Congressional Correspondence

As a reminder, the closing paragraph on responses to Members of Congress from the Secretary should read:  If you have any further questions, please contact me or Nat Wienecke, Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, at (202)482-3663.  Please contact the ITA Secretariat at (202)482-5101 if you have questions.

Citibank Travel Card

ITA Citibank travel cardholders are reminded that payment of their Citibank travel card bill is due upon receipt.  The travel card is to be used only for expenses associated with official government travel. The card is not intended for personal use. If you have questions on the travel card, please call Sharon Russell, ITA Travel Card Coordinator, at (202)482-3267.

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) submitted ITA's FY 2007 OMB Budget Request for $433 million and 2,242 FTE to the Office of the Secretary prior to delivery to OMB. It includes no increase requests for new activities. The Department Budget Office will incorporate ITA's submission into the Department-wide submission to OMB in September. OMB will then provide comments and additional guidance, usually around Thanksgiving, that will then be used to formulate the FY 2007 President's Budget submission to Congress. OFM appreciates the assistance and cooperation of the program offices, which ensured an on-time submission. If you need additional information, please contact Amy Duncan at (202)482-5739.

Verification and Validations

Planning and Performance Management group plans to conduct three performance verification and validation reviews in ITA. The purpose of the reviews is to measure progress toward achieving strategic goals as referenced in the FY 2006 Budget (See: http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/budget/06BIB/ita.pdf). The verifications also serve to address specific weaknesses in performance data, identified by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) this past year. The locations and dates are as follows:

• Advocacy Center: Wednesday September 7th
• FCS/Chicago: Thursday September 8th
• FCS/Rosslyn: Monday September 12th

As a reminder, these reviews seek to verify information reported on performance measure.  The findings and results of these reviews are also documented in the Department's Annual Performance and Accountability Report (PAR). For further information, contact Dondi Ojeda at (202)482-5204.

Federal Employees Health Benefits Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC)

Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) is a feature of the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program that allows certain people to temporarily continue their FEHB coverage after regular coverage ends. TCC enrollees must pay the full premium for the plan they select (that is, both the employee and government share of the premium) plus a 2 percent administrative charge. Federal employees and members of their families who lose their FEHB coverage because of a qualifying event may be eligible for TCC.  However, employees are not entitled to TCC if the separation is involuntary due to gross misconduct. Separating employees can continue TCC for up to 18 months after the date of separation.  For information on FEHB, TCC, please go to the OPM website at http://www.opm.gov/insure or contact Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327 or at Vanessa_Lewis@ita.doc.gov or Dottie Bowling at (202)482-3504 or at Dottie_Bowling@ita.doc.gov.

Federal Employees Health Benefits After Retirement

To be eligible for Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) after you retire, you must retire under a retirement system for Federal civilian employees, and on an immediate annuity.  In addition, you must be currently enrolled in a plan under the FEHB Program and must have been enrolled (or covered as a family member) in a plan under the program for:  The five years of service immediately before retirement (i.e., the commencing date of annuity entitlement) or, if fewer than five years, all service since your first opportunity to enroll. Generally, your first opportunity to enroll is within sixty days after your first appointment in your Federal career to a position under which you are eligible to enroll under conditions that permit a Government contribution toward the enrollment.  For more information on FEHB, please go to the OPM website at http://www.opm.gov/insure or Vanessa Lewis on (202)482-8327 or at Vanessa_Lewis@ita.doc.gov or Dottie Bowling on (202)482-3504 or at Dottie_Bowling@ita.doc.gov.  

Travelers' Corner

Question: Must the title of the requesting/approving official and the authorizing officer be typed in their respective block on the travel order?

Answer: Yes, because in instances where the signature is not legible on the travel order, the title can serve as an identifying item. If you have questions, please call Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find....ITA's new AT&T Calling Card Policies and instructions?

The Office of Organization and Management Support provides a guide to its calling card policies, as well as instructions on how to use the AT&T calling card, on its "Through the Maze" website, available at http://www.ita.doc.gov/ooms/ooms20.htm.  ITA is currently distributing the new AT&T Calling Cards; you should receive your new AT&T Calling Card within the next several weeks if you have not received it already.  If you have questions, please contact Jeff Scherr at (202)482-6123.