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Today's Top Stories
1. Social Security telephone service satisfaction high but declining
2. Federal small business advocates lack proper authority, says House subcommittee
3. Agencies to phase out old SES standards starting Sept. 30
4. OPM moves forward with internship, hiring reform
5. Backgrounder: Super Congress
Editor's Corner: Social Security Administration must approach its online future carefully Also Noted: Spotlight On... Army to cut 8,000 civilian jobs
FAA workers back to work--until Sept. 16; Tech vendors pledge to employ veterans; and much more...
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 When it comes to administrative measures that the Social Security Administration must adopt to handle the oncoming wave of retirees, there's large agreement that the answer lies online. For example, a panel chartered by the SSA recommended (.pdf) in June 2010 that the agency adopt a goal of moving 90 percent of all business online. Electronic self-service "appears to be the only solution that will enable SSA to process future transaction volumes," the panel report states. There's just one problem: People who contact the agency through the telephone aren't especially interested in switching to their computers. Four years' worth of annual field office caller surveys obtained by FierceGovernment through a Freedom of Information Act request show that typically only a quarter of callers are "very interested" in using the Internet to conduct Social Security business. And only in one year--fiscal 2009--have more people said they are "somewhat interested" than "not at all interested" in using the Internet for Social Security purposes. That the SSA will have to be innovative in handling its obligations, especially in a time of tightening federal budgets, is obvious. That the answer lies online is probable, too; with each year, retirees are more and more likely to be familiar with computers and online transactions. -->READ THE FULL EDITOR'S CORNER |
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Today's Top News
Most callers to Social Security Administration field offices have been satisfied with the telephone service they received, show surveys conducted by the SSA that were obtained by FierceGovernment through a Freedom of Information Act request. The field office surveys results--we obtained surveys for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009--nonetheless contain some causes for concern. (The fiscal 2010 survey is not yet complete, the SSA FOIA office told us.) The overall satisfaction rate, while recently stable from year to year, has declined from a peak of 83 percent last recorded in fiscal 2005 and before that in fiscal 2003, when the annual survey began. Responses from callers who said they use Internet also indicate no clear demand for more online-based services, a direction the SSA is being heavily encouraged to take.  The survey is conducted each year by a contractor, which receives the telephone numbers of callers to randomly selected field offices and conducts a structured interview with participants. In a typical recent year, a slight majority of callers report having tried to call the field office earlier that day but say they encountered a busy signal or automated recording. In fiscal 2009, 58 percent of respondents said they met with such a response; in fiscal 2008, it was 55 percent. -->READ THE FULL ARTICLERelated Articles:Panel: SSA should conduct almost all transactions through online self serviceSocial Security Administration data center teeters while replacement is delayedPanel recommends SSA continue with mainframe modernization |
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 A House subcommittee is raising objections to agency delegations of small business advocacy duties to officials who lack a direct report to the agency head or second in command. The Small Business subcommittee on contracting and workforce sent letters to six major federal agencies on August 5 demanding they rectify a situation in which the directors of their offices of small and disadvantaged business utilization are not in fact in charge of the day-to-day functions of those offices. Each federal agency with procurement authority has been required since 1978 to have an OSDBU. A June Government Accountability Office report (.pdf) found the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, State, Interior and Treasury, as well as the Social Security Administration, lack a dedicated OSDBU director. Each received a letter from the subcommittee, signed by its chairman, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.). In many cases, the letters say, the titular OSDBU director is also the agency's chief acquisition officer, a situation that represents a conflict of interest since the OSDBU is meant to act as a small-business safeguard to the acquisition functions of agencies. The departments of Commerce, Justice, State and Treasury have disputed the GAO's assertion that their OSDBU reporting structure doesn't comply with federal law, assertions that the GAO disagrees with. Although the duties in the federal government are often vested in high-level authorities who then delegate them to lower-tier officials, the Small Business Act of 1978 does not permit that arrangement, the GAO argues. "The legislative history [of the act] reveals that the reason for this requirement is that Congress believed that agency officials responsible for promoting procurements for small and disadvantaged businesses were often too far down the chain of command to be effective," it says in the June report. For more: - download the subcommittee's letters to the departments of Agriculture (.pdf), Commerce (.pdf), Justice (.pdf), State (.pdf), Interior (.pdf) and Treasury (.pdf), and the Social Security Administration (.pdf). - download the GAO report, 11-418 (.pdf) Related Articles:Veteran-preferred contracting programs rife with fraud, say VA OIG, GAOAbout 3,400 small businesses stand to lose HubZone statusFixed price contract usage down, says OFPP |
 An interagency working group has devised a standardized Senior Executive Service performance management system, which the Office of Personnel Management plans to launch by the end of September. At that time, agencies will begin a 2-year process of phased implementation, as their SES certifications near expiration, explained OPM Director John Berry in an Aug. 2 memo. Federal agencies currently use a vast array of SES performance management techniques and this lack of uniformity makes it difficult to promote accountability in managing executive performance, writes Berry. The random approach also creates an administrative burden for agencies to achieve approval and certification of their performance appraisal systems. The common framework and structure, established by the President's Management Council working group, will still permit some agency customization. "A standard system will foster a holistic approach for selecting, developing, appraising, recognizing and retaining a diverse and high-performing cadre of federal executives," wrote Berry. Ten agencies comprise the working group that was tasked with moving along SES performance management reform. SES training is an issue that's been on the mind of some lawmakers, as well. In February Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced the "Federal Supervisor Training Act of 2011" ( S. 790) and in April, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) introduced a bill of the same name ( H.R.1492). Both proposals have been referred to committees, but have not been reviewed. For more: - see the OPM memo Related Articles:
GAO: Agencies lack common policies for emergency teleworkVeteran hiring in government up, says OPMOPM, OMB limit performance awards |
 The Office of Personnel Management released draft regulations (.pdf) August 4 that aim to establish a redesigned internship and entry-level federal hiring system called the Pathways Programs. The regulation would streamline several hiring programs, including the former Federal Career Intern Program, in an attempt to provide clearer paths toward federal employment. The proposed regulation would establish three pathways: an internship program offered to students in a variety of educational institutions from high school to graduate level, a recent graduates program open to students who received a degree in the last two years and veterans who have graduated college and left active duty within 6 years, and the Presidential Management Fellows program. The PMF program, which has been in place for more than 30 years, is the government's "premier leadership development program" for advanced degree candidates, says OPM. "Under the regulations proposed by OPM, the eligibility window for applicants [to the PMF program] would be expanded, making the program more 'student friendly' by aligning it with academic calendars," said OPM. The proposed regulations were mandated by a December 2010 executive order requiring OPM to streamline federal hiring for prospective interns and entry-level workers. President Obama signed the order following a Merit Systems Protection Board ruling that found FCIP was being used to block veterans from pursuing federal jobs. Because FCIP allowed agencies to rapidly shuttle interns to full-time employee status, the board said agencies were not making competitive service jobs public. This past issue is addressed by the proposed regulations, which make clear that veteran-hiring preference still exists even when in competition with interns. "The Pathways Programs provide for more transparency," says the draft regulation. "Members of the public interested in these opportunities with the Federal Government will now be able to learn about them through USAJOBS.gov." "OPM's proposed implementing regulations would provide for more transparency in federal internship opportunities, limit the programs so they are used as a supplement to competitive examining and not a substitute for it, apply veterans' preference, and provide for OPM oversight," says the draft regulation. The draft regulations are open for public comment until Oct. 4. For more: - see the OPM press release - see the Federal Register announcement (.pdf) - comment on the proposed regulation Related Articles:GAO: Agencies lack common policies for emergency teleworkGood recruiting may not fix failed succession planning OPM, OMB limit performance awards |
 What the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is: As part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 ( S. 365 Public Law 112-25 [.pdf]) deal to raise the debt ceiling, Congress created a joint committee, sometimes referred to as the "Super Congress" or "Super Committee." The law calls for a bi-partisan, 12-member committee; the House speaker, House minority leader, Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader will each get to appoint three members. The unusual construct and the committee's ability to collaboratively write legislation is rare in the American legislative process, but some observers have drawn parallels between the committee and the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The Super Congress's task: The Budget Control Act of 2011, which will incrementally increase the debt ceiling limit by as much as $2.4 trillion over the previous $14.3 trillion limit, tasks the committee with recommending legislation by Nov. 23, 2011 that will cut "discretionary funding and direct spending" by $1.5 trillion through 2021. The law does not specifically define whether the entire $1.5 trillion must come from budget cuts or if it could also come from tax revenue increases. -->READ THE FULL BACKGROUNDERRelated Articles:Federal government poised for era of austerityTSP board seeks to soothe debt-ceiling concerns, prevent G Fund withdrawalsDebt ceiling deal won't have major effect on federal IT, says INPUT |
Also NotedThe Army plans to cut 8,000 civilian workers by the end of fiscal 2012, according to a memo from Army Secretary John McHugh that was obtained by CNN. The cuts would come through voluntary early separation or early retirement, attrition and possibly layoffs. In January, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Army would begin scaling back its active-duty force by 27,000 soldiers in 2015. Army is responding to steep budget cuts imposed by the Defense Department's efficiency initiative. Article> FAA workers back to work--until Sept. 16. Article ( The Hill) > Verizon strike likely won't disrupt federal communications. Article ( NextGov) > Tech vendors pledge to employ veterans. Article ( InfoWeek) > Wisconsin voters go to polls on recall ballots. Article ( NYT) > Postal Service posts $3.1 billion quarterly loss. Article ( WaPo) And Finally... Slow-motion of an owl coming to land. Embedded video > Whitepaper: Staying aloft in tough times - Why smart, innovative, businesses are turning to cloud computing From the manufacture and sale of goods to energy conservation and financial services, business processes across the industry spectrum are being digitized, infused with unprecedented speed, capacity and intelligence. Cloud provides highly automated, dynamic alternative for the acquisition and delivery of IT services. Download this whitepaper today. |
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