prioritize maintenance projects and inform its disaster resilience efforts by
helping it to identify the most effective risk-reduction strategies across all of its institutions.
GAO cannot precisely estimate the amount of potential savings that would result if BOP implemented GAO’s
recommendations because doing so would depend on the specific maintenance and repair projects impacted,
the timing and nature of BOP’s actions, and several other factors. However, in reviewing delayed projects
initiated from fiscal year 2017 through 2020, BOP identified about $2.5 million in additional costs. While it is not
possible to determine what share of these costs were due to delays versus other factors—such as cost
increases due to supply issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic—BOP identified multiple projects with
overruns that exceeded $100,000. Some of these were due to issues such as staffing shortages, while others
were attributed to complications arising during the contract-bidding process and paperwork processing delays.
If implementing GAO’s recommendations could eliminate even a few similar overruns, BOP could save
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Table 39 in appendix VI provides additional program and budgetary information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to BOP for review
and comment. BOP provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Related GAO Product: Bureau of Prisons: Enhanced Data Capabilities, Analysis, Sharing, and Risk
Assessments Needed for Disaster Preparedness. GAO-22-104289. Washington, D.C.: February 2, 2022.
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays billions of dollars annually in Disability Insurance and
Supplemental Security Income benefits to people with disabilities. The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency
program was established in 1999, in part to help disability beneficiaries obtain employment and reduce
dependence on disability benefits. Disability beneficiaries participate in Ticket to Work by assigning a "ticket" to
service providers who, in turn, provide help with employment. SSA compensates the service providers when
participants achieve designated levels of work and earnings.
Savings accrue when participants receive lower benefits or leave the disability rolls due to earnings from work;
however, disability benefit overpayments can offset those savings. Overpayments can occur when (1)
participants do not report earnings from work to SSA, or (2) SSA is delayed in adjusting benefit amounts after
participants report their earnings. SSA incurs costs when it allows a beneficiary to keep overpayments or
expends resources to recover them, an issue that has been highlighted in both GAO’s High Risk List
(Improving and Modernizing Federal Disability Programs) and in GAO’s annual priority recommendations to
SSA.
In October 2021, GAO found that while Ticket to Work service providers—both private employment networks
and state vocational rehabilitation agencies—dedicate resources to helping participants manage
overpayments, SSA has not identified root causes for overpayments to Ticket to Work participants.
Additionally, participants who have achieved the stated program goals and reported their income correctly may
be burdened by overpayments, which they have to pay back.
Many Ticket to Work participants benefited from the program financially; however, Ticket to Work generated
net losses for SSA in each year GAO analyzed. GAO used SSA data from 2002, when the program began
operating, through 2018—the most recent year available when GAO did its work—to estimate that 5 years after
starting Ticket to Work, participants’ average earnings were $2,451 more per year than that of similar
nonparticipants. Additionally, the percentage of Ticket to Work participants who left the disability rolls was
modestly higher than that of similar nonparticipants. However, this positive financial effect was not large
enough to outweigh SSA costs. Based on GAO’s analysis, the costs of Ticket to Work exceeded the savings in
disability benefits to SSA by an estimated $806 million from 2002 through 2015, the most recent year with
reliable savings data, as SSA retroactively updates disability payment data for up to 3 years.
Above and beyond this $806 million in net costs, GAO estimated in October 2021 that from 2002 to 2015, SSA
incurred an additional $133 million to $169 million in payment recovery and waiver costs annually due to the
approximately $768 million in disability benefit overpayments to participants over the same time period. GAO
estimated that, compared to disability beneficiaries who did not participate, participants were more than twice
as likely to receive disability benefit overpayments within 5 years after starting the program.
21. Social Security Disability Payments
The Social Security Administration could potentially save millions of
dollars by identifying and addressing the causes for overpayments to
Ticket to Work participants.
Implementing Entity
Social Security Administration
Related GAO Product
GAO-22-104031
Link to Actions
GAO identified one action for SSA to
identify and address the causes of
Ticket to Work overpayments. See
GAO’s Action Tracker.
Contact Information
Elizabeth Curda at (202) 512-7215 or
curdae@gao.gov
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GAO-22-105301
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In October 2021, GAO recommended SSA identify the root causes of overpayments to Ticket to Work
participants and take appropriate actions to address them. SSA agreed with GAO’s recommendation and
stated it was investigating the root causes of overpayments across all of its benefit programs. However, SSA’s
root cause analysis of overpayments to all beneficiaries was not focused on the specific circumstances of
beneficiaries who participate in the Ticket to Work program. In March 2022, SSA said it would provide an
update on actions to address GAO’s recommendation later in the spring.
Identifying and addressing the root causes of overpayments among Ticket to Work participants could increase
annual savings for SSA and taxpayers and reduce repayment burdens on affected participants. While GAO
cannot precisely estimate the amount, if overpayments to Ticket to Work participants were reduced by even 1
percent SSA could save millions of dollars over a 5-year period. Further, SSA could improve Ticket to Work’s
effectiveness and ease of use by participants by better addressing overpayments and mitigating concerns
about receiving and repaying overpayments among eligible individuals who might want to participate in the
program.
Table 40 in appendix VI provides additional program information related to this issue area.
Agency Comments and GAO’s Evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to SSA for review
and comment. SSA stated that it had no comment on this report section.
Related GAO Product: Social Security Disability: Ticket to Work Helped Some Participants, but
Overpayments Increased Program Costs. GAO-22-104031. Washington, D.C.: October 28, 2021.
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Appendix IV: New Actions Added to Existing
Areas in 2022
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
As part of our March 2022 update of GAO’s Action Tracker, we are
adding 34 new actions based on GAO reports that fall within the scope of
nine existing areas identified in prior annual reports.
Appendix IV: New Actions Added to Existing
Areas in 2022
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New Action Added to Existing Area
Department of Defense
Commissaries and Exchanges
In February 2022, GAO identified one new action to
help the Department of Defense better manage
fragmentation among its commissaries and exchanges
by establishing an overarching policy and more
consistent processes to provide reasonable assurance
that its resale goods are not produced by forced labor.
GAO product with new action(s):
GAO-22-105056
Updates on prior actions:
•
Three previous actions have
been addressed.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has established a common goal of seeking to prevent human trafficking, which can
include forced labor. However, DOD has not taken steps to ensure collaboration across the commissaries and
exchanges, including establishing an overarching policy and consistent processes to prevent the resale of goods
produced by forced labor. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) and the military exchanges have collaborated on
some efforts, such as purchasing resale goods, although their collaboration has not focused on addressing forced labor.
Further, DeCA and the exchanges have their own policies and processes to prevent the resale of goods produced by
forced labor, which have resulted in inconsistencies. For example, DeCA and the exchanges have varying levels of
requirements for their suppliers to provide information about their supply chains and the possible use of forced labor to
produce goods for resale. With better collaboration and an overarching policy and processes to guide the efforts of the
commissaries and exchanges, DOD can better manage fragmentation across DeCA and the exchanges and have more
reasonable assurance that its resale goods are not produced by forced labor.
New action(s): GAO recommended in February 2022 that the Secretary of Defense ensure that the Under Secretary of
Defense for Personnel and Readiness, in collaboration with the military departments, DeCA, and the military exchanges,
establishes an overarching policy and consistent processes to provide reasonable assurance that the goods sold in the
commissaries and exchanges are not produced by forced labor, including—for each type of resale good—consistent
minimum requirements for that type of good and the supplier information that is to be collected for that type. DOD agreed
with this recommendation.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOD for review and
comment. DOD stated that it did not have comments on this report section.
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Areas in 2022
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
New Action Added to Existing Area
Defense Travel
In June 2021, GAO identified one new action to help the
Department of Defense strengthen its ongoing initiatives
to reduce improper travel payments, potentially saving
millions of dollars over 5 years.
GAO product with new action(s): GAO-21-214
Updates on prior actions:
•
Five previous actions have
been addressed.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
GAO reported in June 2021 that many Department of Defense (DOD) travelers do not stay in on-base lodging and are at
times inappropriately reimbursed for off-base stays, despite established policy that requires travelers to use available on-
base lodging facilities when traveling. Reimbursement of travelers for stays in off-base lodging when policy directed them
to stay in on-base lodging is an improper payment and a monetary loss to the government. In a 2019 report, DOD
estimated that $13.7 million in travel costs could have been avoided in fiscal year 2016 if the requirement to stay on base
had been properly enforced.
New action(s): GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness, in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, assesses by military
service the extent to which DOD servicemembers and civilian employees are inappropriately using off-base lodging for
official travel and why it is occurring, and develop a plan to address any issues identified. DOD agreed and said it would
address this recommendation. While GAO cannot precisely estimate the potential savings from this action, if DOD
implemented this action, DOD could potentially save millions of dollars over 5 years.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOD for review and
comment. DOD said it did not have comments on this report section.
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Appendix IV: New Actions Added to Existing
Areas in 2022
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
New Action Added to Existing Area
Economic Development Programs
In July 2021, GAO identified five new actions to help the
Departments of Commerce, Housing and Urban
Development, and Agriculture incorporate further
collaboration to help grantees and local communities
better manage fragmented efforts related to federal
economic development.
GAO product with new action(s): GAO-21-579
Updates on prior actions:
•
Two previous actions have
been addressed and one
action has been consolidated
under another action area.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
Federal agencies administer economic development programs that support state and local communities’ efforts to
develop strategic plans and encourage the leveraging of federal and state resources. However, GAO reported in July
2021 that the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Departments of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) and Agriculture (USDA) had not incorporated leading practices for effective interagency
collaboration in select economic development programs. By incorporating these practices, such as updating written
agreements and monitoring progress towards outcomes, these agencies could help their grantees and local communities
manage fragmented efforts, such as better addressing economic development needs.
New action(s): In July 2021, GAO recommended that EDA and HUD should review their community and economic
development interagency agreement to align with current priorities, determine to what extent to include USDA, and
monitor progress toward achieving outcomes of their interagency agreement. Additionally, USDA should work with EDA
and HUD to identify opportunities to be included in their strategic planning for community and economic development. All
three agencies generally agreed with GAO’s recommendations. As of March 2022, EDA stated that its existing
agreement was limited to a specific task and therefore EDA may address the recommendations through a different
interagency agreement or other document, action, or policy.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to EDA, HUD, and USDA for
review and comment. USDA and HUD stated they had no comments on this report section and EDA provided technical
comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix IV: New Actions Added to Existing
Areas in 2022
Page 79
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
New Action Added to Existing Area
DOE's Treatment of Hanford's Low-
Activity Waste
In December 2021, GAO identified three new actions to
help save tens of billions of dollars by allowing the
Department of Energy to pursue less expensive disposal
options.
GAO product with new action(s):
GAO-22-104365
Updates on prior actions:
•
Two previous actions have
been addressed and one
action has been consolidated
into another action.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
The Department of Energy (DOE) oversees the treatment and disposal of 54 million gallons of nuclear and hazardous
waste at the Hanford site in the state of Washington. DOE plans to vitrify (immobilize in glass) a portion of the waste, but
it has not made a decision on how to treat and dispose of the rest (roughly 40 percent) referred to as supplemental low-
activity waste. In December 2021, GAO found that without clear congressional authority, DOE faces legal
challenges with its plans to immobilize its waste in grout (which is less expensive than using glass), transport it outside of
Washington, and continue with its Test Bed Initiative, a scale test of an approach to demonstrate the feasibility of
grouting, transporting, and disposing of certain waste offsite. These clarifications could help DOE save tens of billions of
dollars. The lack of clarity regarding its authority may result in additional delays in treating and disposing of supplemental
low-activity waste. GAO also found that DOE had not followed the best practice of analyzing a full range of disposal
options. As a result, DOE is likely missing opportunities to reduce risks in waste treatment.
New action(s): GAO recommended in December 2021 that Congress should consider (1) clarifying, in a manner that
does not impair the regulatory authorities of the Environmental Protection Agency and any state, DOE's authority to
determine, in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, whether portions of the tank waste can be managed
as a waste type other than high-level waste and can be disposed of outside Washington, and (2) specifying that
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act’s high-level waste vitrification standard does not apply to the volume of waste
from the second phase of the Test Bed Initiative. GAO also recommended that DOE expand future analyses of disposal
options to include all federal and commercial facilities that could potentially receive grouted supplemental low-activity
waste from the Hanford site. DOE agreed with this recommendation.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to DOE for review and
comment. DOE said it had no comments on this report section.
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Areas in 2022
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New Action Added to Existing Area
Oil and Gas Resources
In November 2021, GAO identified two new actions
to help the Bureau of Land Management improve its
oil and gas leasing process, which could potentially
result in millions of dollars in additional revenues
over the next decade.
GAO product with new action(s):
GAO-22-103968
Updates on prior actions:
•
Three previous actions are partially
addressed and four actions have
not been addressed.
•
See the Action Tracker for more
information.
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) process for leasing federal lands for oil and gas development has changed in
recent years due to technology developments. However, in November 2021 GAO found that BLM has not fully reviewed
the application fees for leases since 2005. BLM’s biennial reviews of its application fees do not currently consider all of
the costs involved. A full review could help BLM determine if these fees cover costs as intended, including a likely
increase in cost to the government associated with changes to the process. Further, BLM could consider charging a fee
to nominate lands for leasing. BLM has not re-examined whether to charge such a fee since 2014, despite expending
resources to process nominations that do not result in leases.
New action(s): GAO recommended in November 2021 that BLM should revise its approach to conducting biennial fee
reviews to ensure that future reviews examine all costs BLM intended to recover and, where appropriate, adjust
application fees accordingly. GAO also recommended that BLM re-examine whether to charge a fee for nominating lands
for oil and gas development. BLM agreed with the recommendations. As of February 2022, the Department of the Interior
reported that it plans to take steps that would address each action. GAO cannot estimate precisely the revenues
generated from these actions because they will depend on whether BLM changes the fees, by how much, and any
associated changes in potential lease behaviors, but if BLM adjusted fees to recapture even 10 percent of currently
uncovered administrative costs, it could amount to millions of dollars in new revenues over the next decade.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to Interior for review and
comment. Interior provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
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Areas in 2022
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New Action Added to Existing Area
Department of Veterans Affairs
Medical Facility Construction
In October 2021, GAO identified two new actions to help
the Department of Veterans Affairs avoid schedule
delays and better manage medical facility construction
projects by improving communication between offices.
GAO product with new action(s):
GAO-22-103962
Updates on prior actions:
•
Three previous actions have
been addressed, two have
been partially addressed, and
one was overtaken by events.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
In providing health care to over 9 million enrolled veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages a portfolio
that includes 5,625 owned and 1,690 leased buildings as of fiscal year 2020. GAO found instances of insufficient
communication between (1) local offices and the Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM), and (2) local
construction offices and the Office of Information and Technology (OIT). For example, CFM officials said that earlier
involvement in projects could help avoid delays and ensure cost and schedule changes are properly documented.
Improved communication would help ensure all parties are aware of project status at the appropriate time to avoid
scheduling delays.
New action(s): GAO recommended in October 2021 that the Secretary of VA should (1) ensure that CFM and the
regions and medical centers follow key practices for communication during projects, and (2) clearly define OIT’s role in
developing and executing construction projects. VA agreed with these recommendations. As of February 2022, VA
officials said that CFM has drafted a project planning communication template to communicate project status and that VA
has also established a working group that includes both CFM and OIT to coordinate project communication. The target
date for completion of these efforts is April 30, 2022.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to VA for review and
comment.VA provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
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Areas in 2022
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New Action Added to Existing Area
IRS Taxpayer Service
In April 2022, GAO identified three new actions to help
IRS improve taxpayer service and better manage refund
interest payments, potentially saving $20 million or more
annually.
GAO product with new action(s): GAO-22-104938
Updates on prior actions:
•
Two actions have been
addressed, three have been
partially addressed, three
have not been addressed,
and one was overtaken by
events.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
GAO reported in April 2022 that IRS experienced challenges during the 2021 tax filing season, including a backlog of 8
million prior year returns and 35 million returns requiring review due to errors, which contributed to delayed refunds. IRS
has paid almost $14 billion in refund interest since 2015. Refund interest may occur due to factors within IRS’s control
(such as processing time) or outside of IRS’s control (such as legislation with retroactive tax benefits). IRS has not
established a mechanism to determine why it pays refund interest and how to reduce this amount. If the last 7 years’
average interest paid annually by IRS could be reduced by 1 percent, IRS could save $20 million per year. Taxpayers
also struggled to get help from IRS and its “Where’s My Refund” tool. Modernizing that tool would help IRS better serve
taxpayers and could reduce telephone assistance costs, although GAO cannot estimate associated savings.
New action(s): GAO recommended that IRS work with the Department of the Treasury to modernize “Where’s My
Refund” to better address taxpayer needs, and IRS agreed. GAO also recommended that IRS determine why it pays
interest to taxpayers, report this information to the public and Congress, and take steps to reduce interest payments
within IRS’s control. IRS agreed to look for ways to reduce refund interest payments related to the return backlog but
disagreed with tracking and reporting why it pays interest. IRS stated that interest is prescribed by statute, and it does
not consider interest paid a reliable or meaningful business measure. GAO maintains that interest payments are an
expense to the U.S. government, and monitoring them could help IRS know how, if at all, the expense could be reduced.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to IRS for review and comment.
IRS provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
f. ~
111,,..~ a.
◄ Mission area:
General government
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix IV: New Actions Added to Existing
Areas in 2022
Page 83
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
New Action Added to Existing Area
Spectrum Management
In June 2021, GAO identified eight new actions to
enhance coordination between the two agencies that
manage radio-frequency spectrum–a scarce natural
resource–to better manage fragmentation.
GAO product with new action(s): GAO-21-474
Updates on prior actions:
•
Two previous actions have
been addressed.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) regulate and manage nonfederal and federal use of spectrum, respectively. When
there could be interference among proposed uses, FCC and NTIA coordinate with other federal agencies using various
collaborative mechanisms, such as interagency agreements and groups. In June 2021, GAO reported that these
mechanisms did not fully reflect leading collaboration practices. For example, the agreements had not been updated and
there were no clear processes for resolving agency disagreements. Due to FCC’s and NTIA’s respective roles, as well as
the involvement of other agencies, fragmentation in managing spectrum exists. Following these practices to strengthen
their collaborative mechanisms may better manage fragmentation, including agency disagreements.
New action(s): In June 2021, GAO made eight recommendations to FCC and NTIA that they should work collaboratively
to update or clarify various documents and processes related to spectrum-management activities. FCC and NTIA
generally agreed to implement the recommendations and, as of February 2022, had begun taking steps to address them.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to FCC and NTIA for review and
comment. FCC provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate. NTIA did not provide comments
on this report section.
~ ~
Ja..~.
◄ Mission area:
General government
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix IV: New Actions Added to Existing
Areas in 2022
Page 84
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
New Action Added to Existing Area
Homelessness Programs
In September 2021, GAO identified nine new actions for
federal agencies to coordinate youth homelessness
information and programs in order to manage
fragmented services to better support communities.
GAO product with new action(s): GAO-21-540
Updates on prior actions:
•
Two previous action(s) have
been addressed.
•
See the Action Tracker for
more information.
Youth homelessness is a widespread problem, with one recent study estimating that one in 10 young adults experience
some form of homelessness over the course of a year—such as living on the streets or temporarily staying with others.
GAO identified that services supporting homeless youth are fragmented across several agencies and additional
coordination among the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Health and Human Services (HHS)
and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) could help improve local delivery of housing and
homelessness services to young adults and minors.
New action(s): GAO recommended in September 2021 that HUD, HHS, and USICH better manage fragmented services
for youth experiencing homelessness, including that HUD work with HHS to provide additional information or examples
to local communities in the following areas: serving young adults through coordinated entry processes, coordinating to
serve unaccompanied minors, and coordinating their programs. HUD agreed with four recommendations and neither
agreed nor disagreed with two recommendations. HHS and USICH agreed with GAO’s recommendations. As of
February 2022, HHS stated that USICH plans to convene an interagency working group in 2022 and that HHS would
develop an action plan later in the spring. USICH suggested that HUD and HHS consider aligning their federal funding
and pair services and housing resources directly to help address funding fragmentation for youth experiencing
homelessness.
Agency comments and GAO’s evaluation: GAO provided a draft of this report section to HUD, HHS, and USICH for
review and comment. HUD said it had no comments on this report section. HHS and USICH provided technical
comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Page 85
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
In our 2011 to 2022 annual reports, we directed 121 actions to Congress,
of which 59 remain open. Forty-two actions have been addressed and 20
were closed as not addressed or consolidated. Of the 59 open
congressional actions, 12 are partially addressed, 39 are not addressed,
and eight are new for 2022, as of March 2022 (see figure 9).
Figure 9: Status of Congressional Actions from 2011 to 2022, as of March 2022
Note: In assessing actions suggested for Congress, GAO applied the following criteria: “addressed”
means relevant legislation has been enacted and addresses all aspects of the action needed;
“partially addressed” means a relevant bill has passed a committee, the House of Representatives, or
the Senate during the current congressional session, or relevant legislation has been enacted but
only addressed part of the action needed; and “not addressed” means a bill may have been
introduced but did not pass out of a committee, or no relevant legislation has been introduced.
Actions suggested for Congress may also move to “addressed” or “partially addressed,” with or
without relevant legislation, if an executive branch agency takes steps that address all or part of the
action needed. At the beginning of a new congressional session, GAO reapplies the criteria. As a
result, the status of an action may move from partially addressed to not addressed if relevant
legislation is not reintroduced from the prior congressional session. Actions categorized as “other” are
no longer assessed. In most cases, “other” actions were replaced or subsumed by new actions based
on additional audit work or other relevant information. In 2022, three congressional actions were
closed, two congressional actions were closed as “other” and another was closed as “addressed”.
Nine new congressional actions were added, of which one closed as addressed before this report
was issued, for a total cumulative action count of 121. All other newly introduced congressional
actions were updated and are categorized as “not addressed” in this report.
The tables below have more information on the 59 open congressional
actions. Our Action Tracker downloadable spreadsheet (available in
XLSX or CSV formats) has information on all actions.
Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Addressed
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
Partially
Not addressed
addressed
New for
Other
2022
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Table 8: Open Congressional Actions in the Agriculture Mission Area
Area name
(links to Action Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Agricultural Quarantine Inspection
Fees (2013-18)
GAO-13-268
Save tens of millions of dollars
annually
Crop Insurance (2013-19)
GAO-12-256
GAO-17-501
Save hundreds of millions annually,
potentially up to $1.4 billion
Food Safety (2011-01)
GAO-02-47T
GAO-15-180
Strengthen oversight of food safety
and address fragmentation
Area name (links to
Action Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Agricultural Quarantine
Inspection Fees (2013-18)
Congress should consider taking steps to allow the Secretary of Agriculture to set fee rates to recover
the full costs of the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program.
Crop Insurance (2013-19) Congress should consider either limiting the amount of premium subsidies that an individual farmer can
receive each year or reducing premium subsidy rates, or both limiting premium subsidies and reducing
premium subsidy rates.
Congress should consider repealing the 2014 farm bill requirement that any revision to the standard
reinsurance agreement not reduce insurance companies’ expected underwriting gains and direct the
Risk Management Agency to (1) adjust the participating insurance companies’ target rate of return to
reflect market conditions and (2) assess the portion of premiums that participating insurance companies
retain and, if warranted, adjust it.
Food Safety (2011-01)
Congress should consider commissioning the National Academy of Sciences or a blue ribbon panel to
conduct a detailed analysis of alternative food safety organizational structures.
Congress should consider formalizing the Food Safety Working Group through statute to help ensure
sustained leadership across food safety agencies over time.
Congress should consider directing the Office of Management and Budget to develop a government-
wide performance plan for food safety that includes results oriented goals and performance measures
and a discussion of strategies and resources.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
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Mission
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Table 9: Open Congressional Actions in the Defense Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
F-35 Lightning II Sustainment
(2022-17)
GAO-21-439
Save hundreds of millions of dollars
over several years
Foreign Military Sales
Administrative Account (2019-19)
GAO-18-401
Save tens of millions of dollars
annually
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
F-35 Lightning II
Sustainment (2022-17)
Congress should consider requiring the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment,
in consultation with the services and the F-35 Joint Program Office, to report annually on progress in
achieving the services’ affordability constraints, including the actions taken and planned to reduce
sustainment costs.
Foreign Military Sales
Administrative Account
(2019-19)
Congress should consider amending the legislation that supports the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster,
and Civic Aid-funded humanitarian assistance program—DOD’s largest humanitarian assistance
program—to more specifically define DOD’s role in humanitarian assistance, taking into account the
roles and similar types of efforts performed by the civilian agencies.
Partially Addressed: While some legislative action has been taken toward redefining what can be
charged from the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) administrative account, as GAO recommended in May
2018, no related legislation had been enacted as of March 2022.
In July 2019, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (H.R.
2500, 116th Cong. (2019)), which in Sections 1282(e) and 1283(a)-(b) included provisions responsive
to this recommendation. Specifically, Section 1282(e) would have amended the Arms Export Control
Act to remove an exclusion from the definition of administrative expenses related to military pay and
unfunded civilian retirement and other benefits. Sections 1283(a) and (b) would have required DOD to
review and report to Congress on options for expanding the use of FMS administrative fees. However,
the Senate version of this legislation was enacted without these provisions included.
Two additional bills that would have addressed this recommendation were referred to committee during
the 116th Congress and did not pass before the end of the session, while one of these bills has been
re-introduced during the 117th Congress. The Return Expenses Paid and Yielded Act, which was
introduced in the House in February 2019, included the same provisions as H.R. 2500 (H.R. 1033,
116th Cong. (2019)). Also, in July 2019, the Acting on the Annual Duplication Report Act of 2019 was
introduced in the Senate, which would have required DOD to assess and report on (1) any expenses
incurred by the U.S. government in operating the FMS program that are not paid for by the
administrative fee, (2) their estimated annual cost, (3) the costs and benefits of funding such expenses,
and (4) any legislative changes needed to allow the FMS administrative fee to pay for such expenses
(S. 2175, 116th Cong. (2019)).
In September 2021, the Acting on the Annual Duplication Report Act of 2021 was re-introduced with
these same provisions related to the FMS administrative account (S. 2782, 117th Cong. (2021)). GAO
cannot predict the exact value of the additional expenses that would be covered through any such
provisions because it is unclear how Congress may redefine what is considered an administrative
expense. However, GAO estimates redefining such expenses could enhance federal revenue by at
least tens of millions of dollars annually.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Source: Department of Defense/
Helene C. Stikkel. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Table 10: Open Congressional Actions in the Economic Development Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report (links
to report)
Potential benefit
Treasury’s Foreclosure
Prevention Efforts (2016-17)
GAO-16-351
Make $6 billion in previously
deobligated Treasury funds available
for other use
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Treasury’s Foreclosure
Prevention Efforts
(2016-17)
Congress should consider rescinding any excess Making Home Affordable balances that the
Department of the Treasury deobligates and does not move into the Housing Finance Agency
Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Table 11: Open Congressional Actions in the Energy Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
DOE’s Treatment of Hanford’s
Low-Activity Waste (2018-17)
GAO-22-104365
Save tens of billions of dollars over
next 2 decades
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
(2015-15)
GAO-18-477
Enhance revenue by better managing
potentially excessive reserve assets
U.S. Enrichment Corporation
Fund (2015-16)
GAO-15-404SP
Save $600 million
Oil and Gas Resources (2011-45) GAO-08-691
GAO-09-74
GAO-14-50
Addressing actions in this area could
result in more than $1.7 billion in
additional revenues over 10 years
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
DOE’s Treatment of
Hanford’s Low-Activity
Waste (2018-17)
Congress should consider clarifying, in a manner that does not impair the regulatory authorities of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and any state, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) authority to
determine, in consultation with Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), whether portions of the tank
waste that can be managed as a waste type other than high-level waste and can be disposed of
outside the state of Washington.
In support of the Test Bed Initiative and in a manner that does not impair any state’s authority to
determine whether to accept waste for disposal, Congress should consider (i) authorizing the
Department of Energy (DOE) to classify the volumes of waste corresponding to the second phase of
the Test Bed Initiative for out-of-state disposal as something other than high-level waste and (ii)
specifying that Resource Conservation and Recovery Act’s high-level waste vitrification standard does
not apply to this volume of waste.
Strategic Petroleum
Reserve (2015-15)
Congress may wish to consider setting a long-range target for the size and configuration of the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) that takes into account projections for future oil production, oil
consumption, the efficacy of the existing SPR to respond to domestic supply disruptions, and
international obligations.
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Page 90
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
U.S. Enrichment
Corporation Fund (2015-16)
Congress may wish to permanently rescind the remaining $600 million balance of the U.S. Enrichment
Corporation (USEC) Fund.
Partially Addressed: As of March 2022, Congress had not passed legislation to permanently rescind
the entire balance of the USEC Fund, as GAO suggested in April 2015. However, Congress has
passed legislation to transfer some balances in the USEC Fund to the Uranium Enrichment
Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund, which is used to help pay for cleanup costs at the
nation’s former enrichment plants. Specifically, in December 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021, which included a provision directing that $291 million of the balances in the
USEC Fund be transferred to and merged with the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and
Decommissioning Fund. Pub. L. No. 116-260, div. D, tit. V, § 506, 134 Stat. 1182, 1379 (2020).
In addition, in March 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which the
President signed March 15, 2022. The act included a provision directing that $841 million of the
balances in the USEC Fund be transferred to and merged with the Uranium Enrichment
Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund. Pub. L. No. 117-103, 136 Stat. 49, div. D, tit. III, §308
(2022). On March 24, 2022, $841 million was transferred from the USEC Fund to the Uranium
Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund, leaving a remaining balance of
approximately $600 million in the USEC Fund. Congress has proposed other legislation addressing
USEC Fund balances. Specifically, in September 2021, a bill was introduced in the Senate to rescind
remaining amounts in the USEC Fund, transfer them to the Treasury, and terminate the fund (S. 2733,
117th Cong.).
GAO believes that Congress should pass legislation to rescind the remaining amount in the USEC
Fund. Rescission may increase the transparency of federal agencies’ budget presentations and help
Congress have a clear understanding of how new funding requests relate to funding decisions for
existing projects with continuing resource needs. Transferring the balance of the USEC Fund to
another account would result in the availability of that balance for another purpose.
Oil and Gas Resources
(2011-45)
Congress may need to take action to require the Department of the Interior to establish an annual
production incentive fee or similar fee for nonproducing leases.
Congress may wish to provide additional guidance or take additional actions to direct Interior to
improve its oversight of federal lands and waters and the revenues derived from production of oil and
gas if Interior chooses not to take any action on its study examining how other oil and gas resource
owners select fiscal parameters for leasing and adjusting oil and gas royalty rates.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Table 12: Open Congressional Actions in the General Government Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Ginnie Mae’s Mortgage-Backed
Securities Program (2020-21)
GAO-19-191
Save tens of millions of dollars
annually
Foreign Asset Reporting
(2019-06)
GAO-19-180
Reduce costs from reduced reporting
overlap and improved agency
coordination
Tax Fraud and Noncompliance
(2018-19)
GAO-18-544
Protect revenue
Financial Regulatory Structure
(2016-05)
GAO-16-175
Reduce and better manage
fragmentation and overlap of financial
institutions, activities, and risks
Consumer Product Safety
Oversight (2015-04)
GAO-15-52
Increase efficiency and effectiveness
of consumer product oversight
Tax Policies and Enforcement
(2015-17)
GAO-15-16
Increase revenue by billions of
dollars
U.S. Currency (2012-42)
GAO-19-300
Save at least $9 million dollars
annually
Internal Revenue Service
Enforcement Efforts (2012-44)
GAO-08-956
GAO-09-238
Allow collection of billions of dollars
in tax revenue and facilitate voluntary
compliance
Simple Tax Return Errors
(2011-56)
GAO-10-349
Correct simple tax return errors and
reduce IRS’s need to conduct audits
S Corporations (2011-63)
GAO-10-195
Increase revenue by hundreds of
millions of dollars
Research Tax Credit (2011-65)
GAO-10-136
Improve targeting of tax credit and
reduce foregone revenue
New Markets Tax Credit
(2011-66)
GAO-10-334
Better reach low-income community
businesses and reduce program costs
Governmental Bonds (2011-67)
GAO-08-364
Increase revenue by hundreds of
millions of dollars annually
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Ginnie Mae’s Mortgage-
Backed Securities Program
(2020-21)
Congress should consider requiring Ginnie Mae to evaluate its reliance on contractors and report to
Congress on how it would use fee revenue available to hire contractors to also hire in-house staff.
Congress should consider requiring Ginnie Mae to evaluate the adequacy of its current guaranty fee
for single-family mortgage-backed securities and report to Congress with recommendations, if any, on
revising the fee, such as by adopting standards under which the fee should be determined.
Foreign Asset Reporting
(2019-06)
Congress should consider amending the Internal Revenue Code, Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, and other
statutes, as needed, to address overlap in foreign financial asset reporting requirements for the
purposes of tax compliance and detection and prevention of financial crimes, such as by aligning the
types of assets to be reported and asset reporting thresholds and ensuring appropriate access to the
reported information.
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Page 92
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Tax Fraud and
Noncompliance (2018-19)
Congress should consider legislation to require that returns prepared electronically but filed on paper
include a scannable code printed on the return.
Financial Regulatory
Structure (2016-05)
Congress should consider whether additional changes to the financial regulatory structure are needed
to improve (1) the efficiency and effectiveness of oversight; (2) the consistency of consumer and
investor protections; and (3) the consistency of financial oversight for similar institutions, products,
risks, and services.
Partially Addressed: As of March 2022, one new piece of legislation has been introduced that would
reduce fragmentation and overlap in the financial regulatory structure and improve (1) the efficiency
and effectiveness of oversight; (2) the consistency of consumer and investor protections; and (3) the
consistency of financial oversight for similar institutions, products, risks, and services, as GAO
suggested in February 2016.
In April 2021, the Eliminate Barriers to Innovation Act of 2021 (H.R. 1602, 117th Cong. (2021)) passed
the House of Representatives. This bill requires the Securities and Exchange Commission and the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission to jointly establish a working group on digital assets. The
working group must, among other things, provide recommendations regarding digital asset market
fairness and integrity, cybersecurity standards, and the reduction of fraud and manipulation. Such a
working group may help to improve the consistency of oversight for similar products and risks. In
addition, in February 2019, legislation was enacted that partially addresses GAO’s suggested action.
On February 15, 2019, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-6, 133 Stat. 13)
was signed by the President and contains provisions that allow the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use funds for the interagency
funding and sponsorship of a joint advisory committee to advise on emerging regulatory issues. Such
a committee may help reduce some of the overlap in the oversight of the securities and commodities
markets.
In addition, on May 24, 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act
(Pub. L. No. 115-174, 132 Stat. 1296) was signed into law. The law helps to reduce one component of
the fragmented regulatory structure and to improve the consistency of oversight for similar products,
as GAO suggested in February 2016. Specifically, the law helps to address fragmentation in insurance
oversight by requiring that the federal agencies involved in insurance regulation and the Federal
Insurance Office that take a position or reasonably intend to take a position achieve consensus with
state insurance regulators when they participate in negotiations on insurance issues before any
international forum of financial regulators or supervisors. The legislation also established an insurance
policy advisory committee at the Federal Reserve Board. The committee provides information, advice,
and recommendations to the Federal Reserve Board on domestic and international insurance issues.
Each of these actions could help to reduce some of the areas of fragmentation and overlap in the
financial regulatory structure. However, without additional actions, fragmentation and overlap in the
financial regulatory structure will continue to create challenges related to the efficient and effective
oversight of financial institutions and the consistency of consumer protections.
Congress should consider whether legislative changes are necessary to align the Financial Stability
Oversight Council’s authorities with its mission to respond to systemic risks.
Consumer Product Safety
Oversight (2015-04)
Congress should consider transferring the oversight of the markings of toy and imitation firearms in
section 5001 of title 15 of the U.S. Code from the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of
Standards and Technology to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Congress should consider establishing a formal comprehensive oversight mechanism for consumer
product safety agencies to address crosscutting issues as well as inefficiencies related to
fragmentation and overlap such as communication and coordination challenges and jurisdictional
questions between agencies. Different types of formal mechanisms could include, for example,
creating a memorandum of understanding to formalize relationships and agreements or establishing a
task force or interagency work group. As a starting point, Congress may wish to obtain agency input
on options for establishing more formal coordination.
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Page 93
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Tax Policies and
Enforcement (2015-17)
Congress should consider revisiting the use of individual retirement accounts (IRA) to accumulate
large balances and considering ways to improve the equity of the existing tax expenditure on IRAs.
Options could include limits on (1) the types of assets permitted in IRAs, (2) the minimum valuation for
an asset purchased in an IRA, or (3) the amount of assets that can be accumulated in IRAs and
employer-sponsored plans that get preferential tax treatment.
Partially Addressed: No legislation enacted limiting account owner accumulations, as of March 2022.
In its October 2014 report, GAO found that individuals with limited, occupationally related opportunities
could engage in sophisticated investment strategies and accumulate considerable tax-preferred
wealth in IRAs and subsequently, suggested to Congress legislative options. The Senate Finance
Committee held a hearing on a range of IRA policy issues in September 2014, for which GAO
provided a statement for the record that covered preliminary data on IRA balances.
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, enacted in December
2019 as division O of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, amended a number of
requirements related to retirement accounts (Pub. L. No. 116-94, 133 Stat. 2534, 3137). For example,
section 401 limits inherited beneficiaries’ ability to continue tax deferral to 10 years beyond the
account owner’s death. This provision somewhat reduces the long-term financial benefits of
accumulating large balances in IRAs.
However, the Act did not adopt any of the other limits GAO identified in its October 2014 report.
Provisions of a bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives, if enacted, would address
this action by limiting the amount of assets that can be accumulated in retirement accounts owned by
high-income taxpayers. H.R. 5376, 117th Cong. §§ 138301-138302, 138311 (2021). Without
legislation, the intended broad-based tax benefits of IRAs are likely to continue to be skewed toward a
select group of individuals.
U.S. Currency (2012-42)
Congress should consider amending the law to provide the Secretary of the Treasury with the
authority to alter the metal composition of coins, if the new metal compositions reduce the cost of coin
production and do not affect the size, weight, appearance, or electromagnetic signature of the coins.
Internal Revenue Service
Enforcement Efforts
(2012-44)
To help improve taxpayer compliance, Congress may wish to make owners of rental real estate
subject to the same payment reporting requirements regardless of whether they engaged in a trade or
business under current law.
To help improve taxpayer compliance, Congress may wish to require payers to report service
payments to corporations, thereby reducing payers’ burden to determine which payments require
reporting.
Simple Tax Return Errors
(2011-56)
Congress may want to consider granting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) broader math error
authority, with appropriate safeguards against misuse of that authority, to correct errors during tax
return processing.
Partially Addressed: Congress has expanded IRS’s math error authority several times under certain
circumstances, but not as broadly as GAO suggested in February 2010.
The President’s budgets have previously requested that Congress expand IRS’s math error authority.
For example, the President’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 requested authority to correct a
taxpayer’s return in the following circumstances: (1) the information provided by the taxpayer does not
match the information contained in government databases; (2) the taxpayer has exceeded the lifetime
limit for claiming a deduction or credit; or (3) the taxpayer has failed to include with his or her return
certain documentation that is required to be included in or attached to the return. As of March 2022,
Congress had not provided IRS with such authority.
GAO maintains that a broader authorization of math error authority with appropriate controls that
would enable IRS to correct obvious noncompliance would be less intrusive and burdensome to
taxpayers than audits and would potentially help taxpayers who underclaim tax benefits to which they
are entitled. Extending math error authority could help reduce the tax gap – the difference between the
amount taxpayers pay and the amount they owe. Controls–such as requiring IRS to report on its use
of math error authority–may be needed to ensure proper use of this authority.
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Mission
Page 94
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
S Corporations (2011-63)
Congress could require S corporations to use information already available to them to calculate
shareholders’ basis as completely as possible and report it to shareholders and IRS.
Research Tax Credit
(2011-65)
Congress could eliminate the regular credit and add a minimum base amount (equal to 50 percent of a
taxpayer’s current spending) to the method for computing the alternative simplified credit.
New Markets Tax Credit
(2011-66)
Congress should consider offering grants in lieu of credits to Community Development Entities if it
extends the program again. If it does so, Congress should require Treasury to gather appropriate data
to assess whether and to what extent the grant program increases the amount of federal subsidy
provided to low-income community businesses compared to the New Markets Tax Credit; how costs
for administering the program incurred by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund,
Community Development Entities, and investors would change; and whether the grant program
otherwise affects the success of efforts to assist low-income communities. One option would be for
Congress to set aside a portion of funds to be used as grants and a portion to be used as tax credit
allocation authority under the current structure of the program to facilitate comparison of the two
program structures.
Governmental Bonds
(2011-67)
Congress should consider whether facilities, including hotels and golf courses, that are privately used
should be financed with tax-exempt governmental bonds.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Table 13: Open Congressional Actions in the Health Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Diet-Related Chronic Health
Conditions (2022-07)
GAO-21-593
Manage fragmentation and overlap
across 200 federal programs and
activities
Critical Incidents in Medicare
Skilled Nursing Facilities (2022-
19)
GAO-21-408
Save hundreds of millions of dollars
Medicare Payments by Place of
Service (2016-30)
GAO-16-189
Save billions of dollars annually
DOD U.S. Family Health Plan
(2015-06)
GAO-14-684
Save millions of dollars in fiscal
year 2023
Medicare Payments to Certain
Cancer Hospitals (2015-19)
GAO-15-199
Save hundreds of millions of dollars
annually
Medicaid Demonstration Waivers
(2014-21)
GAO-08-87
Save tens of billions of dollars
Medicaid Supplemental
Payments (2013-26)
GAO-13-48
Save hundreds of millions or billions
of dollars
Medicare’s Health Care Payments
(2011-74)
GAO-09-647
Achieve cost savings in jointly
furnished services
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Diet-Related Chronic Health
Conditions (2022-07)
Congress should consider identifying and directing a federal entity to lead the development and
implementation of a federal strategy to coordinate diet-related efforts that aim to reduce Americans’
risk of chronic health conditions. The strategy could incorporate elements from the 2011 National
Prevention Strategy and should address outcomes and accountability, resources, and leadership.
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GAO-22-105301
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GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Critical Incidents in
Medicare Skilled Nursing
Facilities (2022-19)
Congress should consider directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement
additional reductions in payments to Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) that generate Medicare spending
on potentially preventable critical incidents—hospital readmissions and emergency room (ER) visits
that occur within 30 days of the SNF admissions—either through the SNF Value-Based Purchasing
program or some other vehicle, including, as needed, making any appropriate modifications to enable
HHS to take action.
Medicare Payments by
Place of Service (2016-30)
Congress should consider directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to equalize payment
rates between settings for evaluation and management office visits and other services that the
Secretary deems appropriate and return the associated savings to the Medicare program.
Partially Addressed: As of March 2022, no additional legislative action has been identified that would
address GAO’s December 2015 suggestion. Congress enacted legislation in November 2015 to
exclude services furnished by off-campus hospital outpatient departments from higher payment rates.
Effective January 1, 2017, this exclusion, as amended, does not apply to services furnished by
providers that were under construction or billing as hospital outpatient departments prior to November
2015. All providers billing as hospital outpatients during GAO’s study (issued in December 2015)
continue to be paid under the higher rate. In addition, this exclusion does not apply to services
provided by on-campus hospital outpatient departments.
However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken some actions. In November
2018, CMS issued a final rule adopting payment changes that capped payment rates for certain
services furnished by the off-campus hospital outpatient departments that existed or were under
construction in 2015 at the physician fee schedule rate. Since these services furnished by these off-
campus hospital outpatient departments were paid at a higher rate, the payment cap, which was to be
implemented over 2 years, was intended to equalize payment rates for certain clinical visits between
settings where services can be provided, for example, physicians offices.
In 2019, CMS applied 50 percent of the payment reduction and adopted another final rule to apply 100
percent of the payment reduction in 2020 and subsequent years. The rule applied to specific clinical
visits; other services would continue to be paid at the higher rate. In response to a lawsuit challenging
CMS’s authority to issue the November 2018 rule, a federal court of appeals ruled in July 2020 that
CMS had the authority to adopt these payment changes. An appeal of that ruling was filed, and in
June 2021, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case.
GAO plans to continue monitoring congressional action and any additional agency actions, including
actions to equalize payment rates that Medicare pays for evaluation and management services in all
hospital outpatient departments, regardless of whether they are deemed on-campus or off-campus.
Until action is taken to equalize the rates Medicare pays for certain health care services, Medicare and
beneficiaries could continue to pay more for the same health care service depending on where the
service is performed.
DOD U.S. Family Health
Plan (2015-06)
Congress should terminate the Secretary of Defense’s authority to contract with the U.S. Family
Health Plan (USFHP) designated providers in a manner consistent with a reasonable transition of
affected USFHP enrollees into TRICARE’s regional managed care program or other health care
programs, as appropriate.
Medicare Payments to
Certain Cancer Hospitals
(2015-19)
Congress should consider requiring Medicare to pay prospective payment system (PPS)-exempt
cancer hospitals (PCH) as it pays PPS teaching hospitals for both inpatient and outpatient services, or
provide the Secretary of HHS with the authority to otherwise modify how Medicare pays PCHs, and
provide that all forgone outpatient payment adjustment amounts be returned to the Supplementary
Medical Insurance Trust Fund.
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Mission
Page 96
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Medicaid Demonstration
Waivers (2014-21)
Congress could consider requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the
Medicaid demonstration review process, through steps such as improving the review criteria, better
ensuring that valid methods are used to demonstrate budget neutrality, and documenting and making
clear the basis for the approved limits. GAO had previously recommended that the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) take these actions.
Partially Addressed: No legislative action taken. As of March 2022, no legislation has been passed in
the 117th Congress to require HHS to improve the Medicaid demonstration review process as GAO
suggested in January 2008. Over the past several years, however, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) within HHS, have taken actions that improve some aspects of the Medicaid
demonstration review process.
In May 2016, the agency began implementing new policies to curtail some problematic methods of
determining budget neutrality as states renewed their demonstrations. In August 2018, CMS issued
written guidance on the process and criteria the agency uses to determine whether Social Security Act
section 1115 demonstration projects are budget neutral, including the policies begun in 2016. The
guidance was communicated as a State Medicaid Directors Letter and is available on the CMS
website.
These new policies and related guidance letter partially address the recommendation; for example,
they place limits on the amount of unspent funds under demonstration spending limits that states are
allowed to carry over from previous years. Additionally, the letter describes the process and methods
for determining budget neutrality. GAO maintains that more changes are needed in the methods
allowed to determine budget neutrality of section 1115 demonstrations so that they do not add to what
federal spending would have been in their absence. In particular, relying on a state’s actual spending
rather than hypothetical cost estimates could potentially result in significant federal savings.
Medicaid Supplemental
Payments (2013-26)
Congress should consider requiring the Administrator of CMS to require states to submit an annual
independent certified audit verifying state compliance with permissible methods for calculating non-
Disproportionate Share Hospital supplemental payments.
Medicare’s Health Care
Payment (2011-74)
Congress could exempt from the budget neutrality requirement savings attributable to policies that
reflect efficiencies occurring when services are furnished together.
Partially Addressed: Congress has exempted savings from the implementation of multiple procedure
payment reductions (MPPR) for certain diagnostic imaging and therapy services from the budget
neutrality requirement, as GAO suggested in July 2009. For example, the Consolidated Appropriations
Act of 2016 revised the payment reduction for the professional component of multiple diagnostic
imaging services from 25 percent to 5 percent beginning on January 1, 2017, and exempted the
reduced expenditures attributable to this MPPR from the budget neutrality provision. (Pub. L. No. 114-
113, div. O, § 502, 129 Stat. 2242, 3018-19 (2015)).
However, as of March 2022, MPPRs or other policies that may result in a reduction to payments for
the technical component for diagnostic cardiovascular and ophthalmology services continue to be
subject to budget neutrality for 2022. Unless Congress exempts from the budget neutrality
requirement savings realized from the implementation of all MPPRs or other policies that reflect
efficiencies occurring when services are furnished together, these savings will not accrue to the
Medicare program.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
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Mission
Page 97
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Table 14: Open Congressional Actions in the Homeland Security/Law Enforcement Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Alternative Technologies for
Radioactive Materials (2022-09)
GAO-22-104113
Manage fragmentation between
relevant agencies and mitigate
potential fiscal exposure to incidents
with high-risk radioactive materials
Homeland Security Grants
(2012-17)
GAO-11-318SP
GAO-12-303
GAO-12-526T
Ensure grant funds are used efficiently
and effectively to build national
preparedness
Immigration Inspection Fee
(2012-49)
GAO-12-342SP
Increase revenue by hundreds of
millions of dollars annually
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Alternative Technologies
for Radioactive Materials
(2022-09)
If Congress agrees that replacing technologies that use high-risk radioactive materials with alternative
technologies is a priority to achieve permanent risk reduction, then it should consider establishing this
goal in statute, and then take the steps necessary to establish—including directing an appropriate
interagency entity to develop—a national strategy to achieve this goal. The strategy should include all
the desirable characteristics of national strategies that we have previously identified, including specific
goals and performance measures, clear roles, and proposals to provide relevant authorities to execute
these roles, as necessary.
If Congress believes that actions included in a national strategy for replacing technologies that use
high-risk radioactive materials with alternative technologies should be implemented, then Congress
should consider directing the relevant agencies to implement the strategy in accordance with the goals
and timelines identified in the strategy. To facilitate agencies’ implementation, Congress should provide
authority to agencies to implement any aspects of the strategy not currently within their authorities.
If Congress agrees that replacing technologies that use high-risk radioactive materials with alternative
technologies is a priority to achieve permanent risk reduction, then it should consider directing and
authorizing, as necessary, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to incorporate the consideration
of alternative technologies into its licensing process. Options could include: (1) direct NRC to
implement a justification process, or (2) direct NRC to require applicants for new radioactive materials
to consult with other agencies (such as the National Nuclear Security Administration or Food and Drug
Administration) about alternatives before NRC will consider an application.
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Mission
Page 98
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Homeland Security Grants
(2012-17)
Congress may want to consider requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report on the
results of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) efforts to identify and prevent
unnecessary duplication within and across its preparedness grant programs and to consider these
results when making future funding decisions for these programs.
Until FEMA has completed its assessment, Congress may wish to consider limiting the use of federal
preparedness grant programs to fund only projects to fill identified, validated, and documented
capability gaps that may (or may not) include maintaining existing capabilities developed.
Partially Addressed: In March 2011, GAO reported that FEMA had not completed efforts to develop
and implement a comprehensive and measurable national preparedness assessment of capability and
gaps. At that time, GAO suggested that Congress consider limiting preparedness grant funding until
FEMA completes a national preparedness assessment of capability gaps at each level based on tiered,
capability-specific performance objectives to enable prioritization of grant funding. The House
committee report accompanying the DHS appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012 stated that FEMA
could not demonstrate how the use of the grants had enhanced disaster preparedness. In March 2012
testimony, GAO reported on the importance of establishing such a framework. As of March 2022, no
further legislative action limiting the use of preparedness grants has been identified.
FEMA has made progress in completing a national preparedness assessment for state and local
jurisdictions. In 2018, FEMA required jurisdictions to begin using the new methodology to establish
standard quantitative capability targets and assess core capabilities within the response and recovery
mission areas. In 2019, FEMA continued with its implementation and required jurisdictions to establish
standard capability targets for capabilities in the prevention, protection, and mitigation mission areas. In
addition, in 2019, FEMA initiated an effort to assess the federal government’s emergency management
capacity, and issued its 2019 National Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (National
THIRA).
In December 2021, FEMA issued its National Preparedness Report. The report provided an initial
analysis of national capability gaps, specifically capabilities most stressed by disasters that occurred in
calendar year 2020. FEMA plans to complete its initial interagency validation of capability assessments
by March 31, 2022. According to FEMA officials, they will review the analysis and finalize it by June
2022. Afterwards, FEMA plans to include updates in the December 2022 National Preparedness
Report. Until FEMA fully implements its new methodology and begins to more fully assess both federal
and jurisdictional capabilities, FEMA will not have a basis to operationalize and implement its
conceptual approach for assessing federal, state, and local preparedness.
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Page 99
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Immigration Inspection Fee
(2012-49)
Congress may wish to require the Secretary of DHS to adjust the air passenger immigration inspection
fee as needed so that collections are aligned with total inspection costs, if it is determined that total
immigration fee collections do not cover total immigration inspection costs.
Partially Addressed: As of March 2022, Congress had not enacted legislation to adjust the air
passenger immigration fee, as GAO suggested in February 2012. However, Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) identified the extent to which collections
are aligned with total immigration inspection costs. ICE reported in its 2012 fee review that, based on
its legal review of the Immigration and Nationality Act, it is authorized to use its air passenger and sea
vessel passenger inspection collections to reimburse its immigration inspection activities.
ICE’s and CBP’s combined fiscal year 2012 immigration inspection costs exceeded collections by
almost $175 million, and neither agency received enough collections to cover its respective costs. The
Budget of the U.S. Government, 2021 proposed increasing the immigration inspection user fee,
including the air passenger inspection fee, by $2. The proposal also would have eliminated a partial fee
exemption for some sea passengers. The Administration estimated that these two adjustments would
increase annual immigration user fee collections by hundreds of millions of dollars. The proposal would
have authorized CBP to adjust the fee in the future without further statutory changes.
Because ICE and CBP use annual appropriations, as authorized, to bridge any gaps between
immigration costs and immigration fee collections, if Congress intends for the immigration inspection
fees to recover the full costs of inspections, it should consider increasing these fees so that collections
are aligned with total inspection costs. Until such steps are taken, ICE and CBP will likely continue to
use annual appropriations to fund activities that they have statutory authority to fund with user fees.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Table 15: Open Congressional Actions in the Income Security Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Railroad Retirement Board
Continuing Disability Reviews
(2018-23)
GAO-18-287
Save millions of dollars annually
Disability and Unemployment
Benefits (2014-08)
GAO-12-764
Save about $2.2 billion over 10
years
Federal Employees’ Compensation
and Unemployment Benefits
(2014-09)
GAO-13-386
Reduce improper payments
Social Security Offsets (2011-80)
GAO-05-786T
Save between $3.5 billion and
$10.5 billion over 10 years
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Railroad Retirement Board
Continuing Disability
Reviews (2018-23)
Congress should consider granting the Board access to the Department of Health and Human
Services’ quarterly earnings information from the National Directory of New Hires database.
Disability and
Unemployment Benefits
(2014-08)
Congress should consider passing legislation to require the Social Security Administration to offset
Disability Insurance benefits for any Unemployment Insurance benefits received in the same period.
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Page 100
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Federal Employees’
Compensation and
Unemployment Benefits
(2014-09)
Congress should consider granting the Department of Labor the additional authority to access wage
data to help verify claimants’ reported income and help ensure the proper payment of benefits.
Social Security Offsets
(2011-80)
Congress could consider giving the Internal Revenue Service the authority to collect the information
that the Social Security Administration needs on government pension income to administer the
Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision accurately and fairly.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Table 16: Open Congressional Actions in the Information Technology Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Interoperable Radio
Communications Systems
(2014-10)
GAO-09-133
Improve the interoperability of radio
communication systems and achieve
cost savings
Dissemination of Technical
Research Reports (2013-10)
GAO-13-99
Reduce overlap between information
dissemination services
Geospatial Investments (2013-11) GAO-15-193
Increase coordination between
government agencies and save
millions of dollars
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Source: PhotoDisc. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix V: Open Congressional Actions, by
Mission
Page 101
GAO-22-105301 Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication
Interoperable Radio
Communications Systems
(2014-10)
Congress should consider requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of
Justice (DOJ), and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to collaborate on the development and
implementation of a joint radio communications solution that specifically requires the departments to
establish an effective governance structure that includes a formal process for making decisions and
resolving disputes, define and articulate a common outcome for this joint effort, and develop a joint
strategy for improving radio communications.
Partially Addressed: As of March 2022, legislation that would require DHS, DOJ, and Treasury to
collaborate on the development and implementation of an interoperable radio communications solution
had not been introduced or enacted, as GAO suggested in December 2008 and again in April 2014.
However, in 2012, Congress passed, and the President signed, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job
Creation Act of 2012 that included a provision to improve interoperable radio communications among
public safety officials nationwide (Pub. L. No. 112-96, title VI, subtitle B, 126 Stat. 156, 206 (2012).
Specifically, the act provided a source of funding for, among other things, the development of a
nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network to enable wireless data and voice
communications among public safety officials. Further, the act created the First Responder Network
Authority (FirstNet) and required it to establish the nationwide public safety broadband network.
However, as GAO previously reported, use of the broadband network by public safety users will be
voluntary.
In March 2017, FirstNet awarded a contract for the development and operation of the network. The
network is being deployed incrementally, with final operating capability expected by March 2023. In
February 2022, DHS, DOJ, and Treasury officials stated that they have begun using aspects of the
network and are monitoring and evaluating the network to determine if it will be able to fully meet their
mission needs. For example, DHS officials said that components are using the network’s data and
voice capabilities when appropriate. According to DOJ officials, the department uses the network’s
voice communications capabilities for specific purposes. However, DHS, DOJ, and Treasury officials
stated that the network does not yet support mission-critical voice operations.
Until the three departments have the information they need to make a decision to use the nationwide
public safety broadband network to support mission-critical voice capabilities, it is uncertain if these
agencies will remedy their fragmented approaches to improving interoperable radio communications.
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Mission
Page 102
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Dissemination of Technical
Research Reports (2013-10)
Congress should consider examining the appropriateness and viability of the fee-based model under
which the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) currently operates for disseminating technical
information to determine whether the use of this model should be continued.
Partially Addressed: As of March 2022, Congress had taken a number of actions that affect the NTIS
fee-based model for disseminating technical information, as GAO recommended in November 2012.
Specifically, for the past 7 fiscal years, and in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, NTIS is
prohibited from charging customers for reports generated by legislative branch offices unless the
agency tells the customer how an electronic copy of the report can be accessed or downloaded for
free online (Pub. L. No. 117-103 (2022)). The act further states that, if a customer still requires such a
report from NTIS, the agency should not charge more than what is needed to recover the cost of
processing, reproducing, and delivering the document requested.
The Department of Commerce also took actions to address GAO’s recommendation. For example,
NTIS developed and launched the Public Access National Technical Reports Library service to allow
the public to have free and open access to its electronic technical reports, associated bibliographic
records, and other selected research services, and a linkage to report data. In addition, Commerce
included on the NTIS website language stating that the technical reports and documents in its
repository may be available online for free either from the issuing federal agency, the U.S.
Government Publishing Office’s Federal Digital System website, or through search engines.
Further, the Secretary of Commerce established a new strategic direction for NTIS to expand access
to Commerce’s and the federal government’s data resources and make it easier for businesses,
government, taxpayers, and communities to access, analyze, and use the data. Commerce officials
stated that, with the help of an oversight board, NTIS implemented its new strategic direction to focus
on the data mission. Commerce officials also noted that NTIS transitioned away from services that did
not align with its new data role and priorities.
While Commerce is taking action intended to help increase the availability of technical data, changing
practices for disseminating and accessing technical information produced by federal agencies, which
have been driven in large part by the internet, call into question the appropriateness or viability of
NTIS’s role as a self-financing collector and disseminator of such information. In light of this, a
reconsideration of the role is warranted to determine whether NTIS’s statutorily defined functions are
still necessary and if so, to ensure that the redirection of NTIS by the Secretary of Commerce to a
federal data services provider is carried out in a way that best serves the public’s interests.
Geospatial Investments
(2013-11)
Congress should consider assessing the impact of the disclosure restrictions of Section 9 of Title 13
and Section 412 of Title 39 of the U.S. Code in moving toward a national geospatial address
database. If warranted, Congress should consider revising those statutes to authorize the limited
release of addresses, without any personally identifiable information, specifically for geospatial
purposes. Such a change, if deemed appropriate, could potentially result in significant savings across
federal, state, and local governments.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
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Table 17: Open Congressional Actions in the International Affairs Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Cargo Preference for Food Aid
(2016-36)
GAO-15-666
Save millions of dollars
Tobacco Taxes (2013-31)
GAO-12-475
Save about $1.3 billion over 5 years
Overseas Administrative
Services (2012-20)
GAO-12-317
Contain costs and reduce duplication
of administrative support services
overseas
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Cargo Preference for Food
Aid (2016-36)
While recognizing that cargo preference serves policy goals established by Congress with respect to
the U.S. merchant marine, including maintenance of a fleet capable of serving as a naval and military
auxiliary in time of war or national emergency, Congress should consider clarifying cargo preference
legislation regarding the definition of “geographic area” to ensure that agencies can fully utilize the
flexibility Congress granted to them when it lowered the cargo preference for food aid requirement.
Tobacco Taxes (2013-31)
Congress, as it continues oversight of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act
(CHIPRA), may wish to consider equalizing tax rates on roll-your-own and pipe tobacco.
Congress, as it continues oversight of CHIPRA, may wish to consider, in consultation with the
Department of the Treasury, options for reducing tax avoidance due to tax differentials between small
and large cigars.
Overseas Administrative
Services (2012-20)
Congress may wish to consider requiring agencies to participate in International Cooperative
Administrative Support Services (ICASS) unless they provide a business case to show that they can
obtain these services outside of ICASS without increasing overall costs to the U.S. government or that
their mission cannot be achieved within ICASS.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
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Table 18: Open Congressional Actions in the Social Services Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Housing Assistance (2012-28)
RCED-00-241
Optimize the federal role in rural
housing
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Housing Assistance
(2012-28)
Congress may wish to consider requiring the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to examine the benefits and costs of merging those programs
that serve similar markets and provide similar products. As a first step, the Congress could consider
requiring USDA and HUD to explore merging their single-family insured lending programs and
multifamily portfolio management programs, taking advantage of the best practices of each and
ensuring that targeted populations are not adversely affected.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Table 19: Open Congressional Actions in the Training, Employment, and Education Mission Area
Area name (links to Action
Tracker)
Underlying report
(links to report)
Potential benefit
Federal Student Loan Default
Rates (2019-28)
GAO-18-163
Protect both borrowers and the billions
of dollars annually in federal student
aid
Area (links to Action
Tracker)
Action summary and status, when partially addressed
Federal Student Loan
Default Rates (2019-28)
Congress should consider strengthening schools’ accountability for student loan defaults, for example,
by (1) revising the cohort default rate (CDR) calculation to account for the effect of borrowers spending
long periods of time in forbearance during the 3-year CDR period, (2) specifying additional
accountability measures to complement the CDR, for example, a repayment rate, or (3) replacing the
CDR with a different accountability measure.
Source: GAO. | GAO-22-105301
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, actions in these tables are not addressed. These tables provide
estimates of cost savings or increased revenue where such information was available. The potential
cost savings for implementing individual actions are provided when known, or for implementing
multiple actions in an area, when the savings are not attributable to a specific action.
Source: Dynamic Graphics. I GA0-22-105301
Source: GAO. I GAO-22-105301
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Appendix VI: Additional Information on
Programs Identified
Page 105
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This appendix provides additional information on the federal programs or
other activities related to the new areas of fragmentation, overlap,
duplication, cost savings or revenue enhancement discussed in this
report, including budgetary information when available. “Programs” may
include grants, initiatives, centers, loans, and other types of assistance or
projects.
This information can provide useful context for the issues we identified,
but limitations should be noted. It is not always possible to report
budgetary information at the specific program or activity level because
agency budgets are not organized by programs, but rather by
appropriations accounts. In those instances, we reported the most reliable
data for the most recent fiscal year that is available or did not report
budgetary information. Further, because this report discusses various
programs or activities, each table may report different types of budgetary
information, such as obligations, collections, or outlays.1
Because of the limitations described above, the budgetary information
reported in this appendix should not be totaled and does not represent
potential cost savings for all programs.
Table 20: Area 1 DOD’s Congressional Reporting Process: Related Program Information
Department of Defense
(DOD) component
System name
System description
Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Legislative Affairs (ASD(LA))
Congressional Hearing and
Reporting Requirements Tracking
System (CHARRTS)
ASD(LA) uses CHARRTS to assign and track reporting
requirements. DOD components also use the system to
upload interim reports, transmittal letters, and copies of the
final reports for ASD(LA) to close a reporting requirement.
Office of the Secretary of
Defense (OSD)
Correspondence and Task
Management System (CATMS)
OSD offices use CATMS to assign responsibility for
reporting requirements. CATMS is also used for any
department-wide coordination of reports prior to delivery to
Congress.
Other DOD components
Various component-specific
systems
DOD components use component-specific systems to
internally assign and track their respective reporting
requirements. For example, the Army and Joint Staff use the
Task Management Tool, and the Navy uses the Department
of the Navy Tracker System.
Source: GAO analysis of DOD information. | GAO-22-105301
1An obligation occurs when the government makes a commitment to pay for goods and
services ordered or received, such as by placing an order, signing a contract, awarding a
grant, or purchasing a service. In contrast, an outlay is the issuance of checks,
disbursement of cash, or electronic transfer of funds made to liquidate a federal obligation.
For more information on budget terminology, see GAO, A Glossary of Terms Used in the
Federal Budget Process (Supersedes AFMD-2.1.1), GAO-05-734SP (Washington, D.C.:
Sept. 1, 2005).
Appendix VI: Additional Information on
Programs Identified
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Table 21: Area 2 DOD Food Program Costs: Related Budgetary Information
Military Service
Fiscal year 2021 obligations (dollars)
Army
2,153,000,000
Navy
1,333,000,000
Marine Corps
744,000,000
Air Force
1,386,000,000
Total Department of Defense
5,616,000,000
Source: GAO analysis of the military services’ fiscal year 2021 military personnel budget obligations. | GAO-22-105301
Note: Department of Defense reports the cost for feeding enlisted servicemembers as part of its
military services’ military personnel budget materials for Subsistence of Enlisted Personnel. We
exclude the cost for operating dining facilities, because food program officials do not consider some
of these costs, such as the cost of utilities, to be part of their food program, and they do not track this
information in their food program systems.
Table 22: Area 3 DOD Nuclear Enterprise Oversight: Related Program Information
Agency
Office
Office description
Department of Defense
(DOD)
Office of the Under Secretary of
Defense for Acquisition and
Sustainment (OUSD (A&S))
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
(USD (A&S)) is one of three co-chairs of the Secretary of Defense
Nuclear Transition Review’s (SNTR) Nuclear Transition Steering
Committee. The USD (A&S) is the Principal Staff Assistant and
advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to
acquisition and sustainment in DOD. The OUSD (A&S) is also
responsible for the modernization of the nuclear forces.
DOD
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff
Joint Staff
The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is one of three co-
chairs of the SNTR’s Nuclear Transition Steering Committee. The
Joint Staff assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in
accomplishing responsibilities for the unified strategic direction of
the combatant forces, including nuclear forces; for their operation
under the unified command; and for their integration into an
efficient team of land, naval, and air forces.
DOD
U.S. Strategic Command
The Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, is one of three co-
chairs of the SNTR’s Nuclear Transition Steering Committee. The
U.S. Strategic Command is responsible for planning for nuclear
operations and advocating for nuclear capabilities.
Source: GAO analysis of DOD information. | GAO-22-105301
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Table 23: Area 4 DOI’s Oil and Gas Data Systems: Related Program Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Department of the Interior
(Bureau of Land Management
(BLM))
Automated Fluid Minerals Support
System (AFMSS)
BLM uses AFMSS to collect, manage, and share information
on wells’ statuses from the initial permitting of a well through
its final plugging and abandonment, including all well
inspection and enforcement activities.
Department of the Interior
(BLM)
Legacy Rehost 2000 (LR2000)
BLM uses LR2000 to process information associated with oil
and gas leases.
Department of the Interior
(Office of Natural Resources
Revenue (ONRR))
Mineral Revenue Management
Support System (MRMSS)
ONRR uses MRMSS to report on and track operators’ oil and
gas production and associated payment information
throughout the different stages of a lease.
Source: GAO analysis of Department of Interior. | GAO-22-105301
Table 24: Area 5 Drug Control Grant Tracking: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Office name
Office activity
National Drug Control Budget
for Fiscal Year 2021 (dollars)
Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP)
ONDCP is responsible for overseeing the
implementation of the nation’s national drug control
policy and leading the national drug control efforts.
This includes coordinating with National Drug Control
Programs; tracking federally funded grant programs
for substance-use disorder treatment, prevention,
and enforcement; and formulating the national drug
control budget, among other things.
Approximately 36,000,000,000a
Source: GAO analysis of SUPPORT Act. | GAO-22-105301
aThe approximate $36 billion represents the entire national drug control budget for fiscal year 2021.
This encompasses funding for all drug control efforts, including program activities and grants.
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Table 25: Area 6 Trade-Based Money Laundering: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
obligations (dollars)
Department of
Homeland Security
(DHS)
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE),
Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI)
HSI investigates a broad range of
transnational crimes, such as money
laundering, bulk cash smuggling, and other
financial crimes; commercial fraud, including
intellectual property violations; cybercrimes;
child exploitation; identity and immigration
benefit fraud; and human rights violations.
HSI is also responsible for the collection,
analysis, and dissemination of strategic,
operational, and tactical intelligence for use
by the operational elements of ICE and DHS.
2,136,000,000
Department of the
Treasury
Office of Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence (TFI)
TFI safeguards the financial system against
illicit use and combats rogue nations,
terrorist facilitators, weapons of mass
destruction proliferators, human rights
abusers, money launderers, drug kingpins,
and other national security threats.
183,000,000
Source: GAO analysis of agency reported data. | GAO-22-105301
Table 26: Area 7 Diet-Related Chronic Health Conditions: Related Program Information
Categories
Number of efforts Examples of activities
Total efforts
200
Research
119 Collect and monitor data, conduct or fund studies, review research to
develop guidelines on healthy eating
Education and clinical services
72 Inform program beneficiaries, counsel health care patients, inform the
public with mass communication
Food assistance and access
27 Provide food or assistance in purchasing food, improve community
access to healthy food
Regulatory action
6 Issue requirements or recommendations for food producers,
manufacturers, and retailers
Source: GAO analysis of agency information. | GAO-22-105301
Note: Effort numbers do not add up to 200 because some efforts fall into multiple categories.
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Table 27: Area 8 Medicaid Behavioral Health Demonstration: Related Program Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
Certified community behavioral
health clinics (CCBHC)
demonstration
Time-limited program that established 66 CCBHCs in eight
states—Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New
York, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—to provide
community-based behavioral health services. CCBHCs are
required to provide nine categories of behavioral health
services, such as outpatient mental health and substance use
treatment, and are reimbursed for services provided to
Medicaid beneficiaries using clinic-specific rates designed to
cover expected costs.
Source: GAO analysis of Department of Health and Human Services information. | GAO-22-105301
Note: The CCBHC demonstration was initially authorized for a 2-year period, which began in 2017.
However, the demonstration has been extended multiple times through legislative action; most
recently, the demonstration was extended through September 30, 2023. The demonstration initially
included 67 CCBHCs in eight states. In March 2018, one CCBHC withdrew from the demonstration
after Nevada revoked its certification. In 2019, Pennsylvania withdrew from the demonstration. In
2020, legislative action expanded the demonstration beyond the eight original participating states to
include two additional states (Kentucky and Michigan).
Table 28: Area 9 Alternative Technologies for Radioactive Materials: Related Program Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Department of Energy
Department of Energy, National
Nuclear Security Administration
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Science and Technology
Policy
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Accelerator Stewardship Program
Cesium Irradiator Replacement
Project (CIRP) and Off-Site
Source Recovery Program
(OSRP)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Funds basic research into compact accelerator technologies
to potentially replace technologies that use high-risk
radioactive materials
CIRP provides incentives to domestic users of blood and
research irradiators to replace their cesium-137 irradiators
with x-ray devices. OSRP subsidizes the cost of removing
and disposing of disused high-risk radioactive sealed
sources without a commercial disposition pathway, including
blood and research irradiator sources
Responsible for licensing and regulating the safety, security,
and disposal of radioactive materials for industrial, medical,
and research uses in the U.S.
Advises the President and others within the Executive Office
of the President on the scientific, engineering, and
technological aspects of the economy, national security,
homeland security, health, foreign relations, and the
environment
Reviews sterilization methods—including methods that use
high-risk radioactive materials—as part of its process to
regulate devices that sterilize medical products
Source: GAO analysis of agency programs. | GAO-22-105301
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Table 29: Area 10 Biodefense Preparedness and Response: Related Program Information
Agency
Program Description
Department of Defense (DOD)
DOD protects U.S. armed forces from biological threats worldwide and—subject to the
availability of resources and the direction of the President or by approval of the
Secretary of Defense—is responsible for providing support functions and
supplementing civil authorities’ resources in response to public health and medical
disasters. DOD provides strategic planning guidance for the department’s efforts to
prepare for and respond to pandemic diseases, including influenza and other
infectious diseases. DOD is a member of the Biodefense Steering Committee, an
interagency body which oversees implementation of the National Biodefense Strategy.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
DHS is the lead federal agency responsible for disaster preparedness, response, and
recovery. As such, DHS facilitates planning efforts for all hazards, including biological
incidents and supports efforts to exercise capabilities nationwide. DHS also
coordinates with domestic and international partners to safeguard the United States
against chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear, and health security threats. This
includes working with partners to develop biodefense strategy and policy and
coordinating the department’s efforts to defend U.S. food, agriculture, and veterinary
systems against terrorism and other high-consequence events. DHS is a member of
the Biodefense Steering Committee.
Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)
HHS leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness effort for responding
to and recovering from disasters and public health emergencies, such as biological
incidents. HHS is responsible for coordinating the federal public health and medical
response to emergent threats and all-hazards incidents, and develops and conducts
exercises focused on the department’s preparedness issues, among other things. HHS
chairs the Biodefense Steering Committee.
United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA)
USDA is the lead agency with responsibility to protect and improve the health, quality,
and marketability of our nation’s agricultural products. USDA works to prevent, control,
or eliminate harmful pests, pathogens, and diseases of animals and plants. USDA also
manages preparedness and response efforts, including food defense and
preparedness to respond to acts of intentional food contamination. USDA is a member
of the Biodefense Steering Committee.
Source: GAO analysis of National Security Presidential Memorandum-14 and agency information. | GAO-22-105301
Note: Effectively preparing for and responding to nationally significant biological incidents transcends
what any one agency can achieve on its own and requires a whole-of-community approach involving
federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector involvement. In addition to the four agencies
named above, the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Energy, Veterans Affairs, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation comprise the Biodefense
Steering Committee, which has responsibility for overseeing implementation of the National
Biodefense Strategy.
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Table 30: Area 11 Law Enforcement’s Use of Force: Related Program Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Department of
Justice (DOJ)
Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA)
In response to the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, Pub. L. No. 113-242, 128 Stat.
2860, BJA began collecting quarterly data on the deaths of individuals in the custody of
state and local law enforcement agencies from states that receive funding from the Edward
Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program in October 2019. Generally, BJA
collects the deceased individual’s name, gender, race, ethnicity, and age; date, time, and
location of death; the law enforcement agency that detained, arrested, or was in the
process of arresting the deceased; and a brief description of the circumstances
surrounding the death.
Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS)
In response to the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, BJS began to collect data on
deaths of individuals in the custody of federal law enforcement agencies in December
2016. Generally, BJS collects information about the incident, such as date, time, and
location; characteristics about the deceased individual (e.g., demographics, actions prior to
and during the incident, incarceration details); and law enforcement characteristics (e.g.,
actions during the incident, interactions with the deceased individual, and weapon use).
Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI)
In January 2019, the FBI began collecting data on law enforcement use of force incidents
nationwide from federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies on a voluntary
basis. For each incident, the FBI collects general information about the incident, including
the date, time, location, and reason for initial contact; demographic information on both the
law enforcement officers and individuals involved in such incidents; and the type of force
used (e.g., firearm, electronic control weapon, etc.) as well as associated outcomes (e.g.,
death or serious bodily injury).
Source: GAO analysis of DOJ data collection efforts. | GAO-22-105301
Table 31: Area 12 Digital Service Guidance: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2022
planned program
expenditures (dollars)
Office of Management
and Budget (OMB)
U.S. Digital Service
(USDS)
In 2014, the President established USDS within OMB,
to improve the federal government’s most important
public-facing digital services.a Its mission is to deliver
better government services to the American people
through technology and design. According to OMB,
USDS applies best practices in product design and
engineering to improve the usefulness, user experience,
and reliability of the most important public-facing federal
digital services.
54,000,000b
General Services
Administration (GSA)
18Fc
GSA created 18F in 2014 with the mission of
transforming the way the federal government builds and
buys digital services. According to 18F, it works with
agencies that request its help to deliver digital services
that meet user needs, and are secure and delivered
quickly and at reasonable cost.
37,400,000d
Source: GAO analysis of USDS and 18F information. | GAO-22-105301
aOMB defines digital services as the delivery of digital information (data or content) and transactional
services (e.g., online forms and benefits applications) across a variety of platforms, devices, and
delivery mechanisms (e.g., websites, mobile applications, and social media).
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bGAO reported in December 2021 that USDS received $200 million in the American Rescue Plan Act
of 2021, which is to remain available through fiscal year 2024. American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,
Pub. L. No. 117-2, Title IV, Sec. 4010, 135 Stat. 80. According to budget documentation, USDS is
using the funding to staff relief implementation projects and improve urgent delivery during the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 crisis, as well as provide system stability through recovery. Of this funding,
USDS planned to use $54 million in fiscal year 2022.
cThe name of the 18F program refers to its office location, which is in northwest Washington, D.C., at
18th and F Streets.
dAccording to GSA officials, the agency funds 18F through the Acquisition Services Fund, rather than
a direct appropriation received from Congress. The Acquisition Services Fund is a revolving fund,
which operates on the revenue generated from GSA’s business units. In order to recover its costs,
18F is to establish interagency agreements with partner agencies and charge them for actual time
and material costs, as well as a fixed overhead amount. For fiscal year 2022, 18F projected its
revenue will be $36.2 million and its costs will be $37.4 million.
Table 32: Area 13 Farm Production and Conservation IT Duplication and Overlap: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
expenditures (dollars)
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Farm Production and Conservation
(FPAC) mission area
FPAC IT expenditures, including IT
investments, shared services, and IT
Infrastructure
979,930,000
Source: GAO analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture IT Dashboard data. | GAO-22-105301
Table 33: Area 14 Emergency Watershed Protection: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
obligations (dollars)
Department of
Agriculture
Emergency Watershed Protection
program
The Emergency Watershed Protection
program provides technical and
financial assistance to help project
sponsors relieve imminent threats to
life and property created by natural
disasters.
419,000,000
Source: GAO analysis of information in the fiscal year 2023 President’s Budget. | GAO-22-105301
Note: Total fiscal year 2021 obligations include Emergency Watershed Protection program projects
and operations, including ones related to Hurricane Sandy, as well as Watershed Flood and
Prevention Operations.
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Table 34: Area 15 High-Performance Computing: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
enacted budget (dollars)
High End Computing
Interagency Working Group
Participating Agencies:
Department of Defense,
Department of Energy, National
Aeronautics and Space
Administration, National
Institutes of Health, National
Institute of Standards and
Technology, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration, National
Science Foundation, National
Security Agency, Office of the
Secretary of Defense, U.S.
Geological Survey
Networking and Information
Technology Research and
Development (NITRD)
Program
Enabling R&D for High-
Capability Computing Systems
(EHCS) Program Component
Area
EHCS R&D advances high-
capability computing and
development of fundamentally
new approaches in high-capability
computing; this includes R&D in
hardware and hardware
subsystems, software,
architectures, system
performance, computational
algorithms, data analytics,
development tools, and software
methods for extreme data- and
compute-intensive workloads.
445,400,000
High End Computing
Interagency Working Group
Participating Agencies:
Department of Defense,
Department of Energy, ,
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, National
Institutes of Health, National
Institute of Standards and
Technology, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration, National
Science Foundation, National
Security Agency, Office of the
Secretary of Defense, U.S.
Geological Survey
Networking and Information
Technology Research and
Development (NITRD)
Program
High-Capability Computing
Infrastructure and Applications
(HCIA) Program Component
Area
HCIA investments advance
operation and utilization of
systems and infrastructure for
high-capability computing,
including computation- and data-
intensive systems and
applications; directly associated
software, communications,
storage, and data management
infrastructure; and other
resources supporting high-
capability computing.
1,581,600,000
Source: GAO analysis of the NITRD Program and the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office Supplement to the President’s FY2022 Budget. | GAO-22-105301
Table 35: Area 16 Nuclear Waste Cleanup Research and Development Efforts: Related Program Information
Categories
Examples of activities
Site-funded research and
development efforts
Research and development generally needed for site operations, such as the development of a
specific tool or substance (e.g., a fixative to prevent the spread of contamination in the
demolition of a facility).
Headquarters-funded research and
development efforts
Congressionally-directed research and development efforts, such as those related to spent fuel
storage and ventilation, and headquarters support for site operations.
Network of National Laboratories for
Environmental Management and
Stewardship
Research and development efforts conducted by the Network of National Laboratories for
Environmental Management and Stewardship, such as research on tank waste treatment
options.
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Categories
Examples of activities
Other research and development
efforts
Any other cleanup-related research and development efforts, including those conducted by
other Department of Energy (DOE) offices and federal agencies. For example, DOE’s Office of
Nuclear Energy may sponsor university research on spent fuel storage, or NASA may sponsor
research of relevance to nuclear cleanup.
Source: GAO analysis of DOE information. | GAO-22-105301
Table 36: Area 17 F-35 Lightning II Sustainment: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
obligation amount
Department of
Defense
F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter
The F-35 Lightning II program is a joint, multinational program to develop,
field, and sustain a family of next-generation strike fighter aircraft.
Program participants include the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps;
seven international partners; and six foreign military sales customers.
12,744,500,000a
Source: GAO analysis of Department of Defense information. | GAO-22-105301
aThe $12.7 billion reflects direct program costs for the development and procurement of the F-35 and
is the actual execution amount as of September 30, 2021. This amount does not include
congressional rescissions or costs associated with initial and replenishment spare parts. This amount
includes both Base and Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. Over an estimated 66-
year life cycle, the department plans to incur costs of $1.7 trillion—with about $1.3 trillion of those
costs associated with the sustainment of the aircraft.
Table 37: Area 18 Federal Contracting Metrics: Related Budgetary Information
Agency
Agency’s total
Fiscal year 2021 contract obligations (dollars)
Department of the Army
109.6 billion
Department of the Navy
111.7 billion
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
19.8 billion
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
34.4 billion
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
19.3 billion
Source: GAO analysis of federal procurement data. | GAO-22-105301
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Table 38: Area 19 Staffing and Critical Incidents in Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities: Related Program and Budgetary
Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
obligations (dollars)
Health and Human Services
Medicare Part A
Healthcare services in inpatient hospitals
and skilled nursing facilities, home
healthcare related to a hospital stay, and
hospice care.
382,161,000,000
Source: GAO analysis of Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2023. | GAO-22-105301
Table 39: Area 20 BOP Emergency Preparedness and Response: Related Program and Budgetary Information
Agency
Program description
Fiscal year 2021
obligations (dollars)
Bureau of Prisons
BOP uses this funding for its buildings and facilities. This
includes BOP’s planning, acquisition of sites, and construction
of new facilities; purchase and acquisition of facilities and
remodeling, and equipping of such facilities, and constructing,
remodeling, and equipping buildings and facilities at existing
institutions.
146,000,000
Source: GAO analysis of Bureau of Prisons information. | GAO-22-105301
Table 40: Area 21 Social Security Disability Payments: Related Program Information
Agency
Program name
Program description
Social Security Administration
(SSA)
Ticket to Work and Self-
Sufficiency program (Ticket to
Work)
In part to help disability beneficiaries obtain employment and
reduce dependence on disability benefits, Ticket to Work was
established in 1999. Disability beneficiaries participate in Ticket to
Work by engaging service providers such as state vocational
rehabilitation agencies or private employment networks who, in
turn, provide help with employment. SSA compensates the service
providers when Ticket to Work participants achieve designated
levels of work and earnings. Savings can accrue when participants
receive lower benefits or leave the disability rolls due to earnings
from work.
Source: GAO analysis of SSA data. | GAO-22-105301
(105301)
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