Welfare; Summary of Administrative Problems Discussed in Past GAO (general Accounting Office) Reports
Abstract
Twenty-seven of our reports discuss 54 administrative problems, which we address in this report under one of seven categories. Regulating--Problems included(1) legislative and oversight responsibilities scattered among many entities and (2) lack of consistency between programs in terminology and definitions (of such items as income and assets), eligibility criteria, eligibility verification procedures, quality control procedures, and administrative requirements, including reporting. Coordinating--Problems that impeded coordination among programs included (1) differing legislation, rules, funding systems, and operations; (2) lack of agreements between state agencies to coordinate services; and (3) different program objectives. Monitoring-- Problems included (1) failure of program administrators to adequately monitor and evaluate their programs, (2) lack of program effectiveness reviews, (3) lack of program quality control systems, and (4) poor case management, including insufficient use of case tracking. Reporting--Problems included federal agencies' receiving program data from the states that were not uniform or consistent and could not be used to determine how the states were performing. More specific data collection and reporting requirements were needed. Staffing-- Problems including staffing shortages at the federal, state, or local levels that resulted in service shortfalls, curtailment of the number of program participants served, low staff morale, loss of program expertise, and program delays. Automating--Problems included the potential breach of clients' privacy of personal data. Funding--Problems included insufficient funds to serve all eligible clients and variations between states in funding for AFDC recipients.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 27, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA196600
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office