GAO 

United States Government Accountability Office

Report to Congressional Requesters

STATE 

DEPARTMENT 

Wide Range of 

Emergency Services 

Provided to American 

Citizens Overseas, but 

Improved Monitoring 

Is Needed 

September 2009 

This report was revised on October 1, 2009, to 

include the list of congressional requesters on 

page 32. 

GAO-09-989 
What GAO Found

United States Government Accountability Office

Why GAO Did This Study

Highlights

Accountability Integrity Reliability

September 2009

STATE DEPARTMENT

Wide Range of Emergency Services Provided to 

American Citizens Overseas, but Improved 

Highlights of GAO-09-989, a report to Monitoring Is Needed 

congressional requesters 

In 2008, the Department of State 

(State) estimated nearly 5 million 

U.S. citizens lived overseas, and 64 

million trips were taken overseas 

by U.S. citizens. Since protecting 

and serving U.S. citizens abroad are 

among State’s chief priorities, State 

must be prepared to provide 

emergency assistance to Americans 

abroad. This report describes (1) 

what services State provides to 

U.S. citizens who are the victims of 

crimes, suffer accidents, or 

otherwise need emergency 

services; (2) how State is prepared 

to assist U.S. citizens who are in 

need of emergency services; and 

(3) how State monitors the 

assistance it provides to U.S. 

citizens in need of emergency 

services. 

What GAO Recommends

To ensure State has accurate, 

reliable data to monitor and 

evaluate its provision of emergency 

services worldwide, we 

recommend the Secretary of State 

direct State’s Bureau of Consular 

Affairs to (1) provide guidance on 

information to be entered into the 

ACS system to ensure data are 

consistently captured and reflect 

workload; and (2) improve the 

reporting function in the ACS 

system. To ensure American 

citizens can easily find emergency 

contact information, we 

recommend the Secretary of State 

(1) require posts’ main Web site 

pages to include emergency 

contact information; and (2) 

periodically test the accuracy of 

this information. State agreed with 

our conclusions and 

recommendations. 

State provides a number of emergency services to American citizens abroad 

through its network of 267 embassies and consulates in 174 countries. State’s 

emergency services cover circumstances including deaths, arrests, medical or 

financial concerns, crime, and missing persons’ cases. State provides 

emergency assistance to Americans at all hours, and provides information 

such as travel warnings to travelers and U.S. citizens living overseas through a 

variety of mechanisms, including the department’s embassy and consulate 

Web sites. However, our review of a random sample of posts’ Web sites found 

that only 14 percent had emergency phone numbers on the Web sites’ main 

page. State also maintains a warden system to disseminate information from 

the embassy to U.S. citizens living in the country, and can send messages 

directly to Americans who provide contact information to the department. 

Emergency Services Provided by American Citizen Services

American Citizen Services and Crisis Management 

Embassy

Sources: GAO and State Department; Corel (clip art).

Routine 

services

(e.g. notarials, 

passports, 

consular record 

of birth abroad, 

etc.)

Crisis

Management

Sources: GAO and State Department; Co

(

c

o

• Arrest

• Death

• Medical evacuations

• Repatriation

• Victims of crime

• Welfare and wherabouts

Emergencies

State has trained staff dedicated to providing emergency assistance overseas 

as well as in Washington, D.C. Depending on the size of the post, American 

Citizen Services (ACS) may be provided by multiple staff, or a single consular 

officer serving as the sole provider of all consular services including 

emergency services. Locally engaged staff are a key component of posts’ 

provision of emergency services, as is State’s ability to deploy staff where 

needed when emergencies arise. State provides guidance, largely through the 

Foreign Affairs Manual, formal on-the-job training, and other resources to 

ensure staff are able to carry out these services. 

The Bureau of Consular Affairs has a variety of mechanisms to monitor its 

provision of emergency services; however, all of these mechanisms have 

limitations and, as a result, Consular Affairs cannot be assured it is allocating 

its resources effectively. The ACS system, which is intended to track 

emergency services provided by posts, and the consular package, which 

provides post-specific workload information to guide consular resource 

allocations, both contain unreliable data. For example, reporting weaknesses 

and unclear guidance associated with the ACS system prevent posts from 

accurately monitoring and evaluating their workload or using the data to 

make management decisions. Although State shifts its consular resources to 

meet emergency demands, absent current and reliable data on the worldwide 

demand for emergency services, Consular Affairs may not make decisions 

based on a clear understanding of the global workload. 

View GAO-09-989 or key components.

For more information, contact Jess Ford at 

(202) 512-4268 or fordj@gao.gov. 
Page i GAO-09-989 

Contents 

Letter 1

Background 3 

State Provides a Variety of Emergency Services to Americans 

Abroad 7 

State’s Ability to Provide Emergency Services Depends on Having 

Trained and Experienced Consular Staff 16 

Consular Affairs’ Mechanisms to Monitor the Provision of 

Emergency Services Have Limitations 20 

Conclusions 28 

Recommendations for Executive Action 29 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 30 

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 33 

Appendix II Comments from the Department of State 37 

Appendix III GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 41 

Figures 

Figure 1: Bureau of Consular Affairs Organizational Structure 5 

Figure 2: Travel and Emergency Services Information Located on 

State’s Main Web site 14 

 State Department 
Abbreviations 

ACS American Citizen Services 

Consular Affairs Bureau of Consular Affairs 

FAM Foreign Affairs Manual 

FSI Foreign Service Institute 

FSO Foreign Service officer 

LES locally employed staff 

State Department of State 

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain 

copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be 

necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. 

Page ii GAO-09-989 State Department
Page 1 GAO-09-989 

 

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548 

 

September 24, 2009 

Congressional Requesters 

Serving and protecting the nearly 5 million Americans who reside overseas 

as well as the U.S. citizens who take more than 64 million trips to foreign 

countries each year are chief priorities of the Department of State (State).1

State’s 260-plus embassies and consulates around the world have staff 

dedicated to assisting Americans facing emergencies overseas, such as 

providing death notification to the next of kin, or visiting Americans who 

have been arrested to ensure they are being treated humanely and 

understand the charges against them and the country’s judicial process. In 

a high-profile case that took place during the 2008 Summer Olympics in 

Beijing, the father-in-law of a U.S. coach was killed by a Chinese national. 

In response, the U.S. embassy in Beijing aided the victim’s family by 

coordinating assistance with Chinese officials and the police, as well as 

the hospital and funeral home; assisting with repatriating the deceased’s 

remains; and directing the family to the various services available to 

victims of crime overseas. 

Current State data indicate the number of U.S. citizens traveling, working, 

and studying abroad continues to grow, leading to a growing number of 

Americans who may need U.S. government-provided emergency services 

during their travel. For example, State reported that about 3,500 American 

citizens were arrested abroad in 2004, while close to 6,000 were arrested in 

2008. 

This report addresses: (1) what services State provides to U.S. citizens 

who are the victims of crimes, suffer accidents, or otherwise need 

emergency services; (2) how State is prepared to assist U.S. citizens in 

need of emergency services; and (3) how State monitors the assistance it 

provides to U.S. citizens in need of emergency services. 

To describe the services State provides to U.S. citizens who receive 

emergency services overseas, we interviewed State officials from the 

Bureau of Consular Affairs (Consular Affairs) and the Office of Overseas 

Citizens Services and reviewed State guidance, specifically the Foreign 

1

The United States began overseas representation in 1777, 12 years before the creation of 

the Department of State. 

 State Department 
 

Affairs Manual (FAM) chapter dealing with Consular Protection of U.S. 

nationals abroad. We also traveled to China, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, 

and South Africa to observe how assistance is provided through U.S. 

embassies and consulates. We reviewed a random sample of embassy and 

consulate Web sites to identify the presence of emergency contact 

information on those sites. To describe how State is prepared to assist U.S. 

citizens in need of emergency services, we interviewed Consular Affairs 

officials regarding the process for determining resource allocations to 

posts that provide services to U.S. citizens. We also reviewed the training, 

guidance, and support provided for consular staff, and interviewed 

Foreign Service officers (FSO) and locally employed staff (LES) about the 

training and resources available for American Citizen Services (ACS) 

related activities. In addition, we reviewed guidance and support available 

to assist staff, such as the FAM, post-specific operating procedures, and 

the duty program; and observed FSOs and LES overseas in five countries 

providing routine and emergency services such as visiting prisoners in jail. 

To assess how State monitors emergency assistance to U.S. citizens and 

how management uses this information, we interviewed officials from 

Consular Affairs and FSOs overseas about two consular reporting systems. 

In addition, we reviewed the 2010 Consular Bureau’s Strategic Plan, as 

well as the Mission Strategic Plans for four of the five countries we visited. 

We also interviewed all seven Regional Consular Officers who are 

responsible for providing guidance to more than 90 small posts around the 

world, and reviewed 43 of their trip reports, which included findings and 

recommendations regarding the provision of ACS in the countries they 

cover. 

We conducted this performance audit from October 2008 to September 

2009, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 

obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for 

our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings 

and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Appendix I contains a 

more detailed description of our scope and methodology. 

Page 2 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

The protection of American citizens overseas, including the provision of 

emergency services, is one of State’s primary functions.2

 Providing these 

services is the responsibility of Consular Affairs and is carried out by 

embassies and consulates.3

 Emergency services available to American 

citizens overseas include dealing with arrests, death cases, financial or 

medical emergencies, welfare and whereabouts inquiries, and victims of 

crimes. 

Background 

State also assists victims of terrorism, kidnapping, child abduction, and 

child abuse.4

 In addition to providing assistance to American citizens in 

need of emergency services, State also provides routine services, including 

issuing citizenship documentation; overseeing federal benefit payments to 

American citizens living in foreign countries; providing information on 

absentee voting; and notarizing documents. These activities are referred to 

as American Citizen Services, or ACS, both in Washington, D.C., and at 

embassies and consulates. Before U.S. citizens can receive assistance, they 

must first provide proof of U.S. citizenship.5

 In cases where there is 

uncertainty about citizenship, State regulations indicate that consular 

officers should err on the side of providing services until U.S. citizenship 

can be determined. 

 

2

American citizens are defined as any person who was born or naturalized in the United 

States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof. U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1. Under State 

regulations, nationals of U.S. territories and dependencies are also eligible for consular 

protection and services; however, lawfully permanent residents are not eligible to receive 

such services including the spouse and children of U.S. citizens who are lawfully 

permanent residents. See U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 7 

section 012 (May 20, 2009). For the definitions of “national of the United States,” “nationals 

but not citizens of the United States at birth,” “outlying possession of the United States,” 

and “lawfully admitted for permanent residence” see 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(22); 8 U.S.C. § 1408; 

8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(29); 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(20). 

3

In addition to protecting U.S. citizens overseas, State is also responsible for conducting 

American diplomacy on behalf of the President through U.S. representation abroad, foreign 

assistance programs, countering international crime, foreign military training programs, 

and helping to protect the border of the United States. 

4

In this report we are not addressing children’s issues, including child abduction and 

adoption, nor are we addressing mass casualty events, acts of terrorism, or kidnapping. 

5

Proof of citizenship includes having a valid U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, 

certificate of citizenship, or Consular Report of Birth Abroad. In addition to citizenship 

documents, a person’s name must be cleared by the Consular Lookout and Support System, 

which determines if there are any outstanding federal warrants or any other possible bases 

for the denial of services. In the event that such documents have been lost or stolen, 

citizenship can be verified through the Passport Information Electronic Records System or 

American Citizens Services System. 

Page 3 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

While U.S. citizens may seek assistance from State regarding American 

citizens overseas, the Privacy Act of 1974 limits what written, oral, and 

electronic information State can share about these citizens.6

 Among the 

protections the Privacy Act established for individuals, subject to certain 

exceptions, federal agencies, including State, are required to seek consent 

from a U.S. citizen before disclosing information held in a system of record 

regarding that person. Only after consent is received may information 

regarding a U.S. citizen be shared with family or friends, as well as other 

U.S. government agencies or private entities.7

 Exceptions include 

instances in which State deems that an American citizen’s health and 

safety are in jeopardy.8

 Within Consular Affairs, the directorate of 

Overseas Citizen Services in Washington, D.C., is charged with protecting 

and providing services to U.S. citizens abroad.9

 Consular Affairs also has 

responsibility for several other activities, including issuing passports and 

visas (see fig. 1).10 Within the Overseas Citizen Services, the Office of 

American Citizens Services and Crisis Management is responsible for 

providing emergency and routine services to U.S. citizens, and assistance 

during major crises such as the 2006 Lebanon evacuation.11 The Office of 

American Citizens Services and Crisis Management is organized according 

to regional divisions that cover Africa; East Asia Pacific; Europe; Near 

East, South, and Central Asia; and the Western Hemisphere. 

 

6

The Privacy Act of 1974, Pub. L. No. 93-579, 88 Stat. 1896, codified as amended at 5 U.S.C. § 

552a. 

7

5 U.S.C. § 552a(b) (listing conditions of disclosure). 

8

5 U.S.C. § 552a(b)(8). 

9

State provides consular services in accordance with international and U.S. law. This 

includes the Vienna Convention on Consular Affairs, bilateral treaties between the United 

States and the host government, and the following U.S. statutes and regulations: 22 U.S.C. 

§§ 1731, 2671(b)(2)(A)(ii), 2671(b)(2)(B), 4802(b), 2715, 2715a; 22 C.F.R. §§ 71.1, 71.6. 

10For previous GAO reports on consular operations see GAO, Border Security: State 

Department Is Taking Steps to Meet Projected Surge in Demand for Visas and Passports 

in Mexico, GAO-08-1006 (Washington, D.C.: July 31, 2008); and State Department: 

Comprehensive Strategy Needed to Improve Passport Operations, GAO-08-891 

(Washington, D.C.: July 25, 2008). 

11For previous GAO reports on emergency planning and evacuation see GAO, State 

Department: Evacuation Planning and Preparations for Overseas Posts Can Be 

Improved, GAO-08-23 (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 19, 2007); and State Department: The July 

2006 Evacuation of American Citizens from Lebanon, GAO-07-893R (Washington, D.C.: 

June 7, 2007). 

Page 4 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

Figure 1: Bureau of Consular Affairs Organizational Structure 

• Arrest

• Death

• Medical evacuations

• Repatriation

• Victims of crime

• Welfare and wherabouts

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Visa Office Overseas Citizen Services

American Citizen Services and Crisis Management 

Office of Children’s Issues

Policy, Review, and Interagency Liaison Office

Passport Office Office of Policy

Emergencies

Embassy

Routine services

(e.g. notarials, passports, consular 

record of birth abroad, etc.)

Crisis

Management

Sources: GAO and State Department; Map Resources (map); Corel (clip art).

Emergencies

Overseas, emergency services are provided by State’s 267 embassies and 

consulates in 174 countries.12 Emergency assistance and some basic 

consular services are also provided by 46 consular agencies, which are an 

extension of existing embassies and consulates and generally service 

locations that are far from a post but where a large number of U.S. citizens 

 

12This includes missions to international organizations; the branch office of embassies, U.S. 

interest section; and American Presence Posts, which may not provide consular services, 

but may provide emergency services. 

Page 5 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

live or visit.13 For example, Mexico has 14 consular agencies in addition to 

its embassy in Mexico City and 9 consulates. 

Approximately 5,000 people work in consular sections at posts overseas, 

according to Consular Affairs. Of these consular positions overseas, 

approximately 1,450 are FSOs, 3,000 are LES, and the remaining 550 are in 

other positions. Each post has a consular section that assists American 

citizens with services including routine and emergency services, and most 

consular sections also issue nonimmigrant visas. The ACS sections of 

these posts employ a variety of consular staff—FSOs, LES, employed 

family members, consular associates, consular agents, and Regional 

Consular Officers—to assist American citizens. Each consular section 

must have at least one FSO who provides management and oversight to 

the section and administers certain emergency services that only an FSO 

can provide, such as issuing a passport or a report of death.14 LES perform 

much of the routine and administrative services provided by the section, 

and often assist FSOs with emergency services. In addition to FSOs and 

LES, some posts also employ family members and consular associates. 

Consular agencies are not assigned an FSO; rather they are assigned a 

consular agent, which is a noncareer appointee of the Foreign Service, 

who acts under the supervision and direction of the consular officer at the 

supervisory post. 

The provision of emergency services overseas, as well as the support 

provided by Overseas Citizens Services in Washington, D.C., is funded 

through a mixture of sources including limited direct appropriations and 

various fees collected by State. According to State, for fiscal year 2008, 

Consular Affairs collected revenues exceeding $2 billion of which it 

retained just over $1 billion for its operating costs, with the remainder of 

the funds provided to the Department of the Treasury or shared with other 

bureaus in State.15 The majority of funding for Consular Affairs comes 

 

13Consular agencies can also be located in places in which the United States does not have 

an embassy or consulate but may wish to have a consular presence. For example, the 

consular agency in the Cayman Islands is part of the consular district of the embassy in 

Kingston, Jamaica. 

14Under some circumstances, such as during the transition of one FSO to another post, 

there may be no officer to conduct official business. Such occasions are infrequent, 

according to consular officials. 

15In addition to the fees to fund Consular Affairs’ operations, for fiscal year 2009 State’s 

Congressional Budget Justification included approximately $3.1 million for Consular 

Affairs; these funds support 17 positions located in Washington, D.C., and do not include 

the total for ACS operations overseas. 

Page 6 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

from consular service fees, specifically Machine Readable Visa fees. These 

fees are collected and retained by Consular Affairs to fund consular 

operations domestically and overseas, and to fund part of the operati

of the regional bureaus.

ons 

out 

separately. 

and 

d 

h is 

ortant in countries with poor communications 

infrastructure. 

ns 

d 

crimes, and inquiries into the welfare and whereabouts of citizens. 

r the 

h 

are required to endeavor to notify next of kin of the death of an American 

 

16 Consular Affairs was unable to provide us the 

amount of funding that specifically supports ACS operations both 

domestically and overseas because ACS costs are integrated into Consular

Affairs’ and the regional bureaus’ total costs and not broken 

State provides an extensive range of around-the-clock services to 

Americans in need of emergency assistance overseas. State also provides 

emergency information, through several means, to American travelers 

citizens living abroad on travel and other information of concern, an

maintains a warden system for disseminating information, whic

particularly imp

State Provides a 

Variety of Emergency 

Services to Americans 

Abroad 

mergency 

Services 

State provides a variety of services to assist American citizens who face 

emergencies while traveling or living abroad, including assistance to citize

involving deaths, arrests, financial and medical assistance, accidents an

Types of E

Assistance in death cases: According to State, providing assistance fo

next of kin of a deceased American citizen abroad is one of the most

important and difficult tasks for FSOs abroad. Since 2003, State has 

reported more than 48,000 death cases involving Americans abroad,17 wit

more than 4,500 of those deaths attributed to nonnatural causes.18 FSOs 

16State notifies Congress about the funds received from fees, and retains a portion of them 

for its operations, rather than depositing the fees in the Department of the Treasury and 

having to rely on appropriations for such operations. 

17While our assessment of State’s Consular Affairs data found weaknesses that we detail in 

objective 3, we determined that, in the aggregate, the data can give a general indication of 

the relative magnitude of the different ACS services provided between fiscal years 2003 and 

2008. 

18State identifies nonnatural deaths annually in the “Deaths by Non-Natural Causes” report, 

which is required in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003, Pub. L. No. 

107-228, § 204, 116 Stat. 1350, 1363, codified at 22 U.S.C. § 2729. According to State, 

nonnatural deaths include deaths as a result of an accident, suicide, or homicide. 

Page 7 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

citizen abroad as soon as possible and issue the report of death.19 State 

regulations and training highlight the need to provide effective service, but 

also to exhibit empathy and understanding for the next of kin, who may be 

unfamiliar with the foreign laws governing death and the disposition of 

remains. State guidance indicates that FSOs should attempt to comply 

with the family’s wishes to the extent possible, but must also comply with 

local regulations and laws, as well as U.S. laws, governing the 

identification of remains, the disposition of remains, and autopsies. For 

example, in the event that the death is a result of homicide, suicide, or an 

accident, the host country is responsible for investigating the death.20 In 

addition, posts assist with and facilitate the disposition of the deceased’s 

remains, while instructions and funds for this activity are the exclusive 

responsibility of the deceased’s next of kin or legal representative. 

• Assistance to arrestees: FSOs are charged with helping to maintain the legal 

and human rights of American citizens arrested and detained abroad, 

although American citizens may not be accorded the same rights and 

judicial processes they would receive under the U.S. judicial system. 

According to State data, approximately 25,000 American citizens worldwide 

were arrested overseas from fiscal year 2003 through 2008. The host country 

is generally required to inform a detained U.S. citizen of his right to consular 

notification and to perform such notification if requested if it is a party to 

the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations or has a bilateral treaty with 

the United States. For some countries, consular notification is required 

regardless of the U.S. detainee’s wishes, and consular officers are typically 

granted the right to visit. Furthermore, State regulations require each post to 

initially visit or contact the citizen as soon as possible following consular 

notification or information about the arrest from another source, and visit 

prisoners after sentencing every 6 months; develop information on the 

judicial process of each country; and maintain an up-to-date list of attorneys 

 

19See 22 U.S.C. § 2715b and 22 C.F.R. § 72.5. A Report of Death is used by the next of kin in 

lieu of a U.S.-issued death certificate. 

20The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not involved in the investigation of deaths of 

American citizens or citizens who are victims of crime overseas, unless (1) the citizen 

deaths are the result of terrorist activity, or (2) the host country government requests 

Federal Bureau of Investigation assistance with an investigation. 

Page 8 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

who have indicated a willingness to represent American citizens.21 During 

our visit overseas, we observed an FSO and an LES visit incarcerated 

American citizens on two occasions. They asked prisoners about their 

health, gave them vitamins, and asked if they needed assistance from the 

post. In one instance, a prisoner requested a new passport and the officer 

completed the application during the visit. 

• Medical assistance: State may provide medical emergency loans to an 

American citizen in need of emergency medical or dietary assistance if the 

individual is destitute or incarcerated and cannot receive medical 

assistance. For example, in some countries prisoners must pay for medical 

assistance as well as food. According to State, approximately 5,300 

citizens were provided emergency medical and dietary assistance loans 

from fiscal year 2003 through 2008. In addition, in circumstances where a 

citizen is critically injured or ill overseas and a local physician determines 

the citizen is stable for travel, consular officers assist families in arranging 

medical transportation and provide information regarding the policies and 

procedures for evacuating a citizen to the United States. State data show 

that over 5,000 American citizens received medical evacuations between 

fiscal years 2003 and 2008. For example, at one consulate we observed an 

FSO and an LES assist in the arrangement of a medical transport to the 

United States for a citizen who was injured in a traffic accident. Both the 

FSO and the LES worked with medical and local police officials to 

coordinate the medical transport and settle any demands with the other 

parties involved in the accident. 

• Financial assistance: State provides loans to destitute American citizens 

to return to the United States. Prior to issuing a loan, the post is required 

to make attempts to find other parties, family members, or friends who 

might be willing to pay the costs, including transportation and temporary 

lodging. When no support can be found, the post may provide a loan. Until 

the loan is repaid, the citizen is barred from using or renewing his or her 

passport. From fiscal year 2003 through 2008, ACS provided approximately 

$5.5 million in loans for over 4,000 cases; approximately 40 percent of the 

loans were repaid, according to State officials.22 In addition, State may also 

 

21State has interpreted this requirement to mean that posts should attempt to visit an 

arrested American citizen within 24 hours. In circumstances in which it is not possible to 

visit an arrested American citizen within 24 hours, such as when the arrest occurred in a 

remote location, the officer should at a minimum make phone contact with the prisoner 

within 24 hours of being notified of the arrest and should attempt to visit the prisoner 

within 72 hours. 

22State indicated that some loans are “written off,” generally when the person who received 

the loan died before repayment was completed. 

Page 9 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

facilitate the transfer of funds from a family member or friend to a 

destitute American through an account established at State. The “trust” is 

funded by the family, and State disburses the funds to the individual 

overseas. Unused funds are returned to the family. 

• Assistance to victims of crime: In cases of violent crimes committed 

against an American citizen, State addresses the emergency needs of the 

victim. In addition, FSOs and LES provide information on the country’s 

criminal justice system and, in general, ensure that the victim receives 

necessary services while in the country and is provided information on 

assistance that is available after returning to the United States. State created 

the Crime Victims’ Assistance Program in 2000 because the needs of victims 

involved in serious or violent crimes are notably different from other ACS 

cases; additionally, some states have programs to assist these victims once 

they return. The program focuses on assisting victims of serious crimes, 

including homicide, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, armed 

robbery, assault, and kidnapping. Assistance to a victim is not conditioned 

on the prosecution of a crime or the certainty a crime occurred. 

• Welfare and whereabouts of U.S. citizens: FSOs we met with indicated 

that inquiries regarding the welfare or whereabouts of American citizens 

overseas are the most common emergency assistance provided by posts. 

According to State data, consular officers helped concerned families and 

friends locate over 200,000 American citizens abroad annually from fiscal 

year 2003 through 2008. FSOs and LES will call local authorities, including 

police and immigration, as well as airlines, hotels, and hospitals, to locate 

a citizen. Although FSOs and LES may find, contact, and deliver a message 

to the citizen, the officials generally cannot disclose information about 

that person, even to the party that instigated the search, without the 

citizen’s consent due to requirements in the Privacy Act. 

Emergency Assistance 

Provided at All Hours 

Emergency assistance to American citizens is available and provided by 

posts at any time of day or night. During regular business hours, an 

American citizen can come to the post and request assistance. After hours, 

the duty officer, an embassy official who is on call nights and weekends, 

can be reached by phone, either directly via an emergency phone number 

or through the post’s guard station or operator, to handle emergencies 

such as death and arrest cases. Consular Affairs also maintains a duty 

officer in Washington, D.C., to respond to inquiries and emergencies both 

domestically and from posts during nonbusiness hours. Additionally, 

Consular Affairs contracts with a call center in Florida that handles both 

routine information requests and emergency calls. Emergency servicerelated calls are forwarded by the center to consular officials in 

Page 10 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

Washington. According to call center data, from October through 

December 2008, 92 percent of the calls were during normal business hours 

and a small portion of these calls related to emergency services.23 For 

example, 2 percent of the calls pertained to emergencies abroad, and less 

than 1 percent pertained to locating people abroad. 

Travel and Emergency 

Information Is Provided by 

Consular Affairs through 

Several Mechanisms 

Consular Affairs provides information to travelers and Americans living 

overseas through several of mechanisms. First, Consular Affairs provides a 

variety of information on its consular Web site.24 Second, posts maintain a 

warden system, which is used to communicate with Americans living 

overseas. Third, in the event of an emergency, posts can directly contact 

those individuals who registered their trip with the post. 

Specifically, the Consular Affairs Web site includes the following 

information: 

• Country-specific information such as the embassy or consulate location 

and phone numbers in the host country, traffic and road safety 

information, health conditions, entry regulations, crime and security 

information, and drug penalties. The country-specific information is 

updated semiannually. 

• Travel alerts that provide information on short-term conditions that pose 

immediate risks. They generally remain in place for 90 days or less. 

• Travel warnings that describe long-term conditions that make countries 

unsafe or unstable, and are updated every 6 months. Warnings recommend 

that U.S. citizens defer or reconsider travel to a country. 

• Information for people studying overseas.25

Embassies and consulates also maintain a warden system for American 

citizens living overseas. Wardens are typically American citizens who have 

lived in a country or region and have volunteered their assistance. They 

 

23Of the 23,333 calls between October 1 and December 31, 2008, nearly three-fourths sought 

routine information on topics such as passports and consular information. 

24The Consular Affairs Web site can be found at www.travel.state.gov. 

25Information for people studying abroad can be found on State’s Web site, “Students 

Abroad” http://studentsabroad.state.gov/

Page 11 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

distribute both routine messages, including information on absentee 

voting or income tax information, and emergency messages, and might 

help establish assembly areas and evacuation routes if necessary. 

Although communication has improved with the introduction of cell 

phones, e-mail, and text messaging, State nonetheless continues to 

maintain its warden system to ensure it can communicate with American 

citizens about events or threats that may affect their personal security. 

Consular Affairs also provides a mechanism to register one’s presence 

overseas. The Internet Based Registration System allows American 

citizens to provide information about their travels.26 If an emergency 

occurs or there is a disaster, and the person has registered his or her 

whereabouts with the post, the post will attempt to contact the citizen if it 

becomes necessary. Registering travel overseas is optional and, according 

to Consular Affairs, most citizens do not register. About 1.8 million people 

have used the online registration system since it was launched in July 

2004. According to Consular Affairs officials, posts are making efforts to 

increase registrations by American citizens. For example, at posts we 

visited, FSOs distributed handouts with registration information to 

American citizens and to travel agencies and hotels that serve American 

citizens, and included registration information on their Web sites. 

 

26The Internet Based Registration System can be found on State’s Web site at 

https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/

Page 12 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

Embassy and Consular 

Emergency Contact 

Information Could Be 

Improved 

While State uses a variety of means, including Web sites, to provide 

information for American citizens in need of emergency assistance, 

emergency contact information is not immediately apparent on many 

embassy or consulate Web sites. State’s main Web site has a link on its 

front page, under “Travel,” that includes a subdirectory on emergency 

services, which includes emergency phone numbers to call from the 

United States or abroad (see fig. 2). 

Page 13 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

Figure 2: Travel and Emergency Services Information Located on State’s Main Web site 

Sources: GAO and State Department.

Emergency services

OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES: Call 1-888-407-4747 

(from overseas: 202-501-4444) for answers related to 

questions concerning the:

Emergency Assistance to American 

Citizens Abroad

How to Contact Us:

Steps to identify 

emergency assistance 

to Americans oveseas

1. Click on www.state.gov 

and choose “Travel”

2. Under “Travel,” select 

“Emergency services”

Emergency contact information, however, is not readily available on many 

individual posts’ main Web site page, which, according to a senior 

Consular Affairs official, is a best practice posts are encouraged to follow. 

Consular Affairs guidance directs posts to provide the phone numbers for 

Page 14 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

ACS during business hours, and indicates that, if the number is different 

for emergency calls during nonbusiness hours, it should be identified as an 

emergency number. Based on a random sample of embassy and consulate 

Web sites,27 we estimate that 14 percent had the post’s phone number on 

the main page of its Web site.28 In addition, none of these Web sites 

identified the phone number as an emergency assistance number. In order 

to identify the emergency contact information, we had to search the post’s 

Web site. While all of the posts in our sample had emergency contact 

information posted on the ACS portion of the Web site, Consular Affairs 

has experienced problems in the past with some of the information on the 

ACS sites being outdated or incorrect. In one instance, an agency other 

than State received welfare and whereabouts inquiries from an American 

citizen who found the agency’s e-mail address listed on the consulate Web 

site, but the inquiries were not forwarded to the ACS section. After the 

incident, the post removed the agency’s e-mail address from the Consulate 

Web site. In another instance, the emergency number for the post was 

correct, but once the post was reached, the emergency contact number for 

the duty officer did not work. In addition to post Web sites lacking contact 

information, some sites also contained incorrect information on other 

topics. For example, two other posts listed incorrect information 

regarding the number of reports of death abroad that can be obtained from 

the post free of charge. 

 

27We drew a random sample of embassy and consulate Web sites. Because our sample 

selection was based on random selections, it was only one of a large number of samples 

that might have been drawn. Since each sample could have produced different estimates, 

we express our confidence in the precision of our particular sample’s results as a 95 

percent confidence interval. This is the interval that would contain the actual population 

value for 95 percent of the samples we could have drawn. As a result, we are 95 percent 

confident that the confidence interval in this report will include the true value in the study 

population. See app. I for additional information on the sample. 

28Based on a 95 percent confidence interval, we estimate that no more than 26 percent of 

the Web sites would include a phone number on the main page. 

Page 15 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

State’s Ability to 

Provide Emergency 

Services Depends on 

Having Trained and 

Experienced Consular 

Staff 

State relies on a cadre of trained consular staff to provide assistance to 

U.S. citizens in need of emergency services. Some staff may rotate through 

the ACS section at a larger post, whereas at smaller posts, the consular 

officer may be the sole provider of all consular services, including 

emergency services. LES are a key component of posts’ provision of 

emergency services, as is State’s ability to move both FSOs and LES from 

post to post when emergencies arise. State provides guidance, training, 

and other resources to ensure staff are able to carry out these services. 

A Post’s Size, Rotational 

Policy, and Experience 

Levels Affect the Provision 

of Emergency Services 

The size of a post and number of FSOs and LES assigned to the consular 

section affect whether staff specialize in the provision of emergency 

services or rotate among various consular activities. For example, at large 

posts, such as those in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico, FSOs and 

LES may specialize within the ACS section working either on emergency 

or routine services. Furthermore, the FSOs and LES may be assigned to 

specific emergency activities, such as making prison visits, handling death 

cases, or managing welfare and whereabouts cases. In contrast, at small 

posts that may have one or two FSOs, the FSOs are more likely to be 

responsible for all consular-related activities, such as ACS duties both 

routine and emergency, and may even split time between sections at the 

post. For example, at one post we visited, one of the two FSOs split his 

time between the consular and political sections. 

Larger posts may also have a rotational policy under which entry-level 

FSOs—FSOs on their first or second overseas tour—work in the ACS 

section for only a brief time. Although State does not have an established 

mandatory post rotational schedule or policy, the posts we visited 

typically had FSOs on 6-month rotations, which provided them the 

opportunity to experience all the different facets of the consular sections, 

such as providing ACS services, conducting visa interviews, and issuing 

passports. Both FSOs and LES we interviewed indicated that the rotating 

staff must complete a training period of a few weeks in the ACS section 

before an FSO can perform and provide emergency services 

independently. Senior-level FSOs and Consular Affairs officials stated that 

the rotations are important developmental opportunities that provide a 

comprehensive consular experience for entry-level FSOs. 

The experience level of FSOs performing ACS emergency services may 

differ based on the size of the embassy or consulate. Larger posts 

generally have a hierarchy of FSOs, some of whom have extensive 

experience and can guide inexperienced officers. For example, the 

Page 16 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

embassy in Berlin has a Minister Counselor who oversees all consular 

services in Germany, an FSO who is also the head of the consular and ACS 

sections, and an entry-level FSO for ACS. Nine of the 12 posts we visited 

had mid- or senior-level ACS FSOs that managed and interacted with staff, 

and we also observed mid- and senior-level FSOs assisting American 

citizens directly. In contrast, smaller posts may only have one or two 

officers with limited Foreign Service experience. For example, at many 

small posts in Africa, the FSOs are on their first or second overseas 

assignment, according to Consular Affairs officials. To address the lack of 

experience, FSOs at these posts receive guidance from staff in Washington 

or from a Regional Consular Officer. Regional Consular Officers are 

assigned to provide support to small posts and conduct assessments of a 

post’s consular operations, as well as advise, train, and support the post’s 

less-experienced FSOs.29

LES Are Integral to Posts’ 

Provision of Emergency 

Services 

LES are integral to posts’ provision of emergency services, since they 

generally have years of experience assisting American citizens in need of 

emergency services, speak the local language, and understand the local 

culture and political and legal policies. These LES are also familiar with 

State’s policies and procedures and, according to Consular Affairs officials 

and FSOs at posts we visited, provide the post with institutional 

knowledge and continuity. In general, the posts we visited had LES who 

had worked in the consular section for years. For example, in Berlin, 

Germany, three of the four LES had worked in the ACS section for more 

than 20 years; in Beijing, China, two LES had worked in the ACS section 

for 8 and 11 years respectively; and in Johannesburg, South Africa, the 

senior LES had worked at the post for 25 years. 

According to LES at posts we visited, a LES is often the first person an 

American citizen encounters at a post, handling initial discussions on 

issues ranging from welfare and whereabouts to arrests and deaths. LES 

may use their local contacts to check hospitals, police, and hotels to 

address a welfare and whereabouts call, or may assist with prison visits, 

including sending the notification of visit request and accompanying the 

FSO to the prison. According to an FSO, LES also conduct much of the 

administrative work associated with emergency services and therefore are 

often familiar with many of the details associated with a case, enabling 

 

29These assessments are not formal audits or inspections, although Regional Consular 

Officers do make recommendations to improve consular operations at posts. 

Page 17 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

them to provide continuity concerning case information for families and 

the department in spite of FSO departures or rotations to other posts. 

State Has the Flexibility to 

Move FSOs and LES to 

ACS in Emergencies 

Although not all ACS sections have a large number of FSOs and LES, 

Consular Affairs reported that it has the flexibility to move these 

individuals in an emergency. FSOs and LES may be moved from one part 

of the consular section to the ACS section when an emergency 

necessitates more resources, as was confirmed at posts we visited and 

consistently reiterated by Consular Affairs officials. For example, 

according to the Minister Counselor of Consular Affairs in Mexico, in 

response to a hurricane in 2008, two consulates in Mexico reduced 

nonimmigrant visa appointments and moved FSOs and LES within the 

consular sections to respond to an increase in emergency services. FSOs 

from other posts may also be temporarily reassigned to assist another 

post. For example, during the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, the 

Beijing post received FSOs from 10 posts, including Japan, Latvia, and 

Turkey, according to an FSO at the embassy. 

State Provides Guidance 

and Training to Assist 

Consular Staff Provide 

Emergency Services 

To support the provision of emergency services by FSOs and LES posted 

overseas, State provides specific guidance through the FAM, which takes 

into account the flexibility needed to address case- and country-specific 

details, according to Consular Affairs officials.30 For example, the FAM 

provides step-by-step procedures on making death notifications, but also 

recognizes the importance of being familiar with the laws and practices of 

the host country regarding such issues as disposition of remains, 

autopsies, and issuance of death certificates, as it is the host country’s 

practices that dictate how a death case will be handled. The FAM 

describes every type of emergency service provided by ACS, and outlines 

what FSOs and LES can and cannot do. While the section of the FAM 

dealing with emergency services is over 800 pages long, it is online and 

searchable. According to Consular Affairs officials, the department sends 

cables notifying posts when significant changes to the FAM occur, and 

State’s intranet site also has a section dealing with updates to the FAM. 

 

30Chapter 7 of the FAM is the main guide on emergency services. The Foreign Affairs 

Handbook also provides guidance, although its focus on the provision of emergency-related 

activities is limited, according to Consular Affairs officials. 

Page 18 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

In addition to the FAM, some posts develop their own tailored guidance, 

such as specific standard operating procedures, which incorporate 

country-specific information, as well as handbooks for the duty officers 

performing emergency assistance (referred to as a duty book). The 

standard operating procedures are based on regulations and FAM 

guidance, but may allow an FSO to find guidance more easily than by 

searching the FAM. For example, the standard operating procedure for 

arrests for the embassy in Beijing indicates which FSOs and LES are 

assigned to these cases; designates the responsibilities for prison visits 

and administrative tasks; describes the notification and visitation process, 

including obtaining a Privacy Act waiver; and details other specific 

administrative requirements. In addition, every post is required to develop 

and maintain a duty book, which is intended to contain concise 

instructions, advice, and references to regulations on the types of cases or 

situations that may arise outside of business hours and that the duty 

officer may not have prior experience addressing, since not all duty 

officers work in the consular section at post.31 The duty book also 

generally contains the phone numbers of the ACS FSOs and often 

indicates that the duty officer should call the head of the ACS section or 

an FSO in the consular section if unsure how to handle a situation. Our 

review of duty books from the posts we visited found that all contained 

instructions on calling the head of the ACS section if the duty officer was 

unsure how to respond to a call. 

According to State officials, State also requires that FSOs and LES receive 

training to provide emergency services, which includes both mandatory 

and voluntary training for both FSOs and LES that perform ACS duties, 

provided by the Foreign Service Institute either in the United States or 

abroad.32 For example, prior to an assignment abroad, every entry-level 

FSO is required to attend the mandatory 6-week basic consular course, 

which focuses on all consular services and, according to State officials, 

includes 6 days devoted to the provision of ACS emergency services. 

According to State officials, LES must also take certain consular courses 

such as the consular correspondence course on the Laws and Regulations 

 

31The basic information contained in the duty book is outlined in the FAM. 2 FAM 113.8 

addresses the requirements of the duty officer guide. 

32Fourteen courses offered by the Foreign Service Institute contain ACS-related content, 

although not of all of them are relevant to emergency services, such as the courses on 

Nationality Laws and Regulations With Regard To Consular Procedures, and Fraud 

Prevention for Consular Officers. 

Page 19 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

Regarding Overseas Citizens Services.33 The course is designed to help 

LES understand the large and complex body of laws and regulations 

regarding services for American citizens overseas. In addition, newly hired 

consular agents are required to attend ACS-related portions of the basic 

consular course at the Foreign Service Institute within 6 months of 

receiving their appointments. State has additional training focused 

primarily on ACS, including a course on Assisting Victims of Crime and a 

workshop on ACS designed for LES. 

 

Despite the emphasis placed on formal training, the entry-level FSOs we 

spoke with indicated that on-the-job training was the primary means by 

which they learned what is involved in providing emergency services, 

including the associated policies and procedures. For example, according 

to an FSO, although the FAM provides guidance about making a death 

notification to the next of kin, the challenges encountered in the situation 

are difficult to understand until an FSO performs such a notification. The 

FSOs indicated that on-the-job training and shadowing of more 

experienced ACS officers—or, at smaller posts, learning from Regional 

Consular Officers—were the most effective means of ACS training. The 

Regional Consular Officers we met with indicated that they also identify 

and recommend training opportunities for FSOs and LES based on needs 

they identified during their site visits. 

The Bureau of Consular Affairs has a variety of mechanisms at the post 

level to monitor its provision of emergency services to U.S. citizens. These 

mechanisms include the ACS system, consular package reports, Regional 

Consular Officer reviews, and consultations between Consular Affairs and 

consular management at posts. However, ACS data in both the ACS system 

and consular package reports are unreliable owing to incomplete and 

inaccurate data case entry by posts. In addition, the ACS system has 

functional problems that hamper producing accurate reports. As a result, 

Consular Affairs and posts have difficulty using the ACS system’s data to 

plan workload and make resource allocation decisions. Further, Consular 

Affairs does not have adequate information to comprehensively monitor 

and evaluate its provision of services worldwide, and therefore does not 

know the global demand for its services or if it is allocating its resources 

effectively. 

Consular Affairs’ 

Mechanisms to 

Monitor the Provision 

of Emergency 

Services Have 

Limitations 

33Other LES-required courses include Nationality Laws and Regulations With Regard To 

Consular Procedures. 

Page 20 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

The ACS system is a case management tracking system that is employed 

worldwide and can be accessed by posts and in Washington, D.C.34 Posts 

and staff both overseas and in Washington, D.C., use the ACS system to 

maintain and organize information regarding cases and to track their 

workload. The system is organized around nine categories of service; some 

are routine, such as issuing a report of birth abroad or a passport, and 

others are related to emergency services. Posts and staff in Washington, 

D.C., use the ACS system to maintain and organize information regarding a 

case. According to Consular Affairs officials, information in the ACS 

system constitutes State’s official record of a case and, according to the 

FAM, all “significant” details regarding a case should be entered into the 

system. For example, if a person is arrested and sentenced to prison 

overseas, details about the case, including when and where the arrest 

occurred, the charges, the length of the sentence, and the post’s first 

prison visit should be included in the ACS system. 

The ACS System Tracks 

Emergency Services 

Provided Overseas and 

Domestically 

The ACS System Has Data 

Reliability and Functional 

Problems Limiting Its 

Utility 

Data in the ACS system are unreliable due to incomplete and inaccurate 

data case entry by posts. We found that not all ACS cases are being 

entered into the ACS system. Consular Affairs officials stated that not all 

the welfare and whereabouts cases are entered into the system, which 

results in incomplete reporting. According to the Embassy in Jakarta, 

Indonesia, the post’s workload statistics for the first three quarters of 2008 

were underrepresented because several welfare and whereabouts cases it 

handled had not been entered into the ACS system. Furthermore, despite 

clear guidance in the FAM that posts are supposed to close out financial 

assistance cases in the ACS system 72 hours after a case has been 

completed, 25 percent of posts do not close out such cases, according to 

the Consular Affairs officer responsible for tracking financial assistance 

cases. As a result of cases remaining open, Consular Affairs is unable to 

determine how much money was borrowed, how much has been returned, 

and how much is still owed to the U.S. government. For example, Consular 

Affairs noted that at the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, there 

was more than $115,000 of authorized funds still not fully disbursed or 

accounted for in the ACS system because some cases had not been closed. 

 

34Posts wishing to edit a case that was created in another country must request access to 

the case information from the post that created the case. Consular agencies, however, do 

not have access to the ACS system since they operate in unsecured locations. Information 

pertaining to cases in a consular agency’s area is shared with and inputted by its 

supervising post. 

Page 21 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

The system’s lack of reliable data is partly attributable to unclear guidance 

regarding whether certain kinds of information should be entered into the 

system. A number of the officials at posts we visited stated there is a lack 

of guidance on this issue and, as a result, not all ACS cases are being 

entered into the ACS system. First, the FAM does not make it clear when 

reporting case information through the ACS system is required and when it 

is not. For example, the FAM section dealing with reporting cases related 

to court trials states that “significant actions should be reported.”35

However, “significant” is not defined, which could affect the number of 

reports submitted, as officers’ interpretation of what is significant may 

differ. Second, the FAM requires that officers report through the ACS 

system on some types of cases, but not for others. For example, in death 

and victims’ assistance cases, as well as cases that involve financial or 

medical assistance, the FAM indicates what must be reported in the ACS 

system, whereas there is no reference in the FAM to entry of data into the 

ACS system on welfare and whereabouts cases.36 Rather, this is left to the 

discretion of FSOs, according to Consular Affairs officials. 

In addition to the ACS system’s lack of reliable data, functional difficulties 

in generating reports from the system further limit the usefulness of its 

data as a management tool for the posts. Many of the posts we visited 

indicated they do not use the ACS system reports to track their workload 

because the system often crashes when printing reports and the reports 

are not always accurate. For example, when we asked posts in Germany 

and Thailand during our visits to provide us a report listing the open and 

closed victims’ assistance or death statistics cases from 2003 through 2008, 

their computers crashed several times while attempting to produce the 

reports. Posts also noted that the reports the ACS system generates are 

not always accurate, limiting their usefulness as a management tool. For 

example, at eight of the posts we visited, reports for open and closed 

victims’ assistance cases for 2003 through 2008 were identical, even 

though the cases listed in these reports should be mutually exclusive. At 

the ninth post, the reports contained incorrect data—closed cases 

appeared on the open case report and open cases appeared on the closed 

cases report. In order to determine which cases were closed and which 

were open, LES stated they relied on their local files rather than the ACS 

system reports. 

 

357 FAM 450 and 455. 

36Reporting on deaths and victims’ assistance cases is required by statute. 22 U.S.C. § 2729, 

22 U.S.C. § 2715b, 

Page 22 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

Many of the posts we visited created additional systems for tracking 

emergency services, an inefficient use of resources necessitated by the 

problems and limitations with the ACS system. In particular, a number of 

the posts created spread sheets to track death and arrest cases. For 

example, Bangkok kept a spread sheet with the names of American 

citizens who had died and for whom next of kin were present and another 

list of citizens for whom next of kin needed to be identified and contacted, 

along with the name of an LES assigned to handle the case. In addition, 

some of the posts we visited maintained a spreadsheet to track prison 

visits for arrested and incarcerated American citizens, since the ACS 

system does not produce a report containing this information. Consular 

officers indicated that the prison spreadsheet assisted the post in 

complying with the requirements for arrest cases, and one consular officer 

stated that the spreadsheets helped the post maintain continuity in 

visitations when staff turnover occurred. 

Data in the Consular 

Package Are Unreliable 

and Affect Consular 

Affairs’ Ability to Evaluate 

Its Workload 

Consular package reports, which are Consular Affairs’ main tool for 

making resource allocation decisions for consular operations abroad, also 

lack reliable data; as a result, Consular Affairs does not know if it is 

effectively allocating its resources. The data in Consular Package reports 

are unreliable in part because certain sections of the reports are 

prepopulated with emergency services data obtained from the ACS 

system, which, as noted above, is unreliable. In other instances, we 

identified discrepancies in the consular package emergency services data 

that could not be explained.37 Additionally, limitations with the guidance 

regarding what information should be entered into the consular package 

report hamper the data’s reliability. 

Problems with the consular package reports’ reliability are partially 

attributed to errors with the prepopulated data obtained from the ACS 

system. In particular, FSOs at posts we visited informed us that data 

directly transferred from the ACS system to the consular package reports, 

such as the number of arrest and death cases, were often incorrect. For 

example, FSOs at several of the posts we visited told us they needed to 

correct arrest and death case data that had been provided in the consular 

package. As a result, Consular Affairs cannot rely on the numbers that 

appear in the consular package without first having posts verify the data. 

 

37The Consular Package system contains data other than emergency services data; we did 

not assess the reliability of the nonemergency services data. 

Page 23 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

We also found variations in the consular package data that called into 

question its reliability. For example, data from the consular package 

system showed variations over time that Consular Affairs could not 

explain, such as: 

• FSOs in Tijuana, Mexico, performed over 10,000 hours of emergency 

services in 2003, 644 hours in 2004, and more than 8,000 hours in 2005. 

• In London, England, the number of hours spent on public inquires 

fluctuated substantially over several years—from 4,861 in 2004, to 200 in 

2006, to 5,160 in 2008. 

• In Oslo, Norway, the number of emergency services hours performed by 

both consular officers and LES dropped from 1,700 hours in 2004, to zero 

in 2005, and then increased to 500 in 2006. 

Discrepancies with emergency services data, such as deaths and arrests, 

that Consular Affairs provided to us for fiscal year 2003 through 2008 

further illustrated reliability problems with its data. 38 For example, State 

initially reported there were 5,332 arrests in fiscal year 2007, but our 

analysis of the consular package data indicated the number was 3,915. 

After reviewing our analysis, Consular Affairs officials indicated that some 

of the differences we identified were due to system errors, specifically that 

data from the consular agencies were not included in the figures they 

initially provided us. Consular Affairs reran the arrest data, and the 

number of arrests decreased to 4,487 for fiscal year 2007. 

Additional problems with the reliability of the data may be attributed to 

limitations associated with the guidance for inputting information into the 

consular package. In response to the variations in the data we noted 

above, Consular Affairs officials stated that some differences might be due 

to different people inputting the data from year to year and interpreting 

what information should be included differently. Consular Affairs is aware 

that discrepancies exist between the data posts collect and the data in the 

consular package system. One reason, according to Consular Affairs, is 

that workload queries to the system conducted by posts may not be run at 

the same time or in the same manner as Consular Affairs’ workload 

queries, resulting in differences in the data. Nonetheless, Consular Affairs 

 

38Consular Affairs obtained the data from the system that produces consular package 

reports, and the ACS system. 

Page 24 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

has not provided clear guidance on the appropriate time frame for running 

queries to address this discrepancy. We also found that a lack of clarity 

about defining certain work activities led to some activities being 

categorized differently from year to year based on changes to the 

guidance. For example, in 2007, a post in Sweden reported its actual 

workload concerning “Other Special Citizen Services cases” remained 

generally the same from fiscal year 2006, but was represented as dropping 

significantly in the consular package report due to a misinterpretation of 

the category’s definition. 

Consular Affairs has taken steps to compensate for the data limitations in 

the consular packages. First, Consular Affairs sends consular package 

reports to all posts and asks them to verify or correct the data in the 

report. Several posts we visited indicated that they correct the data in the 

consular package during the annual review process. In addition, Consular 

Affairs includes narrative questions in the consular package report where 

posts can supplement the workload data by providing information about 

their activities and needs. However, according to a Consular Affairs 

official not all questions are repeated from year to year, making it difficult 

to determine how activities or issues identified by posts one year are 

addressed the next year or if the activity or issue persists. Further, 

according to Consular Affairs officials, they do not aggregate the data 

because posts may interpret questions differently. Nonetheless, the bureau 

uses the additional information when making resource allocation 

decisions. 

State also has problems estimating the number of work hours associated 

with providing emergency services, which further contributes to the 

reliability issues associated with consular package data. Consular Affairs 

recognizes that ACS work hours are estimates and inherently difficult to 

calculate. Unlike work hours for other consular operations, no two 

emergency cases are the same and the hours spent addressing two similar 

cases can vary widely.39 Further, whereas some consular services, such as 

adjudicating a visa, usually entail a relatively specific and predictable 

series of steps (an application, interview, and adjudication), victims’ 

assistance cases can vary from assault and domestic violence to robbery 

and rape, and the amount of time spent on cases can vary depending on 

the complexity of the crime and the country in which the crime occurred. 

 

39For example, a death case in which the next of kin is present generally requires less time 

to address than a death case in which the next of kin is unknown. 

Page 25 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

In addition, not all hours devoted to emergency services are captured in 

the consular package data since, according to Consular Affairs officials, 

posts do not include the ACS work hours performed by duty officers that 

provide emergency services outside of normal business hours. Consular 

Affairs generally gives posts wide latitude in determining how to estimate 

the time they spent annually on the provision of emergency services, and 

post estimates can therefore vary widely. 

To compensate for weaknesses with the work hour estimates, the bureau 

is trying to develop measures that more accurately convey workload and 

reflect the complexity of the various types of emergency assistance. In 

addition, Consular Affairs officials stated they are developing a measure to 

capture a post’s outreach efforts, as it considers outreach useful in 

educating American citizens on how to avoid situations that might 

necessitate emergency assistance. For example, Consular Affairs recently 

studied the feasibility of tracking the time consular staff spend on 

providing emergency services during nonbusiness hours. The study 

highlighted the significant workload associated with such services, but 

also revealed that tracking this time is itself a time-consuming process. 

The Regional Consular 

Officer Program Provides 

Oversight to Selected 

Small Posts 

Regional Consular Officers are tasked with monitoring and evaluating all 

consular operations, including the provision of emergency services, 

through periodic visits to selected small posts and reports on the findings 

of those visits.40 Currently, there are 90 posts covered by the Regional 

Consular Officer program, and Regional Consular Officers have a 

minimum of 10 posts assigned to them. The Regional Consular Officer’s 

reports are not used to identify trends that may be applied globally; rather 

they focus on individual problems at posts. The reports also generally have 

a common format, which includes an overview section and post staffing 

levels, followed by more detailed information on those areas the Regional 

Consular Officers focused on during their visit.41 Our review of 43 Regional 

Consular Officer trip reports from 2008 and 2009 found varying levels of 

detail regarding emergency services, making it difficult to systematically 

 

40State’s Office of the Inspector General also conducts inspections on consular services at 

posts; however, the inspections generally have focused on activities other than the 

provision of emergency services. Likewise, Consular Affairs Consular Management 

Assistance Teams conduct evaluations of consular post operations, generally at the 

invitation of a post, and these reports generally do not focus on the provision ACS 

emergency services. 

41All of the Regional Consular Officer reports we reviewed followed the same format. 

Page 26 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

identify problems based on these reports.42 Regional Consular Officers 

may not always review a post’s emergency services, as their reports 

primarily focus on management controls and other activities where the 

potential for fraud or abuse has significant security and other 

ramifications, according to a Regional Consular Officer. In addition, the 

officer stated that if there isn’t much written about emergency services in

a report, it is because no issues were identified during the visit. 

 

Though Regional Consular Officers indicated they share information and 

lessons learned among themselves and with their supervisor, their reports 

are not systematically analyzed by Consular Affairs in order to ascertain if 

consular operations could be improved worldwide. The Supervisory 

Regional Consular Officer in Cairo, Egypt, is responsible for clearing the 

other Regional Consular Officer’s reports, and may therefore see themes 

and identify vulnerabilities in the various regions or across regions.43

However, according to the Supervisory Regional Consular Officer, he has 

not conducted a systematic review of the reports, and while Consular 

Affairs also reviews the Regional Consular Officer reports, it does not 

systematically analyze them to ascertain if consular operations could be 

improved worldwide. Although the reports are not systematically 

analyzed, the Regional Consular Officers themselves reported that they 

meet annually to discuss their work and share lessons learned, identifying 

common problems or themes. They also routinely share information via 

phone calls and e-mails. Additionally, there is a Regional Consular Officer 

Web site, available to all posts, which contains such information as 

examples of standard operating procedures and responses to questions 

posed by posts. 

Consultations with Posts 

Provide Useful 

Information but Are Not 

Required 

According to Consular Affairs officials, supplementing the information 

provided by the ACS system, consular packages, and Regional Consular 

Officer reports are consultations Consular Affairs holds with consular and 

post management regarding their staffing and resource needs. 

Consultations occur either when consular management visit Washington, 

D.C., or when Consular Affairs officers visit posts; however, the 

42We requested all of the Regional Consular Officer trip reports from 2003 through 2008 and 

were told they were not available electronically; however, State provided us with 43 

reports. 

43The Supervisory Regional Consular Officer also had 12 countries in the region where he 

conducts Regional Consular Officer reviews. 

Page 27 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

consultations were not mandatory or routine. Consular Affairs recognized 

the value of providing these consultations, and Consular Affairs recently 

standardized the practice for outgoing consular officers, Deputy Chiefs of 

Mission, and U.S. Ambassadors. 

Consular Affairs may also contact a post when reviewing its consular 

package submission to obtain additional information regarding its 

resource requests, or seek the opinion of Regional Consular Officers 

regarding workload and resource allocations given their broad perspective 

on such post issues. While the information gathered during these 

consultations is factored into resource allocation decisions, such 

consultations are not regularly conducted with all posts and therefore 

cannot be used to systematically evaluate post needs. 

Consular Affairs Does Not 

Have Adequate 

Information to 

Comprehensively Monitor 

Its Provision of Emergency 

Services 

Consular Affairs does not have adequate information to comprehensively 

monitor its provision of emergency services worldwide, largely due to the 

difficulty of developing meaningful measures, and the limitations associated 

with Consular Affairs’ existing monitoring mechanisms, such as the ACS 

system. As a result, the bureau does not know the global demand for its 

services or if it is allocating its resources effectively. The overall number of 

cases addressed by posts overseas does not provide a complete picture of 

the level of effort expended by posts, since the measure does not reflect the 

complexity of the cases. Additionally, the number of hours spent on 

emergency service cases does not provide a sense of the types of 

emergencies posts address and whether or not the need for emergency 

services may be increasing. In addition to the difficulty of developing 

meaningful measures, mechanisms such as the ACS system and consular 

package, as discussed earlier in this report, do not provide Consular Affairs 

with reliable and complete data to assess the global demand for emergency 

services. Consular Affairs officials informed us that the bureau has an 

initiative under way to see how it might use the data it collects to identify 

trends related to the provision of emergency and consular services globally. 

However, as this initiative is ongoing, we were not able to assess it. 

While State provides a wide range of emergency services to American 

citizens overseas, State’s ability to comprehensively analyze the global 

demand for these services is hampered by limitations with its data 

systems. For example, reporting weaknesses and unclear guidance 

associated with the ACS system prevent posts from monitoring and 

evaluating their workload or using the data to make management 

decisions. Moreover, limitations associated with Consular Affairs’ 

Conclusions 

Page 28 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

monitoring mechanisms, combined with the inherent difficulty of 

measuring emergency service activities, prevent Consular Affairs from 

having a clear understanding of the global demand for emergency services. 

Although State shifts consular resources to meet emergency service 

demands, such as in the case of the Mumbai bombings, resource 

allocation, training, and planning decisions may not be based on a clear 

understanding of global workload. Absent current and reliable data on this 

worldwide demand for emergency services, Consular Affairs will continue 

to make resource allocation decisions based on incomplete and unreliable 

data. In addition, Consular Affairs views posts’ Web sites as its main 

outreach mechanism; it is therefore imperative that American citizens are 

able to quickly find emergency services information on these Web sites. 

However, the vast majority of posts’ Web sites do not contain emergency 

contact information on their main pages, forcing individuals to navigate 

through many Web sites at posts to get basic emergency contact 

information, and increasing the risk these individuals will not obtain these 

services in a timely fashion, or at all. 

To ensure the Bureau of Consular Affairs has accurate and reliable data 

from the mechanisms used to monitor and evaluate its provision of 

emergency services worldwide, and therefore make informed resource 

allocation decisions, we recommend that the Secretary of State direct the 

Bureau of Consular Affairs to take the following two actions: 

Recommendations for 

Executive Action 

• provide guidance on the information to be entered into the ACS system to 

ensure that data are consistently captured across posts and accurately 

reflect workload, and 

• improve functionality in the ACS system so that Consular Affairs and posts 

can use the system more effectively. 

To ensure American citizens who experience an emergency overseas can 

easily find and identify emergency contact information on post Web sites, 

we are making the following two recommendations to the Secretary of 

State: 

• require posts’ main Web site pages to include emergency contact 

information, and 

• periodically test the accuracy of the emergency contact information 

provided on the posts’ main Web site pages. 

Page 29 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

In written comments on a draft of this report, State concurred with our 

conclusions and recommendations. State indicated that it is developing 

new FAM guidance which will focus on reporting and provide clear 

guidelines on what information to enter into the ACS system. State 

indicated it is also working to improve the ACS system, as well as the data 

system that provides information for the consular package, and it will 

release a new version of the software for testing in November 2009. In 

addition, State indicated it is developing a new Global Citizens Services 

project, which should be implemented by 2014, and is supposed to 

facilitate case tracking, ease data entry requirements, and include 

appropriate management tools. 

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation 

State also agreed to make emergency contact information easily accessible 

for U.S. citizens abroad and in the United States on post-controlled Web 

sites and to periodically test the accuracy of the emergency contact 

information. State also indicated it will provide links to such information 

on both its main Web site and on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site. 

Finally, the Bureau of Consular Affairs noted it plans to undertake a major 

redesign of its main Web site, http://travel.state.gov, beginning in 

September 2009. Ensuring better access to emergency assistance 

information is supposed to be a redesign priority and should be 

implemented in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, with other changes to 

the site completed over the remaining part of the fiscal year. 

Page 30 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional 

committees and the Department of State. In addition, the report will be 

available at no charge on the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov. 

If you or your staffs have any questions about this report, please contact 

me at (202) 512-4268 or fordj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of 

Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page 

of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are 

Jess Ford 

listed in appendix III. 

Director, International Affairs and Trade 

Page 31 GAO-09-989 State Department
 

List of Requesters 

The Honorable Edolphus Towns 

Chairman 

The Honorable Darrell Issa 

Ranking Member 

Committee on Oversight 

 and Government Reform 

House of Representatives 

The Honorable Henry Waxman 

House of Representatives 

Page 32 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Page 33 GAO-09-989 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

We examined (1) the emergency services that the Department of State 

(State) provides U.S. citizens, (2) how State is prepared to assist U.S. 

citizens in need of emergency services, and (3) how State monitors the 

assistance it provides U.S. citizens in need of emergency services. 

To describe the services State provides to U.S. citizens who are the victims 

of crimes, suffer accidents, or otherwise need emergency services 

overseas, we interviewed State officials from the Bureau of Consular 

Affairs, including officials from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services. 

We also reviewed State guidance, specifically the Foreign Affairs Manual 

(FAM) chapter dealing with Consular Protection of U.S. Nationals Abroad, 

as well as other relevant sections of the FAM pertaining to the Bureau of 

Consular Affairs, Consular Agents, the Regional Consular Officer Program, 

and the Warden System. We also reviewed the relevant sections of the 

Foreign Affairs Handbook, including guidance to Consular Agents and 

Regional Consular Officers, as well as Duty Officer Guidance and Crisis 

Preparedness. We also reviewed additional State guidance, including 

cables, pertaining to the provision of emergency services, including 

preparation of the report estimating the number of Americans who might 

need to be evacuated during a crisis, new procedures for death 

notification, closing out financial records, and support for victims of crime 

overseas. In addition, we reviewed international agreements such as the 

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on 

Consular Relations and bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties related 

to criminal matters. We also reviewed Memoranda of Understanding 

between State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and State and the 

Department of Justice pertaining to victims of terrorism and crime. To 

identify the presence of emergency contact information available on 

embassy and consulate Web sites, we conducted a simple random sample 

of 70 Web sites. One of the posts was deemed out of scope, leaving us with 

a final sample size of 69. We selected the sample from a list of 239 

embassies and consulates that provide American Citizen Services (ACS) 

identified by State in their consular packages. Because our sample 

selection was based on random selection, it was only one of a large 

number of samples that might have been drawn. Since each sample could 

have produced different estimates, we express our confidence in the 

precision of our particular sample’s results as a 95 percent confidence 

interval. Based on the confidence interval, we estimate that no less than 7 

percent of the Web sites and no more than 26 percent of the Web sites 

include contact information on the main page of posts’ Web sites. We 

traveled overseas to five countries and 12 posts to observe how emergency 

assistance is provided at posts, including Beijing and Guangzhou, China; 

Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany; Mexico City, Guadalajara, Matamoras, and 

 State Department 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand; and Cape 

Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. We interviewed ACS officials at all 

these posts including the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in 

Beijing, Berlin, and Mexico City as well as the ACS chiefs at all posts we 

visited. We also interviewed other ACS officers including entry-level 

officers and locally employed staff who are responsible for the provision 

of ACS emergency services at their respective posts, as well as several 

duty officers to learn about the training and guidance they received prior 

to providing emergency services during nonbusiness hours. Additionally, 

we interviewed management and budget analysts from the Bureau of 

Consular Affairs, and division directors, desk officers, and management 

within the office of Overseas Citizen Services, in Washington, D.C. 

To describe and assess how State is prepared to assist U.S. citizens in need 

of emergency services, we interviewed State officials from the Bureau of 

Consular Affairs regarding the process for determining resource 

allocations to posts and other offices that provide emergency services. We 

also interviewed ACS staff, Foreign Service officers, locally employed 

staff, and post management including Consuls General at several posts, 

and the Chargé d’Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission in China, to 

ascertain how posts manage their emergency services workload. To assess 

the training provided by State we interviewed officials from the Foreign 

Service Institute (FSI) and obtained records pertaining to FSI courses that 

focus on ACS emergency-related services for both Foreign Service officers 

and locally employed staff. We also reviewed overseas and online training 

opportunities for both Foreign Service officers and locally employed staff 

provided by FSI, and we also attended FSI’s training course on Assisting 

Victims of Crime, held in January 2009 in Arlington, Virginia, to learn about 

the issues associated with providing assistance to victims of crime 

overseas. In addition, we reviewed guidance available to assist staff, such 

as the Foreign Affairs Manual, post-specific operating procedures, and the 

duty program. We also interviewed Foreign Service officers and locally 

employed staff at all the posts we visited about the training they received 

both formally and on the job, as well as the resources at their disposal, 

including training and mentoring provided by Regional Consular Officers 

at selected posts, guidance provided by senior-level consular officers to 

entry-level officers at large posts, and new forums for providing 

information, such as a consular-supported blog focused on ACS and the 

Regional Consular Officer forum. We also observed Foreign Service 

officers and locally employed staff overseas at all the posts we visited, 

providing routine services such as issuing passports, as well emergency 

services such as visiting prisoners in jail and handling death notifications 

to the next of kin. In addition, in both Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta, 

Page 34 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Mexico, we observed post staff conducting prison visits. However, we did 

not address the overall quality of the ACS provided by posts. 

To assess how State monitors the assistance it provides to U.S. citizens in 

need of emergency services, and how this information is used to inform 

management decisions, we reviewed the Consular Bureau’s 2010 Strategic 

Plan and the Mission Strategic Plans for four of the five countries we 

visited, including the framework for measuring and evaluating the 

bureau’s goals specific to ACS emergency services. The Bureau’s Strategic 

Plan for fiscal year 2011 had not been released during our review’s time 

frame. We also reviewed State’s Performance Reports for fiscal years 2007 

and 2008 and its Annual Performance Plan for fiscal year 2009 to ascertain 

how it was measuring and monitoring its ACS emergency services effort. 

In addition, we interviewed officials from the Bureau of Consular Affairs 

about the data collected through the ACS system, which is used to monitor 

the work of posts overseas, and discussed the problems posts identified 

with the ACS systems. We analyzed the annual consular package 

submissions from fiscal years 2003 to 2008, which provide data and 

narrative responses from all the 238 posts providing consular assistance 

overseas. Based on our review of the consular package data, we identified 

a number of problems with the data and provided the Bureau of Consular 

Affairs examples of problems we identified. Our assessment found 

inconsistencies in Consular Affairs data reporting by posts over time, 

which present major problems for monitoring and management purposes; 

however, we also assessed that the data give a general indication of the 

differences in orders of magnitude between the various ACS services 

provided worldwide over the time period in question. For example, the 

Consular Affairs data recorded roughly 4,500 deaths worldwide from 

natural causes during this period, compared to 25,000 arrests, compared to 

more than 200,000 welfare and whereabouts cases. Due to the weaknesses 

we noted in the data by post and over time, we report these data in very 

general terms simply to give a relative sense of State’s activities in each of 

these areas. Likewise, we interviewed Foreign Service officers overseas 

regarding how data provided through the ACS system are used to monitor 

and evaluate their own activities. Additionally, we interviewed all the 

Regional Consular Officers—in Bangkok, Thailand; Cairo, Egypt; 

Frankfurt, Germany; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Washington, 

D.C.;1

—who are responsible for providing guidance to 90 small posts 

 

1

The only Regional Consular Officer we did not interview in person was the Supervisory 

Regional Consular Officer who is located in Cairo, Egypt. 

Page 35 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

around the world, and reviewed 43 Regional Consular Officer trip reports, 

which included findings and recommendations regarding the provision of 

ACS in the countries they cover. For 19 of the 43 reports, State provided 

only those sections of the trip reports they determined were pertinent to 

the provision of emergency services. Nonetheless, during post visits, two 

Regional Consular Officers allowed us to review the reports they had 

written in their entirety, and based on those reviews we determined that 

Regional Consular Officer reports focus mainly on management controls. 

In addition, at 9 of the 12 posts we visited, we obtained copies of open and 

closed victims’ assistance reports. We determined that the data presented 

in this report are sufficiently reliable for the purpose for which they are 

presented. 

Page 36 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix II: Comments from the Department Appendix II: Comments from the Department of State 

of State 

Page 37 GAO-09-989 State Department 
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of State 

Page 38 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of State 

Page 39 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of State 

Page 40 GAO-09-989 State Department
Appendix III: GAO

A

 Contact and Staff 

cknowledgments 

Page 41 GAO-09-989 

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments 

Jess Ford, (202) 512-4268, fordj@gao.gov

In addition to the individuals named above, Anthony Moran, Assistant 

Director; Julie Hirshen; John F. Miller; Grace Lui; Jacob Davis; Martin De 

Alteriis, Assistant Director; Joe Carney, Justin Fisher, and Suneeti Shah 

made key contributions to this report. In addition, the following staff 

provided technical assistance: Etana Finkler and Ellery Scott. 

 State Department 

GAO Contact 

Staff 

Acknowledgments 

(320641) 
GAO’s Mission The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and 

investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its 

constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and 

accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO 

examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; 

and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help 

Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO’s 

commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of 

accountability, integrity, and reliability. 

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost 

is through GAO’s Web site (www.gao.gov). Each weekday afternoon, GAO 

posts on its Web site newly released reports, testimony, and 

correspondence. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted products, 

go to www.gao.gov and select “E-mail Updates.” 

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and 

Testimony 

Order by Phone The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO’s actual cost of 

production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the 

publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and 

white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO’s Web site, 

http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm. 

Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or 

TDD (202) 512-2537. 

Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, 

MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information. 

Contact: 

Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470 

Ralph Dawn, Managing Director, dawnr@gao.gov, (202) 512-4400 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7125 

Washington, DC 20548 

To Report Fraud, 

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs 

Congressional 

Relations 

Chuck Young, Managing Director, youngc1@gao.gov, (202) 512-4800 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, DC 20548 

Public Affairs 

Please Print on Recycled Paper