FederalDaily.com >Agencies Should Plan for New Internet Protocol

FederalDaily - May 26, 2005

Agencies Should Plan for New Internet Protocol

The Internet protocol (IP) version that is widely used today may not be able to accommodate the increasing number of global users and devices that are connecting to the Internet, a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said. As a result, a new version was developed to increase the amount of available IP address space, and it is gaining momentum. GAO recently said that federal agencies need to recognize that the transition to the new version of IP is already under way. Also, agencies should be assessing risks; listing organizational needs and goals; determining costs; and identifying timelines and methods for transition. The Department of Defense (DoD) has made progress for preparing for the new IP version, but GAO said, unlike DoD, the majority of other major federal agencies reported they have not yet started their planning.

Request to Investigate SEC Budget Shortfalls

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee with oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on May 24 asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate reported budget shortfalls attributed to facility costs in Washington, D.C., New York and Boston. In a letter to David Walker, comptroller general, Wolf said he was “troubled” by recent reports of large shortfalls and asked that a review begin as soon as possible. “This is very damaging to the SEC,” Wolf said. “The SEC polices other people’s books yet they themselves have huge overruns. I am very disappointed.” Wolf also sent SEC Chairman William Donaldson a letter urging the agency to “immediately send a formal reprogramming notification” to the House Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations subcommittee.

Looking at Human Capital Options

Congress has recently given some federal agencies, such as NASA and the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security (DHS), authority to help them manage their human capital. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report that one of the consequences of the new personnel authorities is that the federal government is approaching the point where “standard government-wide” human capital policies are neither standard nor government-wide. To aid in discussions of what next steps should be taken concerning government-wide human capital reform, GAO compiled a list of human capital authorities that Congress has already provided to 10 federal agencies. GAO said the list gives Congress options to consider. The 10 federal agencies GAO studied have a combined workforce of 1.2 million civilian employees and include: CIA, DHS, DoD, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the IRS, NASA, the National Security Agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Veterans Health Administration. To read the report, go to www.gao.gov/new.items/d05398r.pdf.

Treating Injured Reservists Near Home

When wounded active-component soldiers get sent home from a deployment for medical care, they're generally treated directly at their home bases. However this is not usually the case for Reservists. Typically they return to their mobilization stations and get assigned to a medical hold company. There, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of miles away from their homes and families, they receive follow-on medical care that can stretch out for months, according to the Department of Defense. The Army has come up with a solution called Community-Based Healthcare Organizations (CBHCO). These new offices arrange for wounded troops to live at home while getting medical care in their communities through a military facility or civilian TRICARE provider. Lt. Col. Linda Womack, commander of the CBHCO in Washington, D.C., said experience shows that troops recover faster when their friends and families are around to support them.