Search Tags:  improper payments

Will sequestration, retirement wave derail OPM's backlog goal

The Office of Personnel Management has made steady progress chipping away at a longstanding backlog of retirement claims. But Oversight Committee lawmakers and other government watchdogs remain concerned that the absence of a long-term plan to overhaul the mostly paper-based process combined with across-the-board budget cuts and a lack of strong leadership within OPM could stall or derail the progress the agency has made.

Tags: OPM , OPM backlog , retirement , Ken Zawodny , sequestration , Joseph Beaudoin , NARFE , Valerie Melvin , GAO , Patrick McFarland , Jack Moore

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Do Not Pay list lacks data as implementation nears

Senate lawmakers are promising to change the laws to let agencies have easier access to the Death Master File and other key databases. Starting June 1, agencies must check the Do Not Pay list before issuing any money.

Tags: management , financial management , Danny Werfel , OMB , Richard Gregg , Treasury , Tom Coburn , Tom Carper , Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs , SSA , death master file , information sharing , Marianna LaCanfora , Jason Miller

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HHS tries to put dent in $65 billion in improper payments

Kay Daly, the assistant inspector general for audit services at Health and Human Services, tells Federal News Radio why HHS has made so many improper payments and what the agency is doing to fix the problem.

Tags: HHS , Kay Daly , inspector general , financial management , Rise of the Money People , Federal Drive

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House OKs DHS audit, lightens GAO load

The House this week approved a handful of bills aimed at improving federal financial management and oversight of government operations. Two of the bills — one requiring the Homeland Security Department to pass a complete financial audit and the other lightening the mandatory caseload of the Government Accountability Office — have already been passed by the Senate and head to the president's desk for his signature.

Tags: DHS , GAO , DHS audit , House , Senate , Congress ,

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Werfel: Gov't avoids $47B in overpayments

OMB Controller Danny Werfel announced Wednesday the federal government avoided paying out $47 billion in overpayments over the last three years. This missed President Barack Obama's goal of reducing improper payments by $50 billion by the end of FY2012.

Tags: OMB , Danny Werfel , President Barack Obama , Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act , waste, fraud and abuse , financial management

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Timing, technology converge to better attack improper payments

Over the last three years, agencies understood the problem better, improved how they tracked the information and used advanced data analysis tools to lower the governmentwide rate to 4.69 percent from 5.42 percent in 2009. While the amount of money improperly paid out hit a high of $125 billion in 2010, Danny Werfel, the Office of Management and Budget's controller, expects it to drop for a second consecutive year, below the $115 billion mark in 2011.

Tags: management , Danny Werfel , Kathy Tighe , Earl Devaney , Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board , Government Accountability and Transparency Board , OMB , Education , fraud, waste and abuse , Obama Impact , Jason Miller

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Improper payments by agency, FY 2011

A chart of the six agencies with the most improper payments in 2011.

Tags: Obama Impact , management , Federal Drive , special report

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Achieving effective outcomes through management initiatives proves difficult

Federal News Radio evaluated a total of five initiatives meant to rally federal managers' enthusiasm, expertise and duty as part of the special report, The Obama Impact: Evaluating the Last Four Years. We determined more progress was needed on the administration's performance management and regulation reduction efforts. We called the President's plan to reorganize the Commerce Department a bust but find effective efforts surrounding energy sustainability and cutting waste, fraud, abuse and improper payments.

Tags: management , Lisa Wolfe , The Obama Impact , performance management agenda , sustainability , green government , regulations

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OMB's Zients hints at making strategic sourcing mandatory

The President's Management Advisory Board wants agencies to focus on reducing improper payments and making strategic sourcing mandatory.

Tags: PMAB , budget , strategic sourcing , contracting , aquisition , Greg Brown , Gail McGovern , Jeff Zients , Rick Vogel , Ruben Gomez , Federal Drive

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Inspector General: SSA sitting on $134 million in uncashed checks

The inspector general for the Social Security Administration estimated the agency is sitting on about $134 million for benefit checks that sit uncashed by recipients for more than a year - money subsequently returned to the agency. But the IG report found most of the recipients who didn't cash their checks are still eligible for the assistance and the SSA could take additional steps to ensure they receive them.

Tags: SSA , Dean Landis , SSA IG , Jack Moore , management , oversight

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