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GAO-06-292R 1 (2005-12-14)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptasiq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: S=GAO Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 December 14, 2005 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley Chairman The Honorable Max Baucus Ranking Minority Member Committee on Finance United States Senate Subject: Federal Programs with a Financial Eligibility Component Each year, federal benefit programs make billions of dollars of improper payments,' in some cases, due to inaccurate personal and financial information provided by applicants.2 For federal agencies administering those programs, getting reliable personal and financial information is vital for making good decisions about whether an individual or business is eligible for federal benefits. As one of the largest repositories of personal and financial information in the United States, IRS has a number of data-sharing relationships with federal agencies to help verify applicant- provided information. This letter conveys information you requested as a part of work we conducted on verifying financial information at federal agencies, including the IRS . As agreed with your offices, we (1) compiled a listing of federal benefit programs with a financial eligibility component and (2) described documentation requirements to qualify for these programs. To identify federal programs with a financial eligibility component, we searched federal programs found within the General Service Administration's (GSA) online Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).4 The CFDA is a database of federal benefit and service assistance programs compiled with information self-reported by agencies. We reviewed the eligibility requirements and financial information of 1,238 financial assistance programs in the CFDA as of December 2005 to determine if they 'Improper payments include payments that should not have been made or were made for incorrect amounts. 2 GAO, Financial Management: Challenges in Meeting Governmentwide Improper Payment Requirements, GAO-05-907T (Washington, D.C.: July 20, 2005). 3 See GAO, Taxpayer Information: Options Exist to Enable Data Sharing Between IRS and USCIS but Each Presents Challenges, GAO-06-100 (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 11, 2005); Taxpayer Information: Data Sharing and Analysis May Enhance Tax Compliance and Improve Immigration Eligibility Decisions, GAO-04-972T (Washington, D.C.: July 21, 2004); and Taxpayer Information: Increased Sharing and Verifying of Information Could Improve Education's Award Decisions, GAO-03-821 (Washington, D.C.: Julyl8, 2003). 4 Users can access the CFDA online at wx, h da.gov.

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