Auditing and Financial Management

Jump To:
Image

Open Recommendations

U.S. Consolidated Financial Statements: Improvements Needed in Internal Controls over Treasury and OMB Preparation Processes

GAO-23-106707
Aug 15, 2023
Show
5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Treasury The Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the working group, should develop and implement policies and procedures for identifying, at the time of entry into force, the TIAs that have contingencies, and for monitoring the TIAs that have contingencies for events that may give rise to the recognition of a contingent liability or disclosure of a contingency. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, Treasury agreed with this recommendation and stated that the recommended process improvements would increase controls over the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.
Department of the Treasury The Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the working group, should develop and implement policies and procedures for determining, in coordination with applicable federal entities, in which reporting entity's financial statements to report any identified contingencies. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, Treasury agreed with this recommendation and stated that the recommended process improvements would increase controls over the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.
Department of the Treasury The Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury should enhance the EDA process to include detailed procedures for GLID to document the information that significant component entities submitted for inclusion in the CFS that does not link directly to information reported in the entities' audited financial statements. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, Treasury agreed with this recommendation and stated that the recommended process improvements would increase controls over the preparation of the consolidated financial statements (CFS).
Department of the Treasury The Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury should develop and implement procedures for considering amounts identified through the EDA process that do not link directly to the significant component entities' audited financial statements as part of the aggregate analysis to determine their impact on the CFS. (Recommendation 4)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, Treasury agreed with this recommendation and stated that the recommended process improvements would increase controls over the preparation of the consolidated financial statements (CFS).
Department of the Treasury The Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury should develop and implement procedures to annually determine the reliability of information used from sources other than significant component entities' audited financial statements to prepare the social insurance sections of the CFS. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, Treasury agreed with this recommendation and stated that the recommended process improvements would increase controls over the preparation of the consolidated financial statements (CFS).

Personnel Vetting: DOD Should Improve Management and Operation of Its Background Investigation Working Capital Fund

GAO-23-105812
Jul 27, 2023
Show
6 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DCSA issues and implements guidance for calculating the operating range of DCSA's working capital fund that is consistent with DOD's cash management policy. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DCSA adjusts the prices charged to customers upon implementation of DCSA guidance to ensure that DCSA's cash balance is within its operating range. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DCSA presents WCF upper and lower operating range amounts in the DCSA WCF annual budget submission to Congress in addition to the budget supplement, starting with the fiscal year 2025 budget. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DCSA evaluates DCSA's existing performance measures to confirm they are appropriate for assessing progress toward DCSA's strategic goal; develop new performance measures if needed; and articulate how those performance measures relate to DCSA's strategic goals. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DCSA establishes performance targets for each of DCSA's performance measures. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the DCSA implements a systematic and reliable method for obtaining and analyzing information on customer needs and satisfaction with WCF performance. DCSA could accomplish this by establishing new methods for collecting and analyzing feedback from customers or by redesigning its customer satisfaction survey to follow leading practices for federal agency surveys. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Research and Development: DOD Benefited from Financial Flexibilities but Could Do More to Maximize Their Use

GAO-23-105822
Jun 29, 2023
Show
3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure the Deputy Secretary of Defense designates a primary office responsible to regularly collect current information about the financial flexibilities that are available to support DOD's research and development, innovation, and modernization efforts and ensures the office makes the information easily accessible department-wide. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering develops guidance for the Defense Research Laboratory Modernization program that communicates the purpose, roles and responsibilities, time frames, procedures, and other relevant information needed to effectively implement this flexibility. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment implements an evaluation plan, developed using leading practices for pilot design for assessing the effectiveness of the Software and Digital Technology Pilot Programs, also known as Budget Activity Eight (BA-8). (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

National Nuclear Security Administration: Additional Actions Could Improve Efficiency of Common Financial Reporting

GAO-23-106069
Jun 20, 2023
Show
13 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Nuclear Security Administration The NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs should work with NNSA's Program Director for Financial Integration to assess the actions the office has taken to collect and use common financial data and develop and document a plan to fully participate in the effort, including meeting the office's responsibilities in the financial integration policy and ensuring that common financial data meet their program needs to the extent possible. (Recommendation 1)
Open
NNSA concurred with our recommendation and officials stated that the Program Director for Financial Integration would work with NNSA program offices to develop a plan to assess the offices' use of common financial data. The agency plans to use the results of these assessments to identify actions to enhance program office participation in the common financial reporting effort. NNSA officials estimated that they would complete action on this recommendation by March 2024. We will continue to monitor NNSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
National Nuclear Security Administration The NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation should work with NNSA's Program Director for Financial Integration to assess the actions the office has taken to collect and use common financial data and develop and document a plan to fully participate in the effort, including meeting the office's responsibilities in the financial integration policy and ensuring that common financial data meet their program needs to the extent possible. (Recommendation 2)
Open
NNSA concurred with our recommendation and officials stated that the Program Director for Financial Integration would work with NNSA program offices to develop a plan to assess the offices' use of common financial data. The agency plans to use the results of these assessments to identify actions to enhance program office participation in the common financial reporting effort. NNSA officials estimated that they would complete action on this recommendation by March 2024. We will continue to monitor NNSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
National Nuclear Security Administration The NNSA Associate Administrator for Emergency Operations should work with NNSA's Program Director for Financial Integration to assess the actions the office has taken to collect and use common financial data and develop and document a plan to fully participate in the effort, including meeting the office's responsibilities in the financial integration policy and ensuring that common financial data meet their program needs to the extent possible. (Recommendation 3)
Open
NNSA concurred with our recommendation and officials stated that the Program Director for Financial Integration would work with NNSA program offices to develop a plan to assess the offices' use of common financial data. The agency plans to use the results of these assessments to identify actions to enhance program office participation in the common financial reporting effort. NNSA officials estimated that they would complete action on this recommendation by March 2024. We will continue to monitor NNSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
National Nuclear Security Administration The NNSA Associate Administrator and Chief for Defense Nuclear Security should work with NNSA's Program Director for Financial Integration to assess the actions the office has taken to collect and use common financial data and develop and document a plan to fully participate in the effort, including meeting the office's responsibilities in the financial integration policy and ensuring that common financial data meet their program needs to the extent possible. (Recommendation 4)
Open
NNSA concurred with our recommendation and officials stated that the Program Director for Financial Integration would work with NNSA program offices to develop a plan to assess the offices' use of common financial data. The agency plans to use the results of these assessments to identify actions to enhance program office participation in the common financial reporting effort. NNSA officials estimated that they would complete action on this recommendation by March 2024. We will continue to monitor NNSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
National Nuclear Security Administration The NNSA Associate Administrator for Counterterrorism and Counter-proliferation should work with NNSA's Program Director for Financial Integration to assess the actions the office has taken to collect and use common financial data and develop and document a plan to fully participate in the effort, including meeting the office's responsibilities in the financial integration policy and ensuring that common financial data meet their program needs to the extent possible. (Recommendation 5)
Open
NNSA concurred with our recommendation and officials stated that the Program Director for Financial Integration would work with NNSA program offices to develop a plan to assess the offices' use of common financial data. The agency plans to use the results of these assessments to identify actions to enhance program office participation in the common financial reporting effort. NNSA officials estimated that they would complete action on this recommendation by March 2024. We will continue to monitor NNSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
National Nuclear Security Administration The NNSA Associate Administrator for Infrastructure should work with NNSA's Program Director for Financial Integration to assess the actions the office has taken to collect and use common financial data and develop and document a plan to fully participate in the effort, including meeting the office's responsibilities in the financial integration policy and ensuring that common financial data meet their program needs to the extent possible. (Recommendation 6)
Open
NNSA concurred with our recommendation and officials stated that the Program Director for Financial Integration would work with NNSA program offices to develop a plan to assess the offices' use of common financial data. The agency plans to use the results of these assessments to identify actions to enhance program office participation in the common financial reporting effort. NNSA officials estimated that they would complete action on this recommendation by March 2024. We will continue to monitor NNSA's efforts to address this recommendation.
GAO Contacts