SAVE Award 2011 Government Accountability Office

I've seen quite a number of recommendations that appear to be reports of fraud, waste, and abuse. These include everything from inappropriate use of government vehicles to abuse of governement hiring practices. The GAO should receive a summary, especially of heavily trended topics that would appear to be fraud, waste, or abuse cases.

Submitters should also consider this. If it's that bad, don't just wait until Save... more »

It is illogical and just down right WRONG to collect a pay check for doing nothing!
Everyone collecting these funds should be required to do some sort of work, such as: sweep streets, clean parks, work at daycare centers, office help, cook /clean/assist at homeless shelters, clean beaches/bath houses/public rest areas, nursing homes, hospitals, libraries and so on and so on. What ever skills they have should be utilized... more »

Create better communication between SSA and VBA regarding when a veteran starts receiving benefits. Typically I have seen veterans receive both at the same time. Eventually, the VBA asks for the refund of the payments that over lap. When a veteran calls to confirm that receipt of SSI/SSDI that payments may still continue to the veteran for 6-9 months. Creating a streamline process or better communication between agencies... more »

I am amazed at how much money we pay out each year to Landlords withough requireing a complete Operating Cost reconciliation at year end to substantiate monies paid. Often time lessor submit protest for Real Estate Taxes and don't pass the savings to the government.

I was first introduced to the reality of "use it or lose it" spending in the first year I began my government service as an enlisted U.S. Marine in 1993. This first experience involved being handed a government credit card, an internal SERVMART account, and was then directed to go to the self-service store to spend every last dollar remaining in the account on whatever was available, which was approximately $2,500.... more »

1VMIS is the idea to adopt a Federal-wide Vehicle Maintenance System such as DHS/ICE "Sunflower" fleet maintenance system. At present, there are myriads of systems used by individual agencies requiring individualized training and agency specific records. This is outdated and one system that all Federal agencies adopt will provide agency cross-over familiarity, less training and confusion across agencies while providing... more »

Establish an independent panel to review all disability claims. Advertise hotline for fraud. Re-evaluate what constitutes justification. Many instances people on disability are off work riding ATV's, hunting, and playing sports with their kids while those of us who work physically cannot do what they get paid to do, stay home.

The government has a problem with project cost overruns. Many times a project is awarded for a fixed cost. Then the contractor has cost overruns during the project that the government has to pay to close the project. The purposed plan is to use @Risk decision process for predicting the total cost of the project with cost overrun precentage factored in the total cost. This process will give the government a risk assement... more »

Eliminate all Transit Subsidy Benefits to staff traveling to and from their home to their normal duty stations. This subsidy is not available to all staff members, abused by some and the amout of the subsidy benefit can be as much as doubled for members that live as little as 2 blocks away from eachother.
The majority of workers in non- govt jobs do not get paid to travel from their homes to their jobsites and they... more »

Highly recommend and/or require government agencies to set their computers and printers to automatically print on both sides of each piece of paper concerning printed material anything larger then 5 pages long.

GAO bid protests ensure that federal procurements are conducted fairly. They also consume a tremendous amount of personnel hours and resources for the responding agency, not to mention result in acquisition delays. If or when the GAO determines that a protest is meritless or spurious, there should be a mechanism in place for the protestor to compensate the federal treasury for the government time and resources expended.... more »

An across the board freeze on Federal Government production and other bonuses should be implemented immediately. If most government programs that deliver benefits are backlogged, why are we still awarding bonuses to Federal Employees? For example,Veterans who receive compensation benefits for service connected disabilities have not had a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in many years; Federal Employees at the Veterans... more »

Currently a VA employee must utilize government contracted airlines while on VA travel orders. The cost of these flights are often DOUBLE the amount of a non-government contracted flight.

 

Please allow employees to choose the lowest priced flight (whether it be contracted or not).

Purchases with goverment funds should be reviewed based on a priority scale to ensure that goverment agenceys buy things that are needed instead of things that are wanted. A scale could be implemented cheaply and tracked through cumperters to allow for a budget that can reflect needs over wants, this would give an extra level of oversite of purcheses to persons running budgets. For example a simple priority list could... more »

No more new vehicles! I see alot of new mass gas consuming trucks. There is no need for a whole new fleet of trucks it's not economically resonsible. If they are aging then hire more personell to work in vehicle maintenance to create more jobs.