September 30, 2025

GAO

Veterans who face challenges accessing timely care at Veterans Health Administration facilities have been increasingly referred to community providers. In 2022, in order to provide seamless access to care, VHA created an office to better coordinate between VHA facilities and community providers. Later, VA reorganized the office to further address the challenges. But it didn’t clearly communicate changes in priorities and roles to the VHA...

Intellectual Property: Patent Office Should Strengthen Its Efforts to Address Persistent Examination and Quality

Intellectual Property:
Patent Office Should Strengthen Its Efforts to Address Persistent Examination and Quality Challenges [Reissued with revisions on Sep. 30, 2025]
GAO-25-107218Published: Apr 30, 2025 . Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2025 .
The American spirit of innovation drives inventors to develop new technologies. Patents help them protect their inventions. But patent examiners say they aren't given enough training, resources, or time to thoroughly review patent applications—especially for complicated new technology. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has tried new ways to support patent examiners, but there's more to do. For example, the agency doesn't track if its...

Sexual harassment can drive talented people out of STEM jobs—hurting the U.S. workforce and innovation. Federal agencies fund STEM research at institutions such as universities but don’t have consistent policies to handle harassment complaints about researchers they fund. To address this, Congress told the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop stronger policies and told the National Science Foundation to expand research. Both the...

The National Nuclear Security Administration relies on contractor employees to carry out its missions. NNSA is now allowed to reimburse certain contractors for some transportation services for their employees—which may address employees' commuting issues like traffic safety and congestion at work sites. This Q&A looks at how NNSA is putting this into action. Specifically, NNSA is reviewing a contractor's plans to offer park-and-ride shuttles and...

Extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States. A 2024 study found that the total number of heat-related deaths recorded in the U.S. had more than doubled between 1999 and 2023. As of August 2025, FEMA was evaluating whether to end or revise a grant program that states used for projects related to extreme heat. FEMA hasn't assessed how this...

National Nuclear Security Administration:
Agency Should Improve Cost Growth Notification Process
GAO-25-107767Published: Sep 30, 2025 . Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2025 .

Adolescents' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco has declined nationally over the last decade, but remains an issue. We surveyed all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; and 8 territories about substance use prevention in public schools. 56 completed the survey. 45 reported requiring schools to teach about at least 2 of the 3 substances 6 don't have requirements to teach about specific substances 5 have no...

Published: Sep 29, 2025 . Publicly Released: Sep 29, 2025 .

To support U.S. innovation, the federal government has invested in academic research, including at Black, tribal, and minority-serving colleges and universities. As federal research funding to all colleges and universities grew from fiscal years 2018 through 2022, the funding to these specific institutions also grew. We identified 75 federal programs that targeted funding to help these institutions do research and build their research capacity. As...

Communities that get help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after disasters generally have to share project costs. They can use disaster recovery and mitigation grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help pay their portion. Grantees plan to do this with 7% of the $49.4 billion in HUD grants for disasters that happened January 2017–January 2023. But HUD grants and FEMA...

You wouldn't embark on a major car repair without a manual and knowledge of how the car is put together. Similarly, DOD can't maintain its weapon systems without intellectual property (IP)—technical data, user manuals, and more—from the contractors who develop them. DOD also needs the data rights to use or distribute this IP. However, DOD weapon program staff don't always properly plan to get and...

The Bureau of Prisons receives thousands of employee misconduct allegations each year, including unexcused absences and physical abuse. As of February 2025, the bureau had 12,153 employee misconduct cases awaiting investigation or discipline. The bureau has taken steps to reduce the number of pending cases, but its caseload management approach isn't comprehensive. For example, the bureau hasn't Analyzed employee misconduct data to identify trends across...

VA Health Care: Information on Medical Foster Homes for Veterans The nation's veterans are aging and need access to long-term care—including care in a home-like environment. This Q&A covers the Department of Veterans Affairs' Medical Foster Home Program, which aims to help. Eligible veterans can live in a caregiver's home to get 24/7 care—including help with tasks like bathing and dressing, and primary health care...

IASB

IR-2025-98, Oct. 1, 2025 — The IRS and its community partners are seeking volunteers to support the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs.

IR-2025-97, Sept. 30, 2025 — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that due to the ongoing conflict in Israel, the agency is providing additional tax relief to affected individuals and businesses, postponing until Sept. 30, 2026, a wide range of deadlines for filing federal returns, making tax payments and performing other time-sensitive tax-related actions.

IR-2025-96, Sept. 30, 2025 — The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance on Qualified Opportunity Zone investments in rural areas as provided for under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.

NYC

PCAOB Publishes Staff Guidance Providing Examples of the Application of Paragraph .10A of AS 1105, Audit Evidence
Oct. 1, 2025

PCAOB Publishes New Edition of Data Points on Auditors of SPACs at IPO
Oct. 1, 2025

SEC

Washington D.C., Sept. 30, 2025 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today enhanced its efforts to assist broker-dealers and other market participants on the path to central clearing of U.S. Treasury securities, developing a one-stop webpage that puts the latest status updates, staff statements, and other related materials at their fingertips. 

Washington D.C., Sept. 30, 2025 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today issued an order granting conditional exemptive relief related to certain requirements of the National Market System Plan governing the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT NMS Plan), Rule 613 of Regulation NMS, and Rule 17a-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

TIGTA

Final Results of the 2025 Filing Season
September 30, 2025