Feds Look to Reduce Wasteful Duplication of Effort

As in Connecticut, the federal government is searching for ways to consolidate functions to reduce wasteful duplication of effort. In its first annual report to Congress, the General Accountability Office has identified many such instances across government programs, initiatives, and agencies. In the human services field, it reported the need to:

1. reduce administrative overlap among domestic food assistance programs (18 programs involved),
2. better coordinate homeless programs to minimize fragmentation and overlap (over 20 programs involved),
3. improve cost-effectiveness and enhance services for transportation-disadvantaged persons, (80 programs involved), and
4. co-locate and consolidate administrative structures in multiple employment and training programs.