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Program Reviews

February 4, 2002

xxx Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation

Agriculture Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)	Effective	WIC is a successful and cost-effective early intervention program that saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk women, infants, and children. The budget fully funds WIC, allowing service to all eligible persons seeking benefits.
USDA County Offices	Ineffective	Even though USDA has worked on improving efficiency since 1992, enormous duplication and inefficiencies remain.
Forest Service Operating Program	Ineffective	The Forest Service's administrative and decision-making system, along with confusing and inadequate regulations, has led to gridlock. Currently, according to the National Academy of Public Administration, 40 percent to 60 percent of the money spent on this program goes to planning and litigation rather than projects.
Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Program	Effective	The program conducts inspections of people and cargo entering the country by land, sea, and air. Inspections indicate that at least 95 percent of international air passengers are in compliance with federal regulations.
Rural Water and Wastewater Grants and Loans	Effective	The program alleviates health hazards and encourages economic growth in rural areas by providing support to build sewage treatment plants and other water infrastructure. Funds are effectively targeted to the most needy communities including those with major wastewater problems that pose health concerns.

Commerce Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Census Bureau	Effective	Census 2000 was the most accurate decennial census ever, with a net undercount of 0.06 percent. Controlling costs per household while maintaining accuracy is a major challenge for 2010 Census planning.
International Trade Administration (ITA)	Unknown	Although ITA trade-promotion services are generally positively regarded, assisted firms currently pay little of the program's cost. Commerce will study fee options in 2002 to develop an appropriate cost-recovery framework.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)	Effective	NIST Laboratories are world leaders in high-tech and basic industrial standards.
Advanced Technology Program (ATP)	Unknown	ATP has been associated with some technical successes, but in some of those cases federal support was probably not necessary. Others clearly represented unwarranted corporate subsidies. Proposed reforms will enable the program to better address current conditions and needs.
National Weather Service (NWS)	Effective	NWS continues to improve forecasts for extreme weather by modernizing systems and has reduced the number of its offices nationwide from over 250 prior to 1990 to 122 in 2002.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)	Unknown	Less than 40 percent of major ocean fish stocks are known to be at sustainable levels, 20 percent of stocks are over fished, and the remaining 42 percent of stocks have unknown population levels. Legislative reforms and reduced congressional earmarking of funds will help NMFS maintain sound fisheries.

Defense Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Military Readiness	Effective	The speed of American deployment in the war on terrorism has demonstrated improved readiness. The budget sustains this gain and builds on it by funding improvements in training facilities.
Military Compensation	Effective	Recent increases in pay have helped improve the recruitment and retention of top-caliber men and women for our military.
Family Housing	Army/Navy: Effective Air Force: Ineffective	DoD has started to rely on private sector expertise to improve the quality of housing for military families - a Presidential initiative. Also, the Secretary of Defense has established a goal to eliminate DoD's inventory of 159,000 inadequate housing units for military families by 2007. The Army and Navy plan to achieve the 2007 goal; the Air Force will not achieve the goal until 2010.
Cooperative Threat Reduction	Moderately Effective	Since it began in 1993, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program has funded the deactivation of 5,336 nuclear warheads, the destruction of 422 intercontinental ballistic missiles in the former Soviet Union, and helped secure vast quantities of material that could be used in a weapon of mass destruction. Taking such steps dramatically reduces the likelihood of terrorists obtaining the means to do harm to the United States and its allies. However, the program has been slow to spend funds provided in prior years.
Science and Technology (S&T)	Moderately effective	DoD is working aggressively to develop more effective technologies. Projects mostly performed by the private sector or academia are generally handled well. However, each military service and defense agency generally determines its own S&T plan with little Department-wide coordination. To reduce potential duplication of efforts, the Under Secretary for Acquisition Technology and Logistics should develop a better integrated and coordinated funding plan for these efforts.
Infrastructure	Ineffective	The Department maintains a large inventory of old buildings that need to be replaced. Right now, DoD is on a path to replace old buildings approximately once every 120 years. DoD had planned to accelerate the pace at which it replaced facilities, but allocated funds to other, more pressing needs. Another round of base realignment and closure, approved by Congress for 2005, is essential to achieving faster replacement and improvement of unsatisfactory DoD facilities.
Weapons Systems Cost Control	Ineffective	While DoD develops and builds the most capable weapons systems in the world, these programs continue to exceed cost and schedule targets. Between 2000 and 2003, cost growth for major weapons rose by an estimated 15 percent on average. Part of that increase is due to more realistic cost estimating. DoD has begun to establish initiatives to enhance its ability to monitor and to control cost growth and schedule delays.
Chemical Demilitarization	Ineffective	The Army's program to destroy the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons is behind schedule. Costs have increased over 60 percent, from $15 billion to $24 billion. These delays are the result of various difficulties, including unrealistic schedules, site safety and environmental concerns, and poor planning.
DoD-VA Coordination	Ineffective	The Departments have historically lacked genuine commitment to coordinate systems. Many areas for integration exist. For example, VA and DoD could better serve mutual constituents by developing an integrated enrollment system. There has, however, been progress in some areas. VA and DoD have begun discussions on how to better coordinate and share patient medical information. For significant and rapid progress to be made in this area, both VA and DoD must focus their efforts on developing common business processes that are supported by fully integrated information technology standards and architecture.

Education Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Statistics and Assessment	Effective	National Center for Education Statistics releases numerous paper, electronic, and web-based statistical products that have a reputation for high quality.
TRIO Student Support Services	Effective	Evaluation of the Student Support Services program showed that it had a large impact on four-year college graduation rates and a small but significant impact on students' grades, credits earned, and retention in higher education.
Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies	Ineffective	Despite an investment of billions of dollars, reading scores among disadvantaged students on national tests have remained stagnant. Dramatic changes enacted this year focus on accountability and parental choice reforms designed to significantly improve program performance.
TRIO Upward Bound	Ineffective	Evaluation of Upward Bound found that the program had no overall impact on participants' grades, credits earned, high school graduation rates, or college enrollment rates.
Safe and Drug-Free Schools-State Grants	Ineffective	The program cannot be associated with a demonstrable change in the incidence of youth violence or drug-abuse. A recent RAND study questioned the program's effectiveness and stressed that its future hinges on the ability to demonstrate results.
Even Start	Ineffective	National and local evaluations have shown no conclusive evidence that this program is improving outcomes for children or adults.
Research and Dissemination	Ineffective	Past investments have not yielded consistent research quality; however, the Administration plans significant structural and grantmaking reforms.
GEAR UP	Unknown	Though this program's evaluation is not complete, the program was modeled on local projects that have been successful in increasing academic achievement and college-going rates among participating students.

Energy Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
National Nuclear Security Administration-Naval Reactors	Effective	Outputs are identifiable and make key contributions to national security. Delivery schedules are consistently met. Contracts have positive and negative incentives, and include performance requirements.
National Nuclear Security Administration- Weapons Activities	Moderately effective	Certifies safety and reliability of nuclear weapons stockpile and maintains a high-quality scientific capability. However, it needs to improve its long-range planning and resource allocation process and better link stockpile requirements to available resources.
Defense Environmental Restoration and Environmental Management	Ineffective	Many sites are behind schedule for cleanup. Completion costs are escalating. "Compliance agreements," signed before the breadth of problems was known, make it difficult to effectively manage the program.
Office of Science	Effective	Supports world-class basic research. Effectively operates a large suite of scientific user facilities.
Fossil Energy R&D	Ineffective	Broad mission, lack of investment criteria and unmeasurable performance goals allow for funding of virtually any project. This leads to corporate subsidies. Program has contributed little to improving the prospects for new energy technology.
Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology	Ineffective	Resists competitive, peer-reviewed research awards. Resource allocation does not support priorities identified by external experts.

Health and Human Services Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-Community Health Centers	Effective	CHCs are effective at providing primary health care services and increasing health care access to uninsured and underserved patients regardless of their ability to pay.
HRSA-National Health Service Corps (NHSC)	Effective	Through scholarships and loan repayments, NHSC has placed over 22,000 health care providers in underserved areas over the last 29 years.
HRSA-Health Professions	Ineffective	Discussion appears below in the Improving Performance section of this chapter.
HRSA-Community Access Program (CAP)	Ineffective	CAP was initiated in 2000 to assist health care providers in integrating health care systems. CAP has yet to develop clear goals or performance measures.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Childhood Immunizations Program	Effective	The CDC and Medicaid Vaccine for Children programs together largely reach CDC's stated goal of reducing the number of vaccine-preventable cases of disease among children and ensure that children are appropriately immunized, although some management improvements are needed.
CDC-Chronic Diseases	Unknown	There is limited nationwide data on the impact of CDC-funded activities and health outcomes in the area of chronic diseases.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)-Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)	Effective	Performance has exceeded expectations.
Indian Health Service (IHS)	Moderately Effective	IHS is moderately effective at providing health care services to Native Americans, reducing health disparity, constructing new and replacement hospitals, and managing self-governance activities.

Housing and Urban Development Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Public Housing	Ineffective	Serves 1.2 million low-income households, but properties are too often of poor quality and in high poverty or isolated locations.
Housing Vouchers	Effective	Cost-effective, market-driven portable rental assistance. Serves over 1.8 million low-income households.
Federal Housing Administration	Moderately effective	Increases homeownership opportunity. But inadequate, out-dated systems and controls hamper ability to monitor private partners.
Homeless Program	Unknown	Provides flexibility to serve homeless families and individuals through coordinated local planning and consolidated funding. Lack of data makes it difficult to measure progress toward achieving nationwide objectives.
Community Development Block Grant	Unknown	Designed to boost low-income communities, its effectiveness is diluted by the inclusion of some of the richest cities in the country. Its flexibility permits use for a wide variety of community and economic development activities. Because each community has different needs and goals, it is difficult to assess performance, despite over $100 billion in grants since 1974.
Lead Hazard Control Grants	Effective	Program has clear, measurable objectives, and use of efficient technology is emphasized.

Interior Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
National Wildlife Refuge System	Effective	Effectively prioritizes identified needs; better performance measures are still needed.
Offshore Minerals Management	Effective	Leases for offshore development are awarded competitively and managed efficiently.
Wildland Fire Management	Unknown	Lacks clear direction and adequate performance measures; program objectives have become muddled.
National Park Service Maintenance and Construction	Unknown	Lacks clear implementation plan and schedule for tracking facility maintenance progress.
National Fish Hatchery System	Ineffective	Lacks clear direction and adequate performance measures. State or private programs may be more effective.
Bureau of Indian Affairs School Performance	Ineffective	Academic performance of many students at BIA schools is far below public school counterparts.

Justice Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Immigration enforcement	Moderately Effective	Immigration enforcement activities have made progress in gaining control along specific sections of the Southwest border, resulting in a decrease in apprehensions. Yet, total illegal immigration, including people overstaying their visas, remains high.
Immigration services	Ineffective	Unacceptably large application backlogs and lengthy processing times frustrate those who wish to legally enter the United States, unfairly disadvantaging them relative to undocumented immigrants. The Department is, however, making progress toward eliminating the backlog by the end of 2003, but needs to ensure a thorough screening of all applicants for deficiencies.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)	Unknown	COPS grants have contributed to the spread of innovative police practices. However, the net effect on police hiring and national and local crime rates is uncertain.
Other State and Local Grant Programs	Unknown	The overall effect on crime is unknown because of widely varying program objectives, the lack of performance measures, and the relatively small share of local criminal justice spending. Congressional earmarks also limit the Department's ability to target funding where it is needed most.
Incarceration	Effective	Although the current supply of prison bed space is inadequate, alternative solutions are being utilized to address the problem. Additional prison capacity, either from new prison construction or the purchase of private or other prison facilities, will reduce crowding levels and continue to provide secure and humane confinement for inmates.

Labor Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Job Corps	Effective	Residential program for disadvantaged youth is a cost-effective investment, despite its high cost per participant-slot ($31,700 per year). It increases their lifetime earnings.
Bureau of Labor Statistics	Effective	Produces accurate, timely, and pertinent data and has considerably improved the accuracy of its price indexes.
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	Effective	In insuring certain pensions against company bankruptcy, between 2000 and 2002, it shortened the time it takes to calculate affected workers' final benefits by almost two years.
One-Stop Career Centers	Unknown	Grant program helps fund local one-stop employment centers nationwide but has not been evaluated.
Employment Service	Unknown	Currently rates its performance only in terms of services provided to job seekers, but is developing measures based on whether job seekers find work.
Veterans' Employment and Training Service	Ineffective	Unnecessary overhead. Duplicative bureaucracy monitors another employment program, rather than helping veterans find and retain jobs.
H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants	Ineffective	Does not raise skills of U.S. workers in specialty and high-tech jobs so that employers' demand for temporary alien workers with H-1B visas will decline.
Alien Labor Certification	Ineffective	Processing employer applications for permanent certification is labor intensive and takes up to six years. Federal and state reviews are redundant.
Prevailing Wage Determination Systems (Davis-Bacon and Service Contract Acts)	Ineffective	Paper-intensive, user-unfriendly processes require modernization.

State Department and International Assistance Programs
Program	Assessment	Explanation
International Law Enforcement Programs	Unknown	Data does not exist to measure program impact. Program evaluation methodology to be developed.
Humanitarian Demining Program (HDP)	Effective	To help evaluate how well the program is working, the HDP identified outcome-based indicators, such as mines removed, area of land declared mine-free and the percentage reduction in reported civilian landmine casualties. This program also uses performance-based contracting.
Passport Modernization	Effective	State's Bureau of Consular Affairs completely revamped passport technology and systems in a short period of time. Regarding customer service for passport services, the Bureau has scored well in American Customer Satisfaction Index surveys in both 1999 and 2000.
Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs	Moderately Effective	Surveys of changes in attitude and professional decisions made by alumni demonstrate the program's impact. For example, nine independent external surveys of alumni indicate that the Exchange Bureau programs succeed in conveying knowledge (88 percent), building relationships with the United States (76-82 percent), altering the behavior of participants (73 percent), and benefiting the larger community or organization (76 percent). The Bureau's competition of grants, recruiting, tracking, and networking of participants and solicitation of feedback on program effectiveness are worthy of emulation. Despite its overall success, the Bureau needs more detailed performance benchmarks for measurement and stronger monitoring of expenditures by grant recipients.
Economic Assistance to Russia	Some Moderately Effective, Some Ineffective	Since 1992, the United States has spent over $2.9 billion on non-security assistance to Russia. The results have been mixed. Progress in building the foundations of an efficient market economy has been slower than anticipated. For much of the 1990's government-to-government technical assistance programs had disappointing results. But when assistance was properly structured, as in the cases of tax and judicial reform as well as local government budgeting, it had important impacts. Also during the 1990's, enterprise funds and some training programs did not perform according to expectations. High school and college student exchange programs have had a positive impact, while shorter-term visitor programs have had less effect. The amount of assistance we have provided could only make a small contribution in dealing with Russia's profound economic problems. Without measurable performance indicators for many programs, judging their effectiveness has been difficult. For example, the impact of small and micro enterprise promotion programs has not yet been demonstrated. A recent interagency review recommended that U.S. assistance focus on areas such as promoting civil society and improving the capacity of small business, while eliminating funding for less effective programs. A comprehensive set of benchmarks for use in management and funding decisions is being developed for the Russia program.

Transportation Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Efficiency of Air Traffic Control	Ineffective	FAA management needs improvement as evidenced by serious delays in air traffic during periods of high demand.
Highway Grants Project Management	Moderately Effective	In the past, federal highway project oversight had been problematic (e.g., Boston's "Big Dig" which overran its cost estimates by 465 percent, or $12 billion, compared to the original 1985 proposal). However, FHWA has taken several steps to improve management oversight for large highway projects.
Public Transit Grants Management	Effective	GAO has reported that FTA's project management oversight program improves quality controls, resulting in benefits for grantees and the government. FTA has implemented a streamlined, web-based grants program that permits 800 grantees to submit electronic requests and FTA to electronically disburse payments.
Coast Guard Deepwater Project	Unknown	This multiyear project begins to replace aging ships, aircraft, and related systems. The Coast Guard is using an innovative approach to replace its capital assets, aiming to enhance performance while limiting total cost.
Hazardous Material and Pipeline Safety	Moderately Effective	The Research and Special Programs Administration continues to increase oversight, inspection, and research to reduce the likelihood of pipeline and hazardous material accidents.

Treasury Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Financial Management Service (FMS) Collection and Payment Processing	Effective	In 2001, FMS collected over $2 trillion in federal taxes and other receipts, and disbursed more than $1.2 trillion in federal payments. By volume, roughly 75 percent of collections and 72 percent of payments were processed electronically, with 99.9998 percent of payments made on time. Seventy-seven percent of payments to citizens and 60 percent to businesses were made electronically.
Customs Trade Compliance	Effective	The Customs Service maintains a sound trade management system that maximizes compliance with import and export laws and moves cargo efficiently. In 2001, Customs achieved its goal of ensuring that 91 percent of imports were compliant with trade and tariff requirements.
Customs Drug Interdiction	Unknown	The Customs Service seizes large amounts of drugs at the border. However, the government does not know how much contraband gets through our borders.
IRS Customer Service	Ineffective	Due to outmoded technology and management practices, IRS provides poor service to taxpayers. However, technology investments and improving work processes are gradually improving performance.
IRS Tax Compliance Enforcement	Ineffective	Due to outmoded technology and management practices, IRS is unable to ensure that all citizens pay the taxes they owe under the law. IRS's current modernization program will give it the tools to improve performance in this area.

Veterans Affairs Department
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Disability and Pension Claims Processing	Ineffective	VA systems and processes should be flexible to address an ever-changing, demand-driven environment. VA is automating its existing processes slowly but needs to identify and remedy the underlying causes of sluggish processing. It must modernize its information technology capabilities.
Care for Disabled and Low-Income Veterans	Ineffective	VA's medical care system's ability to provide timely and high-quality care to its core disabled and low-income veterans is being jeopardized by the rapid increase of other veterans receiving VA care.
Cemetery Benefits	Effective	The National Cemetery Administration strives to provide high quality, courteous, and responsive service in all of its contacts with veterans and their families. Of survey respondents, 92 percent rate the services provided by the national cemeteries as excellent. However, improvements can be made in cemetery system planning.
Health Care Quality	Effective	VA is a recognized leader in health care quality and has been at the forefront of innovations such as bar coding of prescription drugs, computerized patient records, and medical error reporting.
Medical Care Infrastructure Assessment (CARES)	Unknown	VA has fallen eight months behind schedule on the first of 22 regional studies, and it is yet unclear whether future studies will benefit from correcting weaknesses identified in the first study.

Corps of Engineers - Civil Works
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Navigation:
Deep-draft	Moderately Effective	Planning is typically done project-by-project rather than considering nationwide needs systematically.
Shallow-draft	Ineffective	Many projects provide recreational benefits rather than commercial benefits.
Inland waterways	Moderately Effective	Ohio and Mississippi River systems highly efficient, but some other segments benefit few commercial users; traffic management system needs improvement; heavily subsidized by the federal government.
Flood and Storm Damage Reduction	Effective	Projects meet performance goals; concerns with inadequate local cost-sharing of shore protection projects.
Environmental Restoration	Unknown	Little data on environmental outcomes of completed restoration projects and other environmental activities.
Recreation Management	Moderately Effective	Generally high customer satisfaction; many facilities are obsolete.
Hydropower	Moderately Effective	Opportunities exist to reduce facility "downtime."
Regulatory	Moderately Effective	Opportunities exist to accelerate permit processing; little data on environmental outcomes of permit actions.
Emergency Response	Effective	Consistently high performance.

Environmental Protection Agency
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Acid Rain Program	Effective	By 2010, sulfur dioxide emissions from utilities will be reduced by approximately 50 percent of the 1980 baseline. EPA estimates direct costs to be around $2 billion annually, which, at around $200/ton, is among the best performing air quality programs at EPA. This cap-and-trade program enjoys almost 100 percent compliance.
Nonpoint Source Grants to States	Unknown	Although nonpoint sources are the biggest remaining water pollution problem, states have not focused sufficiently on eliminating nonpoint source impairment of water quality.
Environmental Education	Ineffective	This program has supported environmental advocacy rather than environmental education. The budget transfers funding to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) math and science programs so that a consolidated program can better serve educators and students.
Common Sense Initiative (CSI)	Ineffective	The CSI was developed in 1994 to devise new approaches to environmental protection. This program struggled to produce results because of a lack of clear objectives and inflexibility. No legal authority for CSI exists, so litigation and risk of failure are high.
Pesticide Reregistrations	Ineffective	EPA worked for almost 30 years to reregister old pesticides on the market based on updated toxicity tests. Congress rewrote the statute twice to speed the process. Fees begun in 1987 to finish the process by 1996 have been extended for seven years. The program has had limited success identifying and reducing exposure to highest risk pesticides.

Federal Emergency Mangement Agency
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Terrorism-related Programs	Effective	Well established working relationships with first responders, including firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians, foster well-targeted assistance.
Disaster Response and Relief Programs	Effective	Effectively responds to meet the needs of victims and communities after disasters; better performance measures are needed.
Flood Insurance Program	Moderately Effective	Processes flood damage claims quickly; however, many at-risk homes and businesses are not insured.
Disaster Mitigation	Ineffective	Formula funding and lack of rigorous cost-benefit criteria for funded projects limit program's effectiveness; better performance measures are needed.
Flood Map Program	Ineffective	Inadequate funding hinders program; maps are needed to assist rebuilding after disasters and to steer future development away from floodplains.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Discovery and Explorer Programs	Effective	Space science missions competitively selected from researcher proposals. Successful cost/risk management and science results.
Mars Exploration Program	Moderately Effective	Robotic exploration of Mars. Completed major restructuring in wake of spacecraft failures. Recovery from failures successful so far.
Space Launch Initiative	Moderately Effective	Preparation for competition to replace the Space Shuttle with lower cost vehicles. Need to better understand key requirements and manage risks.
Earth Observing System Program	Moderately Effective	Satellite remote sensing to understand global climate change. Need improved integration with federal climate change and applications efforts.
Aeronautics Research	Moderately Effective	Technology research to improve the nation's aviation system and for breakthrough aircraft. Need to better transfer technology to users.
Outer Planets Program	Ineffective	Major planetary science missions. Large cost increases and schedule delays. Budget proposes program restructuring.
Space Shuttle Safety Upgrades	Ineffective	Need to address large cost overruns and schedule delays to improve shuttle safety through effective investments.
International Space Station	Ineffective	Supports space-based biological and physical research. Effective technically, but need much better management controls to eliminate huge cost overruns.

National Science Foundation
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Information Technology Research	Effective	Began focusing on long-term, high-risk information technology research in 2000. Priority goals and objectives identified. Five-year funding plan established. Program will be evaluated in 2002.
Nanotechnology	Effective	In 2001, began emphasizing long-term fundamental research aimed at discovering novel phenomena, processes, and tools at the nanoscale (10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair). Priority goals and objectives identified. Five-year funding plan established. Program will be evaluated in 2003.
Core Research	Effective	Individual research divisions have research strategies; however, overall core research strategy is not well communicated by NSF. External evaluations of programs have generally produced positive reviews while occasionally identifying areas for improvement.
Education and Human Resources	Moderately Effective	An overall strategy for NSF's education programs is not well articulated. External evaluations of programs have generally given positive reviews while occasionally identifying areas for improvement.
Major Research Equipment and Facility Construction	Moderately Effective	Appropriations account established in 1995 to fund development of major research facilities. New process being implemented to determine priorities among new facility projects. New facility management guidelines are being developed.

Small Business Administration
Program	Assessment	Explanation
Small Business Investment Company (SBIC)	Effective	The SBIC venture capital program serves small businesses whose needs are usually below $5 million.
Disaster Loan Program (direct loans)	Effective	The disaster program responds quickly to disasters and processes loan applications in a timely manner.
7(a) General Business Loan Program	Moderately Effective	Declining defaults have improved performance but lender oversight needs to be improved.
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)	Unknown	SBA should develop measures to determine if the SBDCs effectively use the $88 million they receive in annual federal funding.
Section 8(a) Program	Ineffective	A recent Inspector General report noted that a small number of the same businesses receive most 8(a) contracts and award dollars year after year. Both business participants and agency procurement officials are concerned about the administrative burden imposed by the program.
One-Stop-Capital Shops	Ineffective	Duplicates other SBA technical assistance programs.

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