OMB issued guidance to agencies to clarify how agencies  were to satisfy the law and otherwise implement IQA. The guidance  required agencies to develop and post IQA guidelines and related  information on their websites. We reported in August 2006 that expanded oversight and clearer  guidance by OMB could improve agencies’ implementation of the Act. Most Agencies in Our Review Reported Receiving Relatively Few IQA Correction Requests; the Majority of Requests Questioned Data Use and Resulted in No Corrections Agencies’ Websites Show a Total of 87 IQA Correction Requests from Fiscal Years 2010 through 2014

According to IQA information posted on the 30 agency websites in our  review, 16 agencies reported receiving 87 IQA correction requests from  fiscal years 2010 through 2014 (see table 1). In August 2004, the OIRA Administrator issued a memorandum to the  President’s Management Council directing that agencies post all  information quality correspondence, including a copy of each correction  request, the agency’s formal response(s), and any communications  regarding appeals on agency web pages to increase the transparency of  the process. Eight  agencies who reported receiving IQA correction requests did not post on  their website the same number of IQA correction requests that they  reported to OMB. Timely  reporting of IQA data would increase the transparency of the process and  allow the public to view all current correction requests, agency responses  to those requests, and any appeals. On June 11, 2010, a trade association sent a correction request to  both EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development  (HUD) on, among other things the accuracy of data used in a public  service advertising on childhood lead poisoning prevention. In this review, we found that one-fourth (15 of 59) of the IQA correction  requests that resulted in no corrections were processed through an  administrative mechanism other than the dedicated IQA request for  correction process. Also, the  “report was generated as part of the adjudicative process of this  personnel matter; it is not subject to review under the IQA.”

	OMB and Agencies’ IQA Guidelines and Related Information Is Generally Available Online, but Usability Varied

		OMB Makes IQA Information, Including Agency-Reported Data, Publicly Available; However Data Are Not Centrally Located

OMB staff told us they rely heavily on their own website to disseminate  IQA, OMB-specific, and government-wide guidance. These guidelines are  aimed at helping federal agencies improve their communications and  interactions with customers through websites. OMB officials acknowledged that consolidating and centralizing IQA  information on OMB’s website could improve transparency and access to  its IQA data. Agencies Posted Required IQA Guidelines and Data Online as of November 2015 but the Usability Could Be Improved

In addition to posting correction requests and agency responses on  agency websites, agencies are required by IQA to post their IQA  guidelines and administrative mechanisms by which affected persons  could petition for correction of inaccurate agency information. Twenty- eight of 30 agencies posted the required IQA documents online as of  November 2015. However, the Department of Defense did not include  administrative mechanisms on its website. OMB concurred with our review of these agencies’ IQA  information and told us it would work with the agencies to improve the  information provided on their websites, but as of December 2015, they  had not completed that process. Until that step occurs, the public may be  unaware of the steps the agencies would take upon receiving a correction  request, or even how to submit a correction request. Ensuring that online content is accurate is one of the  guidelines for federal digital services. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also has a  centralized IQA correction process. For example, by consolidating summaries of agency IQA  information, working with agencies to ensure all IQA requirements are  met, and providing additional guidance about posting accessible, user- oriented information on agency websites, OMB could help increase the  public’s access to and confidence in that information, thereby helping to  further the goal of disseminating quality information. Work with the Department of Defense and the Federal Housing  Finance Agency to help ensure that they post their IQA administrative  mechanisms and IQA guidance online. Provide additional guidance for agencies to help improve the  transparency and usability of their IQA websites to help ensure the  public can easily find and access online information about agency IQA  implementation. Such guidance should include specific time frames for agencies to post information on the IQA  correction requests they have received, including making it clear  when agencies have not received IQA requests; instructions for agencies to include a statement on their IQA  websites that the agencies may address correction requests  through other administrative processes;  instructions for agencies to include, when responding to correction  requests, whether those agencies plan to address the request  through another administrative processes, and if so, which  process they will use; and suggestions for improving usability of agencies’ websites including  fixing broken links. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of this study were to (1) identify the number, source, and  final disposition of IQA correction requests received by the 24 Chief  Financial Officer (CFO) Act and other agencies for fiscal years 2010  through 2014; (2) assess the extent to which the 24 CFO Act and other  agencies that received correction requests made IQA information publicly  available; and (3) identify how selected agencies have implemented IQA. To identify other agencies that had received correction requests  during the same time frame, we reviewed the Office of Management and  Budget’s (OMB) annual reports to Congress for fiscal year 2010 through  fiscal year 2013 and identified those agencies outside of the 24 CFO Act  agencies that reported receiving Information Quality Act (IQA) correction  requests.
Why GAO Did This Study

IQA, passed in fiscal year 2001, required OMB to issue government-wide guidelines by the end of that fiscal year to ensure the quality of information disseminated by federal agencies. OMB issued guidance to agencies to clarify how agencies were to satisfy the law and otherwise implement IQA. The guidance required agencies to develop and post IQA guidelines and related information on their websites. GAO reported in 2006 that expanded oversight and clearer guidance by OMB could improve agencies' implementation of IQA. GAO was asked to conduct an updated study on IQA. This report (1) identifies the number, source, and final disposition of IQA correction requests received by the 24 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act and other agencies for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 and (2) assesses the extent to which the 24 CFO Act and other agencies that received correction requests made IQA information publicly available, among other objectives. GAO obtained data on IQA guidelines and other IQA-related information from the 24 CFO Act agencies and 6 additional agencies that reported receiving IQA correction requests for fiscal years 2010 through 2014. GAO also reviewed agency websites and interviewed OMB and agency officials.

What GAO Found

Of the 30 agencies in GAO's review, 16 reported on their respective websites receiving a total of 87 Information Quality Act (IQA) correction requests from fiscal years 2010 through 2014, while 14 agencies did not post any requests during this time. Three agencies—the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Interior—reported receiving 61 of the 87 requests. Agencies are required to post all IQA correspondence, including a copy of each correction request and the agencies' formal response on their websites. However, 8 agencies who reported receiving IQA correction requests did not post on their website the same number of IQA correction requests that they reported to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In most cases, agencies indicated that the discrepancies were due to the time frames for posting information to their respective websites. OMB officials said they are communicating with agencies to address these discrepancies. GAO found that trade associations and advocacy organizations (50 of 87) submitted the most IQA correction requests, followed by private citizens (16), and businesses (13). GAO also found that IQA correction requests either (1) questioned agencies' use of or agencies' interpretation of data used or (2) cited administrative errors. For example, a trade association questioned the accuracy of data used in public service advertising on childhood lead poisoning prevention. Agencies did not make the requested corrections in 59 of the 87 IQA correction requests. IQA is one of several processes available to the public for requesting corrections of agency information. In one-fourth (15 of 59) of the requests where agencies determined that no change should be made, agencies addressed those requests through an administrative mechanism other than the dedicated IQA request for correction process.
OMB posts IQA information online, including links to agency-specific IQA guidelines; however, there is no central location on OMB's website where a user could access all IQA data, making specific IQA data more difficult to find and hindering transparency of the process. Twenty-eight of the 30 agencies in GAO's review posted the required IQA information online as of November 2015. The Department of Defense's (DOD) posted IQA information did not include the administrative mechanisms needed to submit a correction request to the agency as required. The Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) online information did not include its required IQA guidance. Without this information, the public may be unaware of the steps the agencies would take upon receiving a correction request, or even how to submit a correction request. OMB staff stated they would work with the agencies to improve the information on their websites, but as of December 2015, they had not completed that process. Ensuring that online content is accurate is one of the guidelines for federal digital services. These guidelines are aimed at helping federal agencies improve their communications and interactions with customers through websites. GAO found at least five agencies did not include any information regarding correction requests and other agencies' posts included outdated information or contained broken hyperlinks. The Department of Energy's web page includes a link to its IQA processes but as of November 2015 the page to submit correction requests online was under construction. OMB requires agencies to post information quality correspondence on agency websites to increase the transparency of the process but has not provided specific guidance to agencies for posting accessible, user-oriented information, including specific time frames for posting information, explanations of and links to other available correction processes, and other suggestions for improving website usability. Providing such guidance will help increase transparency and allow the public to view all IQA related information including correction requests, appeal requests, and agency responses to those requests.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that OMB (1) consolidate and centralize on its website a summary of IQA correction requests, (2) work with DOD and FHFA to help ensure they post required IQA administrative mechanisms and guidance online, and (3) provide additional guidance to help improve the transparency and usability of IQA websites to ensure the public can easily find and access online information. OMB agreed with these recommendations.