Orange Book Bad!

https://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/orangebook/orange00.pdf

The Orange Book is a compendium of significant unimplemented, nonmonetary

recommendations for improving departmental operations. The Office of Inspector General

(OIG) believes that implementation of these recommendations will benefit the Department of

Health and Human Services (HHS) and its customers through increased operational effectiveness

and assurance that governmental resources are controlled by reliable financial management and

accounting systems.

Generally, these recommendations can be implemented by administrative action, while some call

for a change in legislation. Although these recommendations generally have a nonmonetary

impact when implemented, the Department may achieve some programmatic savings. The OIG

recommendations for proposed legislation are not removed until the law has been enacted—not

just proposed. For administrative issues, recommendations are not removed until the action has

been substantially completed.

The Orange Book supplements other OIG reports. The Inspector General Act requires that

OIGs' semiannual reports to the Congress include "…an identification of each significant

recommendation described in previous semiannual reports on which corrective action has not

been completed." In compliance with the Act, significant recommendations are highlighted in

the semiannual reports. Because of the abbreviated nature of these reports and the potentially

significant impact of OIG recommendations, we prepare the Orange Book to elaborate further

on our most significant nonmonetary issues. Through the Orange Book, HHS officials, Office of

Management and Budget officials, and the Congress have in one document significant program