Tuesday federal headlines – November 18, 2014

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows each day. Our headlines are updated twice per day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — with the latest news affecting federal employees and contractors.

• The Homeland Security Department earned a clean financial audit for the second year in a row. But independent auditor KMPG identified four material weaknesses in the department’s financial reporting. DHS needs better financial reporting, controls over its IT, property and equipment, and better budget management. (Federal News Radio)
• The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is considers the nomination of Earl Gay to be the next deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Gay has been a senior adviser to OPM Director Katherine Archuleta before retiring from the military in 2013. He’s also been commander of the Navy Recruiting Command. (Senate)
• The Office of Personnel Management is underestimating the costs of official time. The Government Accountability Office said the way OPM calculates official time might be inaccurate. GAO estimated the cost of official time at six agencies is about $61 million — 9 percent higher than OPM’s estimates at $56 million. (GAO)
• Federal government websites meant to help Medicare patients do a poor job with basic information, according to a Government Accountability Office assessment. The sites are operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. GAO auditors found they fail to provide adequate information on out- of-pocket costs , or even quality of care available from Medicare providers. Auditors found critical weaknesses in five sites. They found confusing layouts, gaps in data and no capacity for visitors to customize the information. The report comes as CMS is planning new sites on hospice care, in-patient rehabilitation and long-term care. An assistant Health and Human Services secretary concurred with GAO recommendations for fixing the sites. (Federal News Radio)
• A Government Accountability Office review of last year’s federal shutdown produced a variety of results. Auditors looked at three departments and selected agencies based on their grant and contract spending. They found staff generally knew what to do during the lapse in appropriations. Some had multi-year funding that made the shutdown less problematic. Others had mandatory spending or money coming in from user fees. None reported any long-term effects of the shutdown. The GAO looked at Health and Human Services and its National Institutes of Health, the Transportation Department and its Federal Transit Administration and the Energy Department and its Office of Environmental Management. GAO recommends that the Office of Management and Budget ask agencies to document their lessons learned. (GAO)
• Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is giving the military credit for helping to contain Ebola. Hagel said he sees encouraging signs of progress against the virus in West Africa. But Hagel said it’s not the end just yet. He told a group of soldiers that it’s too early to say when the military’s Ebola mission in Liberia and Senegal will be finished. About 2,200 American troops are stationed in West Africa to help with Ebola response efforts. Next month, that number will go up to 3,000 troops. But that’s still fewer than the original plan of 4,000 troops. (Federal News Radio)
• Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James wants to make all jobs in the service open to women. Right now, seven Air Force jobs are closed to women. The service is working on gender-neutral standards for those seven positions. They include combat rescue officer and enlisted combat controller. James said the Air Force already has more jobs open to women than any of the other military branches. She said she wants all Air Force jobs open to women in the next year-and-a-half. (Federal News Radio)
• Navy Secretary Ray Mabus doesn’t sit still. In five years on the job, he’s taken more than 40 trips outside the United States, travelling nearly a million miles. He’s spent 373 days on the road. Cost to taxpayers: $4.7 million. That includes $116,000 on hotels and meals. The Navy inspector general, alerted by a whistleblower, found no wrongdoing. Mabus said the travel is necessary to negotiate with other nations and get a close-up look at Navy operations. Army Secretary John McHugh, in roughly the same time period, has taken 18 trips and spent about $2 millon. (Federal News Radio)
• Mutual funds might soon be an option for employees enrolled in the Thrift Savings Plan. The plan’s oversight board approved a $1 million study of new investment options. It will look at mutual funds focused on real estate, emerging markets and socially responsible companies. The study will evaluate costs, risks and potential new rules. It’s part of an effort to keep more people enrolled in the TSP. The Board’s Executive Director, Greg Long, said many participants leave the plan because the TSP lacks investment flexibility. But board members, including Long, said they’re not sure whether they’ll approve the mutual fund window. (Federal News Radio)
• HealthCare.gov has his its first snag this open enrollment season. Some consumers trying to open their accounts received an error message saying the site had too many visitors. Others got a message asking them to come back later. But other areas of the site are working normally. The Obama administration said the website is stable and working well. A million consumers visited the site over the weekend and 100,000 submitted applications. About 7 million people are enrolled in the health care program. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell expects that number to grow to 9 million. (Federal News Radio)
• Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta said the agency will help federal managers navigate the Pathways program. She promised a handbook with detailed checklists for how to use the student internship program. Surveys over the last two years have shown that hiring managers are frustrated with the Pathways program because of complicated rules and a large number of candidates. Associate Director Kimberly Holdren said the handbook will give managers ways to develop agency-specific intern plans. (Federal News Radio)

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.