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entitled 'Office of Inspector General: Semiannual Report: April 1, 2008 
— September 30, 2008' which was released on January 7, 2009. 

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United States Government Accountability Office: 
GAO: 

Office of Inspector General: 

December 2008: 

Semiannual Report: 
April 1, 2008 — September 30, 2008: 

GAO/OIG-09-2: 

GAO: 
Memorandum: 

Date: December 1, 2008: 

To: Acting Comptroller General – Gene L. Dodaro: 

From: [Signed by] Inspector General – Frances Garcia: 

Subject: Inspector General’s Semiannual Report – April 1, 2008, through 
September 30, 2008: 

I am pleased to present our semiannual report that covers the Office of 
Inspector General's activities for the second half of fiscal year 2008. 
For the first time, this report is also submitted in accordance with 
Section 5 of the Government Accountability Act of 2008. 

Since April 2008, we issued 24 products: 

* 3 reports with recommendations, 

* 1 testimony, and, 

* 20 opinions on financial accomplishments. 

The reports deal with access to employees’ e-mail accounts and 
computers; three human capital performance measures (new hire rate, 
acceptance rate, and retention rate); and diversity among GAO’s top 
leaders and managers, with a subsequent congressional testimony. (See 
attachment for report summaries.) 

We also performed nonaudit services: (1) testing GAO’s controls for 
assuring independence in its performance audits as part of the agency’s 
calendar year 2007 inspection and (2) reviewing whether GAO has a 
reasonable basis to claim individual financial accomplishment reports 
valued at $500 million or more. 

Our ongoing work includes a review of four GAO human capital 
performance measures (staff development, staff utilization, leadership, 
and organizational climate) and an evaluation of GAO’s information 
security program and practices for fiscal year 2008. We have continued 
to (1) monitor and take appropriate actions on complaints from GAO’s 
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline and other sources and (2) meet 
quarterly with the other legislative branch Inspectors General. 

Currently, four recommendations remain open for the September report on 
diversity. 

Attachment: 

cc: Ms. Harper: 
Mr. Kepplinger: 

[End of memorandum] 

Attachment: 

Summary of GAO IG Reports Issued: 
April 1, 2008 - September 30, 2008: 

1. Lack of Controls over Granting Access to Employees’ Government E-
mail and Computers (May 12, 2008): 

Finding: 

The IG identified internal control concerns regarding access to 
employees’ government e-mail accounts and computers. For example, the 
agency did not have a written policy on who may be granted access to 
employee e-mail accounts and computers or a system to track who is 
given access to employees’ e-mail and computers. 

Recommendation: 

The report includes three recommendations to strengthen the internal 
controls over employees’ government e-mail accounts and computers. 
Because management has taken corrective action on each one, we have 
closed these recommendations. (998264B) 

2. Fiscal Year 2007 New Hire, Acceptance, and Retention Rates 
Performance Measures Need Improvement and Alternative Measures Should 
Be Considered (August 5, 2008): 

Finding: 

The IG reviewed three performance measures—the new hire, acceptance, and
retention rates—that the agency uses to assess its ability to hire and 
retain staff. Beginning in fiscal year 2009, the agency has decided to 
eliminate the acceptance measure because it has become a less useful 
metric. The IG found that the agency could strengthen the reliability 
of the performance measures by documenting its procedures for ensuring 
data quality. The IG also identified alternative measures that could 
provide even more useful information for assessing agency human capital
management. 

Recommendation: 

The report includes three recommendations to improve the effectiveness 
of the current measures and to consider alternative measures for 
assessing agency human capital management. Because management has taken 
corrective action on each one, we have closed these recommendations. 
(998263) 

3. Diversity at GAO: Sustained Attention Needed to Build on Gains in 
SES and Managers (GAO-08-1098, September 10,2008): 

Finding: 

Overall, GAO made gains in the representation of women and minorities 
in both its Senior Executive Service (SES) and manager (GS-15) ranks, 
and equivalent positions, between fiscal years 2002 and 2007. Moreover, 
top management has made a commitment to increasing the diversity of its 
workforce and has implemented many leading diversity management 
practices. We found errors in GAO's fiscal year 2007 complaint and 
discrimination data in GAO's March 2008 report to Congress. In 
addition, earlier in 2008, GAO did not include accurate fiscal year 
2007 complaint data on its Web site, as required by law. GAO has posted 
the correct data to both its Web site and intranet. 

GAO voluntarily follows two of three Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission requirements for executive branch agencies regarding the 
independence and reporting relationships of EEO office heads. At GAO, 
the head of the Office of Opportunity and Inclusiveness (OOI) (1) 
reports directly to the Comptroller General and (2) conducts legal 
reviews of the agency's final decisions on complaints independent of 
GAO's in-house legal staff. Regarding the third requirement, the head
of OOI does not solely process discrimination complaints; he also has 
an active role the agency’s diversity efforts.

Recommendation: 

The report includes four recommendations to improve diversity in SES 
and manager ranks to accurately report on discrimination complaint 
data, which all remain open. GAO management has agreed to implement 
these recommendations and begun taking necessary steps. (998266) 

[End of attachment]