ITA Raises $220,000 for 2002 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)

Wednesday, January 15, 2003 marked the Department of Commerce's official end to accepting pledges for this year's successful CFC "Caring is Sharing" campaign. Since October 2002, DOC has raised over $3 million, surpassing its CFC goal of $2.75 million. What a difference ITA's employees have made by supporting local charities that you care about! KUDOS to ITA's Agency Coordinator, Team Captains, and Keyworkers for your voluntary commitment of time and energy. THANKS to all ITA donors for your gifts and generosity - you helped ITA exceed its fundraising goal of $192,938. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Local Messenger Service

ITA is under contract with Dynamex Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia, for same day pick up and/or delivery of packages outside of the Department, but within the Washington metropolitan area. Dynamex can be reached at (703)836-3274. Please provide the company with ITA's account number DOC INT 5007, your office's Visa purchase card number, expiration date, and the cardholder's name. Immediately following the telephone request, the package should be hand-delivered to room 1874, the designated HCHB courier pick up and delivery location. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Judith Wilson at (202)482-3265.

ITA Speakers' Series for January

The Speakers' Series invites in-house speakers to discuss current issues and their impact on the rest of ITA. The Series is designed to meet monthly and informally for an hour. Mark your calendar and join us on the following date:

Date and Time: Thursday, January 30, 2003, at 10:00

Location: Room 1414

Speaker: Daniel Bloom, Director, Advocacy Center

Topic: The Advocacy Center

The mission of the Advocacy Center is to assist U.S. business interests competing for specific commercial opportunities--usually contracts--in the international marketplace. The Center's objective is to "level the playing field" so that the bids/offers/proposals tendered by U.S. business interests in pursuit of a specific commercial opportunity are given full and fair consideration in the evaluation process and ultimately in the award of contracts. While the Advocacy Center is part of TD, it works closely with industry/sector colleagues as well as country desk officers in MAC and FCS colleagues at overseas posts, domestic district offices, and Headquarters. For further information, call Rosemary Pappas at (202)482-0482.

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has made important changes to the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) premiums and age bands. Changes to FEGLI Option B and C age bands and to withholdings and contributions rates will be effective on the first day of the first pay period in calendar year 2003 (January 12, 2003). You can find the information on OPM's web site at: http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/.

Employee Self-Service

In February 2003, the National Finance Center (NFC) will begin offering Employee Self-Service (ESS) to federal employees paid by the NFC. The ESS is an enhanced version of the NFC's Employee Personal Page (EPP), and it will give employees new capabilities for viewing and updating certain payroll documents. If you currently have access to EPP, you can use ESS. By visiting the NFC Homepage at www.nfc.usda.gov you can view samples of the new ESS. If you have any questions, please contact Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327.

The Long Term Care Partners will handle any applications for long term care insurance received on or before January 31, 2003, as Open Season applications. Effective immediately, the call center hours for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program have changed. The new hours to contact a certified long term care insurance consultant at 1(800)582-3337, (TTY: 1(800)843-3557) are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST). Offices will be closed Sunday and all Federal holidays. An automated voice response system is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. For additional information, contact Vanessa Lewis at (202)482-8327 or Dottie Bowling at (202)482-3504.

ITA Telework Program Training

ITA officially launched its telework program on January 16, 2003. The ITA Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) is currently providing training sessions for supervisors who anticipate supervising employees who telework. Following the supervisory sessions, orientation sessions will be held for employees who are interested in telework. Attendance at an orientation session is required before participation in the program will be approved. All sessions are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and will be held in Room 6800 of the Hoover Building. Please call the ITA Workforce Development staff at (202)482-3947 to register. For more information about telework, please visit the ITA OHRM website at www.ita.doc.gov/hrm. If you have questions, contact Darlene Haywood at (202)482-3505.

Section 508 Accessibility

This is a reminder that Section 508 accessibility requirements are to be considered when using purchase cards to acquire Electronic Information Technology (EIT) products. Federal agencies are required to purchase EIT supplies and services that meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards unless a Section 508 exception applies. Currently, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) provides an exemption that can be used for micro purchases (those under $2500). The micro-purchase exemption has been extended to October 1, 2004. Micro-purchases including those made with a purchase card must follow the procedures provided below: Effective immediately, all credit card purchases of EIT Products must have the NOAA Section 508 Standards Checklist and Assessment Certification Form completed. The form/checklist is located on the "508 Compliance" selection on the AMD website http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/~amd/starthere.html. Using this form, the cardholder is to identify 1) what applicable Section 508 standard applies or 2) when a 508 exception is used. This checklist will be revised to reflect any change to the FAR rule on the micro-purchase exemption. The cardholder shall maintain the checklist in his purchase card file for future reference. For additional information, please contact Tracey M. Craddock at (301)713-0836 x189.

FY 2003 Budget

ITA continues to operate under the terms of a Continuing Resolution. The current resolution runs through January 31, 2003. If you have questions contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

FY 2004 Budget

ITA (through the Department) has submitted the ITA portion of the President's Budget to OMB for final review prior to going to print. The President's Budget will be released to Congress on February 3, 2003. If you have questions contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Traveler's Corner

Question: What is the new privately-owned vehicle mileage rate?

Answer: Effective January 1, 2003, the new privately-owned vehicle mileage rate is 36 cents per mile. This is a decrease of 1/2 cent per mile. If you have questions, please call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find....Accounting Classification Codes

Where can I find instruction on how to use the Accounting Classification Codes Lookup Menu? You can find the instructions by going to the ITA website: http://ourplace.ita.doc.gov/. Once you have accessed the Lookup Menu, go to the Home page and click on Manual.