| Issue No. 1 | Bi-weekly Newsletter from ITA Administration | January 9, 2002 |
Metrocheks
Metrocheks will be distributed to participating employees in Room B841B on January 8-10, 2002. Department of Transportation (DOT) has notified us that those employees whose recertification forms were not received by December 20, 2001 may not receive their increase in the January 2002 distribution. DOT will return to DOC on January 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Room B841B for these employees to pick up the additional benefit. In addition, employees who missed the January 8-10 distribution may pick up Metrocheks on January 17. If you have questions, please call Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.
ITA Speakers' Series for January
Mark your calendar and join us on the following date:
For the first time the Speakers' Series has invited an outside speaker to discuss a topic of interest to ITA. As a spin-off of Patrick Kirwan's TPCC presentation in November, the Speakers' Series has invited Paul Kirwin from Small Business Administration to talk about SBA's Export Express which is a loan guaranty program for very small businesses. There are more than 250 lenders around the country that are eligible to participate in Export Express. SBA has centralized processing of Export Express loans and provides participating lenders with a response within 36 hours. If you have questions, please contact Rosemary Pappas at (202)482-0482.
Customer Feedback
Did you know that ITA is required to routinely collect customer feedback? Executive Order 12862, "Setting Customer Service Standards," requires federal agencies to survey their customers on an ongoing basis. ITA has more than 20 program specific surveys and one generic products and services survey used to collect feedback from its external customers. The use of customer surveys must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. In the ITA Strategic Plan we identified customer satisfaction as one of our most important performance goals. Customer surveys are a vital source of information we will use to quantify our success in meeting performance measures established for the ITA organization in the areas of customer awareness and customer satisfaction. For more information, contact Charles Jefferson at (202)482-6078.
ITA Individual Learning and Development Lab
The International Trade Administration has an Individual Learning and Development Lab that is open to all Department of Commerce employees. This individual learning lab contains numerous computer, career development, and foreign language resources. These resources include several books, tapes, videos and computer tutorial programs (CD-ROMs) on various subjects such as Effective Resume Writing, Internet Research, Retirement, Career Planning, Typing, and Foreign Languages. The ITA Individual Learning Lab is in the Workforce Development Office located in Room 7412. The current hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Feel free to stop by and browse the ITA Learning Lab during our current hours of operation and one of our staff members will be pleased to assist you. If you have any questions, please contact Tymika Young at (202)482-3947 or via email at Tymika_Young@ita.doc.gov.
NFC Personal Page
The National Finance Center (NFC) has developed an Employee Personal Page which allows employees to VIEW their payroll, leave, life insurance, and other personal information via the Internet. Employees can also PRINT copies of their W-2 for the past three years and these copies can be filed with your tax forms. The NFC Personal Page also lists links to other areas of personal interest such as Retirement, Tax help, Employee Express, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Web Site. To access the Employee Personal Page connect to the NFC home page (www.nfc.usda.gov) and follow the link to the Employee Personal Page. Before the data can be viewed, users must submit a request for a personal identification number (PIN) via the Internet after selecting NFC Personal Page. Enter your Social Security Number, check the "sign up" button, and submit. The NFC will send a PIN to the employee's residence address within 10 days. With tax season quickly approaching, all employees need to have their NFC Personal Page PIN so they are prepared to request their W-2 if necessary. Refer questions about the Employee Personal Page to Information Center personnel at (504)255-5230. If you need additional assistance, please contact Annjuana Rogers at (202)482-3301.
FY 2003 Budget
The first draft of the FY 2003 President's Budget (for submission to Congress) will be delivered to the Department on Monday, January 14, 2002. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.
Trivia Question!!
If you are a user of Document Direct and need help, where would you go to obtain a copy of the Document Direct User Manual?
Answer to Last Issue's Question:
ITA Comings and Goings - 11/01/01 - 12/03/01
Question: When does a traveler's per diem or actual expense entitlement start/stop?
Answer: A traveler's per diem or actual expense entitlement starts on the day he/she departs from home, office or other authorized point and ends on the day he/she returns to home, office or other authorized point. If you have questions, call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.