Our work routinely leads to recommendations for improving efficiency and effectiveness across the federal government’s programs, resulting in measurable savings and improvements. Since fiscal year 2003, our work has resulted in over ½ trillion dollars in financial benefits and about 17,000 program and operational benefits that helped to improve public services and promote sound management throughout government. About 65 percent of our products contain recommendations, and since 2010, we have issued an average of almost 1,800 recommendations each year. Management of the audited agencies has discretion on whether to implement our recommendations, and executive branch agencies have implemented an average of about 80 percent of our recommendations, as reported in our performance and accountability reports for fiscal years 2010 through 2015 (see table 1). Since fiscal year 2010, our work has resulted in over $330 billion in financial benefits and over 8,000 program and operational benefits that helped to change laws, improve public services, and promote sound management throughout government. The following examples illustrate the wide-ranging benefits from our work in several categories, including (1) identifying cost savings and revenue opportunities to help to avoid sequestration; (2) identifying legislative solutions; (3) achieving financial, program, and operational benefits; (4) helping Congress oversee key programs; (5) addressing high-risk areas; and (6) reducing fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in government programs. Our work helped Congress achieve some of the billions in savings and revenue enhancements that could avoid sequestration in fiscal years 2014 through 2017. For example, key decisions adopted by Congress in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 were linked to our work and helped Congress achieve about $23 billion in savings and revenue enhancements to avoid sequestration in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, such as improving the cost-effectiveness of filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to save $3.2 billion from 2014 to 2023; increasing aviation security fees to cover 43 percent of aviation security costs in 2014, estimated by CBO to save $12.6 billion from 2014 through 2023; expanding the risk-based element of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s premium rate structure, estimated by CBO to increase revenues and offset direct spending by $7.9 billion from 2014 through 2023 limiting the amount of compensation contractors working on a federal contract can charge to the government to $487,000 annually, a decrease from the previous cap of $952,308; and improving the collection of unemployment insurance overpayment by $159 million and reducing improper payments to inmates for disaster relief and other assistance resulting in savings of $80 million from 2014 through 2023, according to CBO. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 also included key provisions that linked to our work and which could help Congress achieve about $30 billion in savings and revenue enhancements (as estimated by CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT)) needed to avoid sequestration in fiscal years 2016 and 2017, including streamlining and simplifying audit procedures for certain partnerships, resulting in increased revenue estimated to be $9.3 billion from 2016 through 2025; and authorizing a 58 million barrel sale from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, estimated at $5.1 billion from 2018 to 2025; making additional spectrum, which companies use to provide services such as mobile broadband, available for auction, estimated to generate $4.4 billion from 2016 through 2025; allowing for potential savings through reforming Social Security disability insurance by expanding fraud units, increasing criminal and civil penalties for fraud, and allowing the receipt of electronic payroll data to improve program administration, which is estimated to save $140 million from 2019 through 2025. The Congress has used our work to identify legislative solutions to increase government transparency, achieve cost savings, address emerging problems, and find efficiencies in federal agencies and programs. Our work has contributed to a number of key authorizations, appropriations, and reauthorizations, including the following examples: The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 requires the federal government to set government-wide data standards for financial data intended to result in consistent, reliable, and searchable government-wide spending data available to the Congress, agency managers, and the public. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, and its accompanying explanatory statement, rescinded or reduced Administration proposals for weapon systems (for an estimated total of over $500 million from programs such as for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Joint Tactical Radio System, and the Kiowa Warrior helicopter program); directed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress on why its strategy to serve the burial needs of rural veterans does not include all the elements required by law and why it has not used census tract data to calculate veteran populations served; and addressed the severe financial difficulties of multiemployer pension plans and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s Multiemployer Insurance Program. Provisions of law commonly referred to as Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) addressed cost and performance issues in federal information technology (IT) acquisitions by expanding the authorities of chief information officers and directing agencies to improve the transparency of high-risk IT investments, reduce duplication, and achieve cost savings opportunities. The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 changed the procedures by which the VA will pay for health care for veterans outside of the VA system and addressed concerns about coordination between VA and the Indian Health Service on veteran’s health care. The Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014 responded to emerging security issues with regard to chemical facility security, which should improve risk assessment procedures. In fiscal year 2015, our work yielded $74.7 billion in financial accomplishments—a return of about $134 for every dollar invested in us. These financial benefits result from executive branch agency or congressional actions to change agency business operations or activities; restructure federal programs; or modify entitlements, taxes, or user fees. Table 2 includes examples of new financial benefits for fiscal year 2015. Many other benefits resulting from our work cannot be measured in dollar terms, but improve programs and operations across the government. During fiscal year 2015, we recorded 1,286 of these benefits; a few examples follow: Improved TSA Rail Security Incident Data. In 2012, we reported that weaknesses hampered the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) ability to extract information from its rail security incident data system, causing TSA to miss chances to identify important trends or patterns. In response to our recommendations, TSA established a process and provided guidance to ensure the completeness of incident data and minimize errors. TSA also developed the Surface Compliance Trend Analysis Network, which in part provides stakeholders with analyses of rail security trends and potential threats. These actions will help TSA develop recommended security measures for rail agencies, as appropriate. Protected Elderly Americans. Our reports on elder abuse identified challenges that state Adult Protective Services (APS) had in addressing growing caseloads. These challenges stemmed from, among other things, difficulty collecting and using data to track outcomes and assess APS program effectiveness, leaving states with limited information for resolving cases of abuse. In response to our recommendations, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the National Adult Protective Services Resource Center to provide technical assistance to APS to enhance the quality and effectiveness of state programs. The department also is working with states to develop a nationwide APS data system. This data system will, for the first time ever, provide consistent national data on the extent and nature of the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable older adults, allowing states and the federal government to better understand and respond to the problem. Secured the Skies with Stronger Aviation Cybersecurity. In 2015, we reported that the Federal Aviation Administration lacked a comprehensive model for identifying cybersecurity threats to the NextGen air traffic control system. Our work drew congressional, media, and public attention to these potential threats, and spurred the agency to develop a cybersecurity model. Reduced Technology Threats to Financial Markets. We reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission faced challenges in protecting financial securities markets from information technology outages and cyberattacks. In response to our work, in 2014, the commission required market participants better manage their information technology risks. As a result, markets should be more resilient to problems arising from both internal failures and external threats. We continue to build key bodies of work that help Congress (1) address current and emerging challenges to the well-being and financial security of the American people, (2) respond to changing security threats and global interdependence, and (3) transform the federal government to address national challenges. Work completed in fiscal year 2015 in these areas included these examples: Protection of children. We reported on children’s health insurance, unregulated custody transfers of adopted children, oversight challenges for the Bureau of Indian Education, and care for unaccompanied alien children in U.S. custody. Veterans. We reported on the availability of qualified nursing staff at the VA medical centers, inconsistencies in processing veterans’ disability benefits, improvements needed to support eligibility decisions for veterans’ disability benefits, and the need to improve monitoring of veterans’ antidepressant use and the accuracy of veterans’ suicide data. Health care. We reported on the need to address improper payments in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, expand efforts to reduce antipsychotic drug use among older adults receiving care in homes and community-based settings, improve Indian health care services, and improve oversight of tax provisions for individuals under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Science and Technology. We reported on the need to enhance the nation’s biosurveillance capabilities, address safety lapses at high- containment laboratories, address potential gaps in environmental satellite coverage, and minimize long-term federal exposure to climate-related risks. Our technology assessments included reducing freshwater use in hydraulic fracturing and thermoelectric power plant cooling.