Posts By Robert Campbell

Considering College Costs Beyond Tuition

If you’re heading to college this fall, you may be focused on the major costs—tuition and fees, possibly room and board. We have examined some of the other costs of college, such as textbooks and college debit cards, that can really add up if you’re not looking out for them. Here’s some information to helpRead… Read more »

Protecting Workers’ Safety and Health

The unofficial end of summer, Labor Day is a holiday for celebrating the economic and social contributions of the American worker. It’s also a good time to think about protecting those workers from occupational hazards. We have many federal safety and health standards to protect workers at more than 8 million U.S. worksites, but accidentsRead… Read more »

It’s Hurricane Season—Informing Federal Disaster Management

Hurricane season is well under way, and we’re highlighting some of our reports and resources that can help inform federal disaster management in events such as hurricanes. 2014’s first named storm, Hurricane Arthur, has already found a place in the record books. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service, July 3rd—whenRead… Read more »

What Exactly are “Improper Payments”?

Improper payments are always an area of concern for the federal government. These include overpayments, underpayments, payments made to ineligible recipients, or even payments that weren’t properly documented. While fraudulent payments are considered improper, not all improper payments are the result of fraud. For example, improper payments can be a result of mismanagement, errors, orRead… Read more »

GAO’s Internship Experience

As summer’s barbecues and beach days wind down, so do the experiences of a select group of graduate and undergraduate students in GAO’s Student Intern Program. We talked to some of them about their experiences. Student interns are hired to contribute to our teams and gain experience in the roles of analysts, program staff, orRead… Read more »

Mixed News for U.S. Airline Consumer Choice

Have you flown recently? You might feel like your options are more limited because of trends in air service and recent airline mergers. But do you really have fewer airlines to choose from? In the last several months, GAO has reported on changes in the airline industry and their implications for consumers and communities. AirRead… Read more »

The Evolution of GAO Graphics

As GAO has produced reports over the years, we’ve used graphics to help showcase our findings. With innovations in how we publish our reports, our graphic style has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. The 1980s We used rapidograph pens and Letraset machines to set graphics into typewritten reports. This example of a graphicRead… Read more »

Sharing Health Records for Servicemembers and Veterans

The Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) operate two of the nation’s largest health care systems, providing care to more than 9.6 million active-duty servicemembers and 6.3 million veterans. For many years, DOD and VA have known that better sharing of health care data could help them: make patient information more available toRead… Read more »

Tracking Progress on Financial Stability and Reform

In response to the worst financial crisis in more than 75 years, U.S. policymakers undertook wide-ranging reforms. For example, the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) aims, among other things: to promote the financial stability of the nation by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to deal withRead… Read more »