SESers recognized for leadership, results with Presidential Rank Awards

Teresa Gerton led an effort for the Army that could help the service avoid spending more than $800 million over the next five years.


Deborah Taylor improved the financial operations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which led to the return of $850 million to the Medicare Trust Funds.

And Steve Butler led an effort for the Air Force Material Command to improve how they address high-risk aircraft maintenance that could help the service avoid spending $1 billion.


Gerton, Taylor and Butler were among the 2011 Presidential Distinguished Rank Awardees honored Thursday night at the 27th annual Senior Executives Association Banquet in Washington. See full list of winners here.

-Jason Miller, FederalNewsRadio.com
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Watchdog group: Four IG offices now leaderless for years

Hard to believe, but the State Department’s Office of Inspector General has been without a permanent head for more than four years.

That fact, highlighted this week by the Project on Government Oversight, puts the office in an unlucky class of four IG agencies that have had vacancies at the top for at least 1,000 days.

The others are the Interior and Labor departments and the Corporation for National and Community Service. While the Obama administration last fall nominated attorney Deborah Jeffrey for the inspector general’s job at the national service corporation, the Senate has yet to confirm her.

But the White House has named no one for the top positions at the other three offices. Although there are undoubtedly plenty of competent career folks to carry on in the meantime, ‘”a permanent IG has the ability to set a long-term strategic plan, . . . including setting investigative and audit priorities,” POGO said on its web site, adding that the administration has “no good excuse” for failing to nominate someone for a post that has been vacant for years.

-Sean Riley, FederalTimes.com
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Today's GAO Publication

DOD Financial Management:
Challenges In Attaining Audit Readiness and Improving Business Processes and Systems by Asif Khan, director, financial management and assurance, before the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senate Committee Armed Services.
GAO-12-642T, April 18.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-642T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/590204.pdf

OMB: Reducing Improper Payments through the “Do Not Pay List”

Office of Management and Budget
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

M-12-11 - Reducing Improper Payments through the “Do Not Pay List”

This memorandum directs each agency to develop the agency's plan for using the Do Not Pay solution for pre-payment eligibility reviews. As outlined [within], each agency shall submit a draft of its plan to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by no later than June 30, 2012.

GAO's evolving role: From accounting to accountability

A 2004 law realigning its compensation system also made a change to the very public face of the agency: it's name. GAO would henceforth stand for Government Accountability Office.

Today, as the size of the deficit has become an issue of pressing concern and the size of the government itself has come under scrutiny, GAO's current mission has never seemed more relevant.

GAO produces nearly 1,000 reports a year, recommending improvements to government programs that are estimated to have saved billions. Last year, GAO estimates its recommendations saved $45.7 billion.

The majority of GAO's work is initiated in one of two ways — either because it's mandated by a particular law or because a congressional committee has requested it.

There are 13 different mission teams at GAO and a special office made up of subject-matter and technical experts, the Applied Research and Methods division.

-Jack Moore, FederalNewsRadio.com
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Today's GAO Publications

DOD Financial Management:
Reported Status of Department of Defense's Enterprise Resource Planning Systems.
GAO-12-565R, March 30.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-565R

The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: Spring 2012 Update.
GAO-12-521SP, April 5.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-521SP

The Government's Long-Term Fiscal Challenge: Implications for Federal Agencies by Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States before the 9th Annual Department of Homeland Security Office of the Chief Financial Officer Symposium in Washington, DC.
GAO-12-617CG, March 14.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-617CG