Transit Benefit

To meet the fiscal year end closing deadlines, the U.S. Department of Transportation Transit Benefit Office will be closed for receipt of transit benefits from Friday, September 22 through Friday, September 29, 2006.  Transit benefits will not be disbursed during that time.  The last day to receive benefits in September will be Thursday, September 21, 2006.  SMART benefit participants will need to download September transit benefits no later than 12:00 am on Sunday, September 17, 2006.  Electronic download of benefits for the remainder of the month will be suspended.  Any SMART cardholder who does not download prior to this deadline may pickup Metrochecks at the Department of Transportation Transit Benefit Office on Monday, September 18, 2006 until closing on Thursday, September 21, 2006 from 8:30 am-4:00 pm. If you have questions, please call Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267

ITA Safety Council Currently Conducting Safety Inspections

The ITA Safety Council is currently conducting its annual safety and health inspections and will be visiting your office sometime over the next several weeks.  You can take several steps to ensure that your office is prepared for its inspection.  Clean off all papers from your window sills- they collect dust, and when the radiators below the windows are turned on, they can pose a fire hazard.  Make sure there are no loose wires around your desk area- slips, trips, and falls are the leading cause of injury in the HCHB.  Don’t “daisy-chain” surge protectors by plugging them into each other- instead, get a larger surge protector or use multiple outlets.  Make sure all office equipment is stored in a safe, stable manner and that there is no danger of falling.  Post the HCHB Occupant Emergency Plan’s emergency evacuation route map next to your office doors (see http://home.osec.doc.gov/ for a copy).  With your help, we can make ITA a safer place.  If you have questions, please contact the ITA Safety Officer, Jeff Scherr, at (202)482-3266.

Freedom of Information Act

If you are tasked with responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and believe that the request is overly broad, or if there are aspects of the request that you don't quite understand, please contact Linda Bell, ITA's FOIA officer, immediately.  Linda can contact the requester and ask that he/she narrow the scope of the request, and ask that they provide any clarifications you may need.  If you read the request and know right away that it will take more than the allotted 20 work days to respond, again, contact Linda.  She will contact the requester and ask for an extension.  Most often, requesters agree to grant the extension(s) and are happy to know that their request is being processed.  If you have any questions on FOIA, Linda can be reached at (202)482-3032 or at Linda.Bell@mail.doc.gov

FY 2006 Year-End Financial Closing Procedures

ITA Accounting Memorandum 2006-16, Fiscal Year-End Closing Procedures, dated August 15, 2006, provides the procedures that apply to domestic activities serviced by the National Business Center. Everyone's cooperation will ensure that financial records accurately reflect the accounting activity within our external fiduciary reporting. Procedures for overseas activities serviced by the Department of State will be forthcoming. http://www.ita.doc.gov/ofm_guidance/handouts/FY06YearEndClosing.pdf.  If you have questions contact Doug Allis at (202)482-9151.

Veterans’ Preference Eligibility Criteria

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2006, Public Law (PL) 109-163 dated January 6, 2006, modified the definition of "veteran" under 5 USC 2108(l) by adding:
(D) served on active duty as defined by section 101(21) of title 38 at any time in the armed forces for a period of more than 180 consecutive days any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on the date prescribed by Presidential proclamation or by law as the last date of Operation Iraqi Freedom; The amended definition further clarifies eligibility for individuals who have been "discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions" replacing the previous language which simply stated “separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions" as the second criterion used to define "veteran" under 2108(1).  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is currently in the process of updating their website and reference materials to incorporate the changes in veterans' preference eligibility.  This change in veterans' preference eligibility was effective January 6, 2006.  For further information, please contact Michelle Jules at (202)482-2535.

Employee Relations

Work Now, Grieve Later-- Over the years the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has identified five exceptions to the “work now, grieve later” principle.  MSPB has created these exceptions by overturning charges of insubordination and failing to follow orders that resulted in the discipline being appealed to the MSPB.  There are ONLY five exceptions that allow an employee to refuse an order and avoid misconduct charges.  These are Unsafe, Illegal, Immoral, Constitutional Right, and Psychiatric Examination.  Short of these five very narrow categories, employees are required to follow supervisory orders or be disciplined.  Supervisors have significant authority to require employees to obey their orders under the threat of discipline and, except for these five deviations, that authority is unconstrained to further the government interest and to meet the mission of the agency.  One must work now, and grieve later.  If you have any questions, please call Maxine Woodland, Employee Labor Relations Group at (202)482-2762.

Where Do I Find…..General Law

There a number of different legal authorities associated with working with public and private partners.  A description of the available authorities can be found on the General Counsel web site.  http://www.ogc.doc.gov/gen_law.html