FederalDaily - February 24, 2006

White House Releases Katrina “Lessons Learned”

On Thursday the White House’s Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend released a report called The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned, with several recommendations to improve disaster response and planning. The report highlighted 17 lessons learned from the disaster and 125 recommendations. In addition, the report said that 11 critical actions must be completed prior to June 1, 2006, the first day of the next hurricane season. The critical actions include:

• ensuring better coordination and communication between federal, state and local officials;
• positioning an interagency federal Joint Field Office (JFO) to coordinate and direct federal support;
• choosing a single Department of Defense point of contact for the JFO and the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
• utilizing technology to update the Emergency Alert System.

To view the report, go to www.whitehouse.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/.

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SSA Employee Charged with Identity Theft

Federal criminal charges were filed on Feb. 22 against a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee who allegedly was in an identity theft ring. Rasheta Bunting is accused of using personal information from the SSA computer system to help steal tens of thousands of dollars in benefits from elderly and disabled beneficiaries across the country between January 2004 and February 2006. Bunting, a teleservice representative at the SSA, had access to the SSA’s database of personal information, including names, social security numbers and bank account information. She used her access to change the bank accounts designated by beneficiaries for direct deposit of their Social Security benefits to bank accounts controlled by her and three co-conspirators. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. “The offense is all the more egregious because a federal employee with access to our citizens’ private financial information betrayed their trust,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Roslynn R. Mauskopf.

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Squabble over Health Issues at Interior Department

A nonprofit organization called the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) accused the Department of Interior (DOI) on Wednesday of ignoring employee health complaints during construction of the department’s headquarters. PEER’s accusations were based on a letter written by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). DOI officials sharply rebuffed the claims. Frank Quimby, a DOI spokesperson, said of the NIOSH letter, “It was the result of an anonymous employee complaint, not a visit or inspection.” PEER claimed that the number of visits to the DOI health unit increased from 49 in 2001 to 154 in 2002. “The figure provided for 2001 was only for six months, not the entire year,” Quimby said. Quimby added that DOI attempts to accommodate all employee complaints, and that the General Services Administration conducts routine inspections. More information is available at www.doi.gov/modernization/.

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