In this Issue

New Location for Department of Transportation Metrochek Pickup
Federal Register
Security Checks
FY09 Budget Update
Training pbviews
Designation of Beneficiary

Features

Travelers Corner
Where Do I Find
ITA Comings & Goings

New Location for Department of Transportation Metrochek Pickup

Effective May 16, 2007 the Department of Transportation Transit Benefit Office will have a new address. DOT will be relocating to1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. (ground floor, west wing, 3rd Street entrance). The building is accessible by taking the Green Line to the Navy Yard Station and exiting towards New Jersey Avenue, S.E. The hours of operations will remain 8:30 am until 4:00 pm (with coverage during the lunch hour). To prepare for this move, the office will be closed on Thursday, May 10, 2007 and reopen at it's new location on Wednesday, May 16, 2007. The move does not affect SmartBenefit participants. You will still be able to download your benefits on your card during this time. If you have questions, please call Sharon Russell, ITA Transit Benefit Coordinator, at (202)482-3267.

Federal Register

Notices are published in the Federal Register (FR) to provide general information of public interest. They may announce meetings, provide information on grant applications or other information requiring public notice. If you have any questions on how to prepare a FR notice please contact the FR liaison for your program unit or Jacqueline Harris, FR liaison for ITA at (202)482-4011 or via email Jacqueline.Harris@mail.doc.gov. To learn more about this process or for a listing of ITA’s FR liaisons click on the following link: http://www.ita.doc.gov/ooms/ooms29.htm.

End of Day Security Checks

Every office, that handles or stores classified information, must ensure that all classified materials are secured at the end of the day. The following should be undertaken each day:

Return all classified information to the appropriate security container
Properly store all disks and working materials containing classified information
Properly store or destroy all classified waste
Ensure wastebaskets &recycling containers do not contain classified information
Double check that security container(s) are LOCKED
Insure that all doors & windows are LOCKED
Check that alarms (if in place) are properly ACTIVATED
Complete the SF-701 “Activity Security Checklist”

The SF-701 is available from: http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/formslibrary.do?formType=SF . If you have any questions regarding End of Day Security Checks or any other security matters, please contact Kurt Arneson, ITA Security Program Manager, at (202)482-3633 or via email Kurt.Arneson@mail.doc.gov.

FY 2009 Budget Update

ITA's FY 2009 Budget request will be submitted to the Secretary on May 16. The entire ITA leadership, the Under Secretary (US), the Deputy Under Secretary, the Assistant Secretaries (A/S's) the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Information Officer have met and agreed on a set of new budget proposals for submission to the Secretary. During the week of May 21, ITA's Chief Financial Officer has been invited to meet with the Department’s Budget Officer to discuss ITA’s submission. The Secretary’s decision regarding our budget (a passback) will be provided on July 23. ITA will then prepare, in late August, the Secretarially approved FY 2009 budget for review by the Office of Management and Budget. If you would like more information please call Mr. Michael House at (202)482-5739.

Training pbviews

The Office of Financial Management will provide pbviews training for both executives and staffers during May and June. All training is one-on-one training, and each session will last for approximately 20 minutes. (Executive training sessions will be held in each executive's office. All staff training will be held in room 4120). The following dates and times are currently open to those seeking pbviews training:

May 30	2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 5 -7	2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 15	2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
June 20	2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Please contact pbviews System Administrator, Dondi Ojeda, at dondi.ojeda@mail.doc.gov , or (202)482-5204 for further information.

Designation of Beneficiary

Designation of Beneficiary forms give you control over to whom you want an asset paid. In the Federal sector, each employee has the option of completing four separate designation of beneficiary forms: 1. SF-2823 for Federal employee’s Group Life Insurance (FEGLI); 2. TSP-3, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account designation; 3. SF-1152 for payment of any unpaid compensation (including lump sum annual leave payment); 4. SF-2808 (CSRS) or SF-3102 (FERS) for refund of the amount paid into the retirement fund, assuming that no one is eligible for a monthly survivor’s benefit.

There is a standing order of precedence if no designation of beneficiary form has been completed:

To the surviving spouse
To the child/children equally,
To the parent or parents equally,
To the executor or administrator of the estate (to become part of the estate)
To the next of kin, based upon the laws of the state of legal residence at the time of death

Many people assume that if they have a current will, they have taken care of the issue. A will never supersedes designations of beneficiary and would not come into play until fourth in the standing order of precedence. Once you have completed a Designation of Beneficiary form, it is valid and will be complied with until it is canceled or superseded. Employees have the responsibility of ensuring that their designations are current, complete and accurate. Please keep this in mind with every life event change. If you have any questions about this, please contact Rhoda Chilcoat at (202)482-1290 or via email at Rhoda.Chilcoat@mail.doc.gov.

Traveler’s Corner

Question: What travel expenses is a traveler responsible for while on official travel?

Answer: Travelers are responsible for those expenses over the reimbursement limit established by GSA Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and authorized in the travel order. Travelers will not be reimbursed for excess costs resulting from circuitous routes, luxury accommodations or services unnecessary or unjustified in the performance of official travel. If you have questions, please call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202)482-3267.

Where Do I Find... Instructions on how to enter a procurement in C. Request (OOMS 48) and on how to approve a procurement action in C. Request (OOMS 49)?

The instructions can be found at http://www.trade.gov/ooms/oomshp.htm , “Through the Maze”. If you have questions contact Robin Carpenter at (202)482-4989 or via email at Robin.Carpenter@mail.doc.gov.

ITA Comings and Goings 3/3/07 - 4/30/07

Arrivals – Welcome!

OUS – James A. Thomas, Brittany Eck; OCIO – Aaron Nguyen; MAC – Nancy Luther, Rebecca Karnak; ADMIN – Eileen Schultz; USFCS - Sally Spray, Paul S. Cushman Jr.;

Departures

IA – Will Dickerson, Jonathan Herzog, Helen M. Kramer; MAC – Philip W. Michelini; USFCS – Kimberly A. Cash, David Fiscus, Paul Litton, Charles Reese, Janice Semper, Tanya Shuster, Heather Tomasetti. Any questions about this information should be directed to Brad Lockett at (202)482-6342 or via email at Bradford.Lockett@mail.doc.gov .