NCJ Number
70161
Date Published
1978
Length
73 pages
Annotation
This General Accounting Office (GAO) review of the Department of Agriculture's Food Stamp Program in Puerto Rico identifies the program's management and computer problems and offers solutions.
Abstract
GAO checked financial accountability for food stamp transactions at a local office in San Juan and at six other local offices in the San Juan and Caguas regions. Accountability deficiencies, similar to those revealed in an earlier audit, included various local office and computer system deficiencies that result in an excessive number of manually issued authorization cards. Other problems centered on the lack of documentation supporting retroactive benefits issuances, inadequate monitoring of local program personnel, and failure to identify questionable authorization card redemptions. Although program officials initiated a few corrective actions, such as setting up a steering committee to improve program management, more improvements need to be made to eliminate the computer system problems that hinder program service and accountability. GAO recommends that program officials address management deficiencies outlined in this report, form a technical assistance group responsible for the long-term improvement of the computer system, and take immediate specific corrective actions concerning the computer system. Program performance data, corrective actions to improve the computer system, and a description and chronology of the computer system are appended. Agency comments and some tabular data are included.