Veterans Paralympics Program: Improved Reporting Needed to Ensure Grant Accountability. Report to Congressional Committees.

摘要

The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 established VAs Paralympics Program to promote the lifelong health of disabled veterans and members of the Armed Forces through physical activity and sports. Additionally, the act authorized VA to provide a grant to USOCs Paralympics Division, and allowed USOC to enter into subgrant agreements to provide adaptive sports activities to veterans and service members. The act also mandated GAO to report on the VA Paralympics program. GAO is required to (1) review how VA and its grantee and subgrantees used program funds to provide adaptive sports opportunities to veterans and service members; (2) assess how VA is overseeing its grantees and subgrantees use of funds; and (3) describe how veterans and service members have benefited from VA Paralympics activities. To do this, GAO reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations, guidance, agency reports, and a non-probability sample of 21 of 76 subgrant files, consisting of data on about 56 percent of funds subgranted. GAO also conducted site visits to two states and interviewed veterans as well as agency and grantee officials.