High-Risk Series
GAO has released its 2009 High-Risk Series, a biennial report to Congress on major problems costing the federal government billions of dollars annually. The series focuses on areas vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, as well as, increasingly, areas in need of broad reform.
This update identifies 30 high-risk areas, including new areas covering the financial crisis, medical products, and toxic chemicals. The areas are organized into four categories:
- programs requiring broad transformation,
- federal contracting,
- tax law, and
- insurance and benefit programs.
GAO’s recommendations to improve these programs could lead to billions of dollars in savings for the federal government, dramatically improve service to the public, and strengthen confidence in the performance and accountability of the federal government.
The current report, as well as High-Risk Series dating to 1999, can be found in the following links.
See the 2009 High-Risk List. (PDF, 1 page)
2009 High-Risk Series
- High-Risk Series: An Update
- GAO-09-271, January 2009
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 99 pages) Accessible Text
2007 High-Risk Series
- High-Risk Series: An Update
- GAO-07-310, January 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 98 pages) Accessible Text
- Information Technology: Significant Problems of Critical Automation Program Contribute to Risks Facing 2010 Census
- GAO-08-550T, March 5, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 21 pages) Accessible Text
2005 High-Risk Series
- High-Risk Series: An Update
- GAO-05-207, January 2005
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 95 pages) Accessible Text
- High-Risk Program: National Flood Insurance Program
- GAO-06-497T, March 15, 2006
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 31 pages) Accessible Text
2003 High-Risk Series
- High-Risk Series: An Update
- GAO-03-119, January 2003
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 62 pages) Accessible Text
- High-Risk Series: Strategic Human Capital Management
- GAO-03-120, January 2003
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 34 pages) Accessible Text
- High-Risk Series: Protecting Information Systems Supporting the Federal Government and the Nation's Critical Infrastructures
- GAO-03-121, January 2003
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 34 pages) Accessible Text
- High-Risk Series: Federal Real Property
- GAO-03-122, January 2003
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 64 pages) Accessible Text
- High-Risk Series: Pension Benefits Guaranty Corporation Single-Employer Insurance Program
- GAO-03-1050SP, July 2003
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Accessible Text