Health, Education, Employment, Social Security, Welfare, and Veterans
Reports (Letter Report, 03/01/96, GAO/HEHS-96-97W).

GAO presented a listing and selected summaries of reports and
testimonies issued in February 1996 and a listing of reports issued in
March 1995 through February 1996 relating to such issues as: (1)
hospital mortgage insurance; (2) health care access, financing, and
reform; (2) managed care; (3) Medicare and Medicaid; (4) public health
and education; (5) health care quality and practices standards; (6)
early childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education; (7)
employment and training; (8) child welfare; (9) social security,
retirement, disability, and welfare benefits; and (10) veterans and
military health care.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HEHS-96-97W
     TITLE:  Health, Education, Employment, Social Security, Welfare, 
             and Veterans Reports
      DATE:  03/01/96
   SUBJECT:  Health care programs
             Employment or training programs
             Educational programs
             Veterans benefits
             Welfare benefits
             Health care services
             Retirement pensions
             Managed health care
             Student loans
             Hospitals
IDENTIFIER:  HUD Section 242 Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program
             Hospital Insurance Trust Fund
             Medicare Program
             Federal Family Education Loan Program
             SSA Plan for Achieving Self-Support Program
             Food Stamp Program
             Supplemental Security Income Program
             Community Health Centers Grant
             Medigap
             Medicaid Program
             Hawaii
             Arizona
             Florida
             Tennessee
             Medicare Secondary Payer Program
             Montana
             DOD TRICARE Program
             Federal Family Education Loan Program Information System
             District of Columbia
             AmeriCorps USA Program
             National Direct Student Loan Program
             ETA Senior Community Service Employment Program
             DOL Job Corps Program
             Federal Thrift Savings Plan
             Social Security Disability Insurance Program
             
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Cover
================================================================ COVER


Health, Education, and Human
Services Division Reports

March 1996

- HEALTH
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL SECURITY
WELFARE
VETERANS

GAO/HEHS-96-97W



Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV

  FHA - Federal Housing Administration
  HEHS - Health, Education, and Human Services Division, GAO
  HUD - Department of Housing and Urban Development
  PASS - plan for achieving self-sufficiency
  SSA - Social Security Administration
  VA - Department of Veterans Affairs

PREFACE
============================================================ Chapter 0

The General Accounting Office (GAO), an arm of the Congress, was
established to independently audit government agencies.  GAO's
Health, Education, and Human Services (HEHS) Division reviews the
government's health, education, employment, social security,
disability, welfare, and veterans programs administered in the
Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Education, Veterans
Affairs, and some other agencies. 

This booklet lists the GAO products issued on these programs.  It is
divided into two major sections: 

  Most Recent GAO Products:  This section identifies reports and
     testimonies issued during the past month and provides summaries
     for selected key products.

  Comprehensive 1-Year Listings:  This section lists all products
     published in the last year, organized chronologically by subject
     as shown in the table of contents.  When appropriate, products
     may be included in more than one subject area. 

If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please fax the
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For faster service, you may fax these two forms to (301) 258-4066 or
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You may access the Most Recent GAO Products section of this booklet
on Internet.  Instructions appear on the last page of this booklet. 

Janet L.  Shikles
Assistant Comptroller General


MOST RECENT GAO PRODUCTS
(FEBRUARY 1996)
============================================================ Chapter 1


   HEALTH
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1


      SELECTED SUMMARIES
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1.1

FHA Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program:  Health Care Trends and
Portfolio Concentration Could Affect Program Stability (Report,
2/27/96, GAO/HEHS-96-29). 

The Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program administered by the Federal
Housing Administration (FHA) in the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) insures loans to finance the renovation or
construction of hospitals that meet certain criteria.  Although the
program has had financial losses in several years, HUD data show an
overall net positive cash flow from operations during the past 25
years.  The program now faces potential financial risks, however,
that could affect the future stability of its loan insurance
portfolio.  In addition, flaws in the methodology for estimating loan
losses limit the reliability of FHA's loan loss reserve estimate,
which, as a result, may be under- or overstated.  GAO made specific
recommendations to the Secretary of HUD that would (1) improve the
reliability of FHA's loan loss reserve estimate, (2) ensure future
compliance with federal performance measurement requirements, and (3)
minimize potential financial losses from future projects. 

To order this report, call (202) 512-6000.  For information on the
topics discussed in this report, contact James O.  McClyde, (202)
512-7152. 


      OTHER HEALTH PRODUCTS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1.2

Status of Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (Testimony, 2/29/96,
GAO/T-HEHS-96-94). 

FDA Review and Approval Times (Testimony, 2/21/96, GAO/T-PEMD-96-6). 

Medicare:  Millions Can Be Saved by Screening Claims for Overused
Services (Testimony, 2/8/96, GAO/T-HEHS-96-86).  Report on same topic
(1/30/96, GAO/HEHS-96-49). 

Pharmacy Benefit Managers:  Early Results on Ventures With Drug
Manufacturers (Testimony, 2/7/96, GAO/T-HEHS-96-85).  Report on same
topic (11/9/95, GAO/HEHS-96-45). 


   EDUCATION
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2


      EDUCATION PRODUCTS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2.1

Financial Audit:  Federal Family Education Loan Program's Financial
Statements (Report, 2/26/96, GAO/AIMD-96-22). 


   SOCIAL SECURITY, DISABILITY,
   AND WELFARE
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3


      SELECTED SUMMARIES
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3.1

PASS Program:  SSA Work Incentive for Disabled Beneficiaries Poorly
Managed (Report, 2/28/96, GAO/HEHS-96-51). 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has done a poor job
implementing and managing the plan for achieving self-support (PASS)
program, which helps disabled beneficiaries invest in skills and
resources to undertake gainful employment.  The PASS program, which
served about 10,000 participants at a cost of approximately $30
million in 1995, has not been designed or managed to provide the
staff who administer it with the expertise, guidance, or data to
evaluate participants' proposed employment plans.  Program goals are
unclear, and the impact of the PASS program on employment is unknown,
although almost no former participants left the Supplemental Security
Income or Disability Insurance rolls.  Furthermore, a lack of
safeguards on participation and expenditures has left the PASS
program vulnerable to abuse. 

To order this report, call (202) 512-6000.  For information on the
topics discussed in this report, contact Cynthia Bascetta, (202)
512-7207. 

Social Security:  Telephone Access Enhanced at Field Offices Under
Demonstration Project (Report, 2/23/96, GAO/HEHS-96-70). 

A demonstration project at 30 SSA field offices suggests that
automated telephone attendant and voice mail equipment can help SSA
better serve the public.  For example, with one of the equipment
configurations tested, the proportion of calls not put on hold at all
or put on hold for less than 2 minutes improved 23 percentage points,
and busy-signal rates dropped by more than 55 percentage points. 
Because staffing did not increase, however, many callers still spent
some time on hold before speaking with SSA staff.  Field office staff
strongly believed the equipment improved efficiency and public
service. 

To order this report, call (202) 512-6000.  For information on the
topics discussed in this report, contact Roland H.  Miller III, (202)
512-7246. 


      OTHER SOCIAL SECURITY,
      DISABILITY, AND WELFARE
      PRODUCTS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3.2

Food Stamp Program:  Achieving Cost Neutrality in Minnesota's Family
Investment Program (Report, 2/12/96, GAO/RCED-96-54). 

Supplemental Security Income:  Noncitizens Have Been a Major Source
of Caseload Growth (Testimony, 2/6/96, GAO/T-HEHS-96-88). 


   VETERANS AFFAIRS AND MILITARY
   HEALTH
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:4


      SELECTED SUMMARIES
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:4.1

Veterans' Health Care:  Facilities' Resource Allocations Could Be
More Equitable (Report, 2/7/96, GAO/HEHS-96-48). 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has chosen to make limited
use of the data from its resource allocation system to redistribute
funding among its facilities to reflect changes in patient workload. 
While some facilities' workloads rose by as much as 15 percent and
others' fell by as much as 8 percent between 1993 and 1995, VA
increased or decreased facilities' budgets only by about 1 percent. 
Facilities at which the growth in patient workload has outpaced
funding increases have rationed care.  As a result, similar veterans
in different parts of the country do not have the same access to
care.  The report recommends ways VA can eliminate some of the
barriers that prevent it from using the allocation system to allocate
funds more equitably. 

To order this report, call (202) 512-6000.  For information on the
topics discussed in this report, contact Frank C.  Pasquier, (206)
287-4861. 

VA Health Care:  Exploring Options to Improve Veterans' Access to VA
Facilities (Report, 2/6/96, GAO/HEHS-96-52). 

In its efforts to improve access to VA health care, VA faces two
basic decisions:  where to locate new facilities and how to deliver
care.  For instance, VA could locate new facilities to improve
convenience for existing users, improve access for all veterans, or
improve access for specific veteran groups or eligibility categories. 
In deciding how to deliver care, VA could compare the costs and other
factors involved in providing care in VA-operated facilities with
those involved in contracting with private providers.  For example,
although VA-operated facilities typically are more expensive in the
short run, they give VA more control over resources.  The report
concludes that if VA medical centers used all means at their disposal
to expand access, they could significantly improve veterans' access
to care. 

To order this report, call (202) 512-6000.  For information on the
topics discussed in this report, contact Paul R.  Reynolds, (202)
512-7109. 


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============================================================ Chapter 2

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