Open Recommendations

CMS should support States in tailoring their network adequacy standards to better address maternal health care needs.

We recommend the Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness Director and the Intelligence and Analysis Under Secretary, with the support of the DHS Chief Information Officer, establish a recurring process to coordinate internally and with external partners to identify needed Homeland Security Information Network functionality improvements and provide the DHS Chief Information Officer with Homeland Security Information Network improvement recommendations.

We recommend the DHS Chief Information Officer create and implement a plan for outreach with external partners to increase awareness of Homeland Security Information Network capabilities, such as trainings and updates, and available resources, including stakeholder engagement specialists, to fusion centers.

We recommend the DHS Chief Information Officer conduct a cost benefit analysis to evaluate partners’ Homeland Security Information Network use versus cost to modernize and determine if modernization is the best solution for Homeland Security Information Network based on fiscal responsibility, mission objectives, and user feedback.

Establish processes to ensure that the company decides on and implements a program's management structure early enough to provide strong, continuous oversight for the entire life of a program.

Establish processes to ensure that program teams have sufficient staff before the company transitions a program from the Strategy and Planning department to the Capital Delivery department.

Ensure timely steps are taken to approve and implement a modernization strategy which covers SSA modernization efforts and comprehensively addresses legacy system risks for the upcoming years.

Ensure timely steps are taken to develop Enterprise Architecture planning documents that directly align with strategic objectives and performance goals noted in the Agency's strategic and Annual Performance Plans.

Review the Information Resource Management Strategic Plan annually and ensure it supports the goals of the Agency Strategic Plan, as required by the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010, OMB Circular A-130, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996.

Ensure legacy system modernization plans include a detailed description of the work needed for modernization, considerations for the disposition of the system, and tracking cost data that covers all aspects of the project.

Regularly perform risk assessments for legacy systems, as required by OMB Circular A-130, Section 5(a)(1)(b)(i) and (c)(ii). Performing assessments regularly will help management identify information systems and components that cannot be appropriately protected or secured. This will ensure that such systems that may be costly or difficult to maintain, are given high priority for upgrade, replacement, or retirement.

Continue to refine the Agency’s inventory of business applications to ensure data elements specifically related to changes, such as retiring or replacing applications, resulting from modernization efforts are tracked/flagged appropriately.

Implement cost monitoring mechanisms to help with the tracking and management costs related to modernization. Additionally, management should conduct cost analyses for modernization projects, considering cost from a risk perspective.

Regularly perform post-implementation reviews on all information technology investments.

The Chief Information Officer should ensure that systems are in place to reconcile duplicate accounting of assets in the repository.

The Chief Information Officer should resolve configuration compliance settings in accordance with Federal and IRS policies.

The VA Tuscaloosa Healthcare System Director strengthens processes to ensure that providers provide patient education about applicable boxed warnings when prescribing psychiatric medication, and monitors compliance.

The VA Augusta Health Care System Director develops and implements processes to incorporate veteran input for process improvements.

The VA Augusta Health Care System Chief of Mental Health ensures a minimum of four hours of recovery-oriented, interdisciplinary programming on weekends on the inpatient mental health unit.

The VA Augusta Health Care System Director ensures alignment between involuntary commitment policies and practices, consistency with state laws, and implementation of monitoring processes.

The VA Augusta Health Care System Director develops and implements processes to incorporate veteran input for process improvements.

The VA Augusta Health Care System Chief of Mental Health ensures a minimum of four hours of recovery-oriented, interdisciplinary programming on weekends on the inpatient mental health unit.

USAID/Afghanistan verify that AUAF corrects the three instances of material noncompliance detailed on pages 43 to 45 of the audit report.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education verify that ODE provided additionalsupport services to the regular, combined school with a youth correction education program that should have beenidentified for CSI in the fall of 2022 based on its assigned level rating for school year 2021–2022.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education verify that ODE provided additionalfunding and support services to the one LEA with three eligible schools identified as needing TSI that did not receiveadditional funding.