USDA Electronic Filing

Progress Made, But Central Leadership and Comprehensive Implementation Plan Needed Gao ID: GAO-01-324 February 28, 2001

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made progress in implementing the Freedom to E-File Act and has partially met the act's initial deadlines for providing agricultural producers with access to forms via the Internet and submitting required reports on initial e-file activities and plans to Congress. However, implementing full e-filing capabilities for all its farm service customers by the deadlines set by the act poses a far more complex and difficult challenge. Critical to the success of any such initiative is the necessary authority and responsibility to manage it across different departmental entities. Yet no single official has been so designated. Also, a comprehensive implementation plan--one that addresses both the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), the Freedom to E-File Act requirements, and Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) implementation guidelines--is critical to help USDA achieve a more consistent approach in its entire e-government transformation.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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