Innovation seems to be this decade’s buzzword. It’s what “synergy” was to the 1990s, but what does it really mean?
Put simply, innovation is the process of improving, adapting or creating a product, system or service. According to federal employees, some agencies do it better than others. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features Homeland Security medal finalists from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Nael Samha, program manager in the Office of Technology, and Thomas Roland, Jr., program manager in the Office of Field Operations.
After an airline passenger flying from Amsterdam to Detroit on Dec. 25, 2009, attempted to set off plastic explosives sewn in his underwear, the Department of Homeland Security ordered a full-scale review of the way federal agents screen and target individuals entering and leaving the United States. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Justice and Law Enforcement medal Shauna Henline, senior technical coordinator for the Frivolous Return Program at the Internal Revenue Service in Ogden, Utah.
Year after year, thousands of people try to avoid paying federal taxes by making outlandish claims, including that wages are not income, or that taxes are voluntary, are only paid by federal employees, can be avoided because of religious beliefs or can be exempted as reparations for slavery. Keep reading →
The federal government, adhering to its Digital Strategy guidelines to “pour into applications” a wealth of information, is moving to serve both the public and federal worker in their mobile efforts.
Agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have begun to use mobile apps to increase efficiency and ease daily operations. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Homeland Security medal Daniel Stoneking, director of the private sector division in the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s Office of External Affairs in Washington, D.C.
When tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes strike communities throughout the United States, federal, state and local teams immediately rush to the scene to provide emergency aid and to assist in recovery and rebuilding efforts. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Citizen Services medal Lance Rodewald, Director of the Immunization Services Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Lance Rodewald reformed the nation’s publicly-funded vaccine system so that more poor and uninsured children are protected against life-threatening diseases and the immunization process is more efficient. Keep reading →
It was a year ago this afternoon, when the pages of a new website called Breaking Gov began propagating across the Internet, offering a fresh perspective on the business of government.
As we pause briefly to celebrate our first anniversary, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank the growing number of readers who have discovered Breaking Gov’s distinctive brand of coverage. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Management Excellence medal Alice Muellerweiss, Dean of the VA Learning University at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Alice Muellerweiss helped design, establish and now heads a new learning institution that provides web-based and in-person leadership, management, technical and professional training to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees nationwide. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY: OPM’s newly issued “2012 Status of Telework in the Federal Government”
report contains new insights on telework, some good news, and at least one major issue that will require close oversight.
Despite the inability to accurately track trends over the previous years due to changes in how the data is being gathered and reported, it’s clear that the use of telework is increasing significantly and also being accepted as a normal and desirable business practice. Keep reading →
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a contest for developers to create software aimed at reducing medical errors in hospitals and outpatient settings.
HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is offering $70,000 in prizes for the Reporting Patient Safety Events Challenge. The first place winner will receive $50,000; second place $15,000 and third place $5,000. Entries are due by August 31, 2012. Additionally, ONC plans a webinar kickoff of the challenge with more details. Keep reading →