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Open Recommendations (16 total)

Indian Affairs: Additional Actions Needed to Address Long-standing Challenges with Workforce Capacity

GAO-25-106825
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6 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should, by March 2027, collect lessons learned regarding the use and sufficiency of funds for administrative costs associated with legislation that provides funds for Tribes outside of baseline appropriations and share these lessons with Interior and Congress. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop a proposal that identifies legislative opportunities to build capacity and the resources necessary to pursue them and share the proposal with Congress for consideration. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop consolidated written guidance that clarifies what hiring authorities, recruitment incentives, and workforce flexibilities can be leveraged for recruitment and retention purposes. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should track vacancy data across Indian Affairs in a systematic and centralized manner. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should develop a proposal that identifies capacity-building opportunities and the resources necessary to pursue them and share the proposal with Interior for consideration. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should identify skills, knowledge, and competency gaps in mission-critical occupations across Indian Affairs. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Tribal Issues: Bureau of Indian Affairs Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Timely Delivery of Real Estate Services [Reissued with revisions on Nov. 6, 2023]

GAO-24-105875
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2 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should develop performance goals and accompanying measures for the agency to monitor its processing times and compliance with regulatory and internal deadlines for delivering real estate services (mortgages, leases, rights-of-way, and TSR requests) on an ongoing basis and inform its plans to improve processing times, as appropriate. (Recommendation 5)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us they have taken steps to develop a new GPRA performance measure related to mortgages. However, the measure has not been finalized. To address this recommendation, BIA will need to finalize new performance goals and measures to monitor its processing times and compliance with regulatory and internal deadlines for all realty types assessed in GAO's review, including leases (residential and commercial), rights-of-way, TSRs, and mortgages. Performance goals and associated measures do not necessarily have to be formalized through the Interior or BIA-wide performance management process, but BIA does need to demonstrate that it is tracking them over time.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Priority Rec.
The Director of BIA should conduct regular oversight and review of data entered into TAAMS to assess the degree to which new lease and right-of-way applications contain all information necessary to measure processing times and whether regulatory and internal deadlines are being met. BIA should also conduct this regular oversight and review of mortgage applications following implementation of the forthcoming TAAMS mortgage module that will replace the Mortgage Tracker. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us BIA will develop a plan to conduct regular oversight and review of the completeness of realty data entered in TAAMS for new lease, right-of-way, and mortgage applications. To address this recommendation, BIA will need to finalize and implement its plan by regularly conducting oversight of TAAMS data completeness.

Tribal Issues: Bureau of Indian Affairs Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Timely Delivery of Real Estate Services [Reissued with revisions on Nov. 6, 2023]

GAO-24-105875
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should provide additional training and guidance to staff on TAAMS data field definitions and data entry requirements to ensure that staff are entering all information necessary to measure processing times and whether regulatory and internal deadlines are being met for new lease and right-of-way applications. BIA should also provide similar training and guidance to accompany the forthcoming TAAMS mortgage module that will replace the Mortgage Tracker. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us the agency increased the number of TAAMS trainings received by BIA staff in 2024. In order to address this recommendation, BIA needs to update TAAMS trainings and guidance documents to include key data field definitions and entry requirements to ensure that processing times and deadlines can be measured using TAAMS data.
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Director of BIA should assess the quality of its communication with Tribes and stakeholders regarding real estate services and, based on that assessment, identify any areas for improvement. This could include the development of policy or guidance specifying procedures and time frames for responding to inquiries, such as those concerning the status of applications and TSR requests. (Recommendation 6)
Open
In September 2024, BIA officials told us the agency plans to attend annual conferences to gather tribal perspectives and that BIA developed communication guidance for its field staff that was shared at an internal training. To address this recommendation, BIA needs to formally collect information from Tribes and stakeholders on the quality of communication related to real estate services and needed improvements. Using the findings from this information collection effort, BIA needs to identify areas of improvement and specific steps it will take to address those areas. Further, these steps could be included in BIA policy or guidance to facilitate and improve BIA's communication with key stakeholders on its real estate services.
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