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Open Recommendations

Service Members Transitioning to Civilian Life: Agencies Can Improve Warm Handovers for Additional Assistance
GAO-24-106248
Mar 21, 2024
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8 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure the Undersecretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration coordinates with DOD through the Transition Assistance Program interagency partnership to identify criteria and standards for the TSMRC pilot, to determine whether and how to scale the piloted approach into the overall warm handover process. (Recommendation 7)
Open
VA agreed with this recommendation. The agency plans to use a DOD assessment to identify budget requirements and resources to fund its pilot at all military installations. We will monitor the agency's efforts to address this recommendation.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training Service coordinates with DOD through the Transition Assistance Program interagency partnership to identify criteria and standards for ENPP to determine whether and how to scale the piloted approach into the overall warm handover process. (Recommendation 8)
Open
DOL agreed with this recommendation. The agency emphasized its commitment to leveraging its resources and services along with its interagency partners, including DOD, that are available for transitioning service members. We will monitor the agency's efforts to implement this recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop a process to regularly request updated online contact information from receiving agencies, including VA and DOL, to help ensure that Transition Assistance Program officials can connect service members with agency programs through warm handovers. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. DOD stated that it has instituted support and data sharing agreements with receiving agencies, including VA and DOL. The agreements will be leveraged to facilitate regular updates to online contact information from warm handover partnering agencies. We will monitor efforts to implement this recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop additional guidance to commanders and their designees on verifying warm handovers and on recording the verifications in the Transition Assistance Program database. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. The TAP Interagency Governance Structure is developing a course and written Commander's guide to better educate commanders on the importance of verifying warm handovers and recording the verifications in the TAP database. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with interagency partners, such as DOL and VA, should develop a plan to assess the helpfulness of warm handovers as a part of its overall assessment of the Transition Assistance Program. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. The Department leads the Transition Executive Committee, which oversees governance for transition and reintegration interagency coordination. As part of that Committee, a group assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of TAP aspects, including warm handovers. DOD said this effort aligns with its ongoing efforts to improve TAP, supported by insights from studies and reports from interagency partners. We will monitor the Department's efforts to implement this recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop and implement a process to share information and findings on the helpfulness of warm handover from partner agencies with military service branches, including Transition Assistance Program counselors and other stakeholders. (Recommendation 5)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. DOD noted that the TAP Interagency Governance structure ensures coordination and information sharing among interagency work groups and military departments. DOD believes this approach facilitates a seamless exchange of best practices, findings and updates on warm handovers, which enhances the support provided to transitioning service members in all service branches. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Greater Transparency Could Improve Worker Ratio Reports
GAO-24-106698
Feb 13, 2024
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs works with the CNMI government and, as appropriate, other U.S. agencies to determine what steps can be taken to improve transparency of the analytical approach CNMI uses to create its annual worker ratio report. Such steps could include communicating in greater detail, through CNMI's Standard Operating Procedure document and worker ratio report, the analytical approach CNMI took to categorize unknown workers as either U.S. or foreign, as well as the implications of the unknown portion for the ratio.
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

2023 Tax Filing: IRS Improved Customer Service, but Could Further Improve Processing and Evaluate Expedited Hiring
GAO-24-106581
Jan 25, 2024
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Internal Revenue Service The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should identify a responsible party who approves and checks the accuracy of Submission Processing data reports and coordinates report dispersal to ensure that they do not contain errors. This individual and quality review process should be documented, such as in the Internal Revenue Manual. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Internal Revenue Service The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should systematically track and evaluate improvement initiatives aimed to address the most common submission processing errors. IRS should document this tracking and evaluation process in guidance, such as in the Internal Revenue Manual. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Internal Revenue Service The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should develop and implement plans to monitor and evaluate its use of direct hire authority. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Internal Revenue Service The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should evaluate and determine the cause of certain returns not meeting processing time goals and develop a plan for addressing these processing shortfalls. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Employee Benefits Security Administration: Systematic Process Needed to Better Manage Priorities and Increased Responsibilities
GAO-24-105667
Nov 16, 2023
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct EBSA to develop and document a systematic decision-making process for oversight responsibilities and allocating staff in a changing budget environment, which could be incorporated within current planning documents. (Recommendation 1)
Open
EBSA agreed with our assessment of the agency's mission and its budgetary challenges, but disagreed with our conclusion that the agency had not adequately documented its decision-making process. However, EBSA also said it would take further steps to enhance its formal documentation of that process, in accordance with this recommendation. The agency also agreed it could better document the resource planning process to increase transparency-and that it will review its current documentation processes and implement appropriate changes. In addition, EBSA specifically noted that it plans to document the operation, maintenance, and decision-making process associated with employee training in a way that is consistent with our recommendation. We will monitor the agency's progress on these efforts.
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