By the same token if someone from a nature fund or a save-the-kittens group asks for a donation, check them out BEFORE you send a check.

When a company advertises it can reduce your tax bill by tens of thousands of dollars put a cold cloth on your head and lie down until the urge to respond is gone.

All of the above, plus some things you wouldn’t dream up, are part of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen list. It’s part of the agency’s effort to protect taxpayers, tax preparers and corporations from scams ranging from the incredibly stupid to brilliant. All designed to take you for all they can get. Even if it’s all you got!

And if you think some of the long-distance scams you see on the Dr. Phil show: She (or he) wires money to soulmate they’ve never met so they can pay kidnapper’s ransom, get their mother a new body part, or repay a small debt to free millions of dollars from frozen account. The fact is it happens every day. Sometimes to otherwise savvy people. Like you, maybe?

So what are the scams and schemes on the Dirty Dozen list? Could you spot them? Or have you ever been had?

To talk about the ploys used to trick people we’ll be talking to tax attorney Tom O’Rourke. He’s a former IRS attorney, and he’s my guest today on our Your Turn radio show: 10 a.m. EDT on www.federalnewsnetwork.com or in the D.C.-Baltimore area on 1500 AM.

Most of us think we are too smart to be conned. But even geniuses have fallen for a ploy. Full disclosure: For three consecutive years on my first job I joined a bottle club. All I had to do was buy three semi-expensive Bourbons. Pass them on to the bottle club chain and wait while dozens, potentially hundreds of bottles, arrived at my apartment door. It cost me nearly a week’s pay, but the payoff was worth it. Almost. The thing is I’m still waiting for the happy clinking sound of a mass delivery! And I’m beginning to think I was had. Maybe. In any case Tom is an expert on what the scams look like and how to avoid them. Here’s his lead in to today’s topic, The Dirty Dozen:

The IRS has been publishing “the Dirty Dozen” for much of the past twenty years in an effort to advise taxpayers and tax preparers of scams and schemes that are in some way related to taxes. It is a list of questionable (or fraudulent) transactions designed to gain access to your money.

In recent years, the items on the dirty dozen lists have included bogus calls, texts, emails and online posts. A common scam during the past two years includes online text messages or emails about your entitlement to stimulus payments that often include a link. The link promises to help you get all you are entitled to under various stimulus programs. Accessing a link in such a message may compromise any security measures of your computer system.

Phone scams often include threats that the IRS or local law enforcement agents will arrest you if you do not immediately remit payment by way of a gift card. The IRS cautions that it always initiates contact by mail and never demands payment by gift card. You always have an opportunity to appeal any determination that you owe additional tax.

The dirty dozen also lists strategies that are many times fraudulent that offer to help you avoid taxes. Some of the more common tax avoidance schemes identified in the current list of the dirty dozen include:

• Captive insurance arrangements.
• Charitable remainder annuity trusts.
• Offshore pension arrangements.
• Monetized installment arrangements.
• Conservation easements
• High-income taxpayers who simply do not file tax returns.
• Companies that promise to settle your tax liabilities for pennies on the dollar.

All of these schemes involve transactions that on the surface involve legitimate transactions. They typically offer very significant tax benefits, but little else in the way of economic benefits.

Always exercise caution in investing in any transaction that promises benefits that sound too good to be true.

Vulnerable systems are increasingly becoming more of a target for bad actors who have recently elevated their infiltration capabilities through sophisticated AI and automation tools. Now, attackers can easily access, disrupt, retrieve data, and then leave an organization’s cybersecurity system fully undetected. And in light of current geopolitical events, it’s clear that adversaries will continue to relentlessly attack U.S. cyber infrastructure, underscoring the increasing need for proactive measures.

With more threats and vulnerabilities than ever before, IT departments must be trained for today’s challenges and understand the value of outsourcing additional help from trusted managed service providers (MSP) to improve their overall cybersecurity posture.

Training a new generation of IT experts

Reinforcing an organization’s cyber defenses is no easy feat, especially when most IT departments are understaffed. The demand for knowledgeable cybersecurity experts was already mounting before the pandemic, but in the last year, job openings within the industry have increased nearly a third, with over 600,000 cybersecurity positions remaining unfilled.

Short-staffed IT departments are more susceptible to data breaches and ransomware attacks due to fewer eyes monitoring an organization’s system and less technical expertise. Filling these positions will take time, so organizations struggling to maintain adequate cyber protection should look to partner with an accredited MSP in the interim.

Quality MSPs can provide advanced services while backed by the latest certifications that demonstrate their expertise and trustworthiness. When searching for an MSP, agencies should confirm the provider meets these criteria to ensure data protection and high-quality cybersecurity assistance.

Working with an MSP is extremely beneficial, but internal labor and skill gaps still need to be addressed. Educating the next generation of IT professionals is key, and many are looking to future undergraduate students to fill the cybersecurity skills gap. Tech giants like Microsoft are even working with community colleges across the globe to train prospective IT practitioners. While these efforts are admirable, educational institutions simply cannot produce enough college graduates to accommodate this increasing demand. American veterans, however, are eager to join the cyber workforce.

Reskilling veterans for success in cybersecurity

The U.S. is the proud home to more than 18 million veterans, with roughly 200,000 service members retiring their uniforms every year. Unfortunately, many returning veterans often have difficulty readjusting to civilian life. Finding a job is a critical part of this transition, but many veterans lack the experience needed to fairly compete in the labor market, especially in the cyber/IT sector.

Fortunately, nonprofits now offer cybersecurity training programs catered to former military and their spouses. These programs provide proper training and arm their participants with the internationally-recognized credentials, skills and resources they need to pursue self-sustaining cyber careers. Moreover, these lessons are updated regularly by cyber industry experts to ensure participants pursue the most relevant and in-demand certifications possible. Providing courses that reskill veterans will prevent unemployment for these citizens and help eliminate America’s cyber workforce shortage.

Out with the old, in with the new

Another hurdle is outdated technology. Many organizations are tethered to legacy systems and applications, often making their efforts extremely slow, prone to bugs, and thus, subject to cyberattacks. When organizations continue using outdated computing software and/or hardware, it exposes them to new risks.

While seemingly counterintuitive, organizations continue to use these obsolete systems because they don’t want to endanger the stability of their current applications by switching to a new program. Shifting to modern technologies can be costly and often messy. Many IT professionals have expressed their concerns about tampering with a program that already accomplishes its intended purpose.

Moreover, upgrading an IT infrastructure is tedious, time-consuming, and cannot be accomplished overnight. Thankfully, there are new cloud-based solutions that can easily be integrated alongside legacy systems. As a result, IT professionals should confidently be able to store, manage and process information remotely. All while knowing they are backed by the latest certifications and have access to critical features such as backup, recovery and data protection. Housing these capabilities on a unified cloud platform can make IT management easier and more accessible for everyone.

Looking to the future

Today, the threat of cyber warfare is more present than ever. Therefore, strengthening the current cybersecurity workforce with knowledgeable employees and implementing new cloud-based programs alongside legacy systems would significantly protect the U.S. public sector from looming threats.

Thankfully, the federal government continues to enact new legislation to help facilitate some of these needed changes. Last November, an infrastructure bill was passed, designating billions of dollars in new cyber spending over the next few years. Public agencies rejoiced as this is the biggest government investment in state and local cybersecurity to date. Defining how public organizations can apply for these grants, raising awareness of eligibility, and subsequently addressing these obstacles will go a long way towards safeguarding the US from future cyberattacks.

John Zanni is CEO of Acronis SCS.

In a previous blog, we discussed the integrity and resiliency of the supply chains for health care products and pharmaceuticals, focusing on how these issues are a matter of national security.

During our Spring Training Conference, we were fortunate to have Moshe Schwartz, president of Etherton and Associates, dig deeper into the three pillars that make up national security and how recent events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, have reshaped our nation’s thinking about them. These three pillars include defense, health care, and economy.

During his remarks, Schwartz emphasized that health care underpins each of the three the pillars. The chart below outlines the components of national security and how health care plays a crucial role in each. Additionally, the figure demonstrates that supply chains, stockpiles and surge capacity, and research and development cut across all three elements of national security.

The first key component of national security highlighted above is military defense. The Defense pillar encapsulates the protection of our nation against foreign adversaries and the threat of terrorism. In order to ensure that the warfighter can effectively protect the nation, it is vital that the armed services have access to the latest health care supplies and pharmaceuticals. Without a healthy active military, the ability to defend against the risk of attacks from outside threats would be greatly hindered. It is equally important to provide the best health care for our veterans post service. Additionally, the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are essential to the defense against biological and chemical weapons. In a technologically evolving world, the military must have access to the appropriate medical countermeasures to eliminate these potential hazards. Finally, the relationship between Defense and health care is shown through several advancements in medicine and medical technologies as the result of military investment.

The second pillar shaping national security is health care, which includes the health and wellness of the American people. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly crucial to this component of security. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “COVID-19 was associated with approximately 460,000 deaths in the U.S. during January-December 2021.” Also notably, in 2021 COVID-19 remained the third leading cause of death in the country behind heart disease and cancer. CDC statistics show that from 2019 to 2020, life expectancy dropped from 78.8 years to 77.3 years, citing the pandemic as the primary cause of the decrease. Response to the pandemic was critical to preserving national security. Operation Warp Speed (OWS), an effort led by multiple government agencies, including the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, accelerated the delivery of hundreds of millions of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to Americans. While ultimately successful, OWS was impeded by a lack of stockpiles and a lack of infrastructure capable of more quickly surging resources to develop and distribute the vaccine. A shortage in personal protective equipment was also a result of sparse stockpiles and surge capacity limits. COVID-19 provided insights into the importance of medical readiness, and offered lessons learned to address future pandemics. Effective pharmaceuticals and health care products are always fundamental to combatting diseases and ensuring the health of our nation as a whole.

The third and final pillar of national security is economy. Economic security is important for promoting growth, innovation, and development within a nation. Health care plays a major role in the U.S. economy. As mentioned in the last blog, health care spending represented 19.7% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2020. Additionally, according to the Brookings Institution, health care spending accounted for 17.7% of the U.S. economy and 24% of government spending in 2018. Also, as of 2019, the health care sector employed 11% of Americans. Consequently, disruptions to the pharmaceutical and health care product supply chains would have grave impacts on the country’s economy. Currently, the U.S. relies heavily on foreign sources for raw ingredients for pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment. These supply chains also remain vulnerable to cyber threats. More resilient American supply chains will strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities, and sturdy supply chains with allies will greatly benefit national security.

In order to maintain a resilient health care capability, the U.S. must take steps to strengthen supply chains, build stockpiles and surge capacity, and invest in research and development. These areas directly impact the three pillars of national security. Strengthening these components will help us be better prepared to respond to the next health national security threat, whether it comes in the form of a pandemic or a foreign adversary. The meaning of national security has evolved with these unique current events, and as Schwartz said in his speech, “the decisions that get made over the next couple of years are going to influence how we do things going forward.”

At the heart of the problem lies a critical shortage of skilled personnel within the agencies tasked to enforce the sanctions. Faced with the most comprehensive sanctions in a generation and a thinning workforce to implement them, government officials are left with very few options but to take a page from the private sector and integrate AI technology into their investigation operations.

AI’s speed, scope, accuracy and efficiency would optimize sanction enforcement efforts. The technology’s capacity to analyze vast amounts of data and rapidly identify criminal activity and potential risks make it a formidable tool in the enforcement of financial regulations, including international sanctions.

Challenges of scaling Russian sanctions

President Joe Biden recently announced a major scaling-up of Russian sanctions, targeting two of Russia’s largest financial institutions — Sberbank and Alfa-Bank — along with an expanded list of individuals tied to the Kremlin. These joined the already voluminous list of sanctioned entities that were targeted directly or severely limited through exclusion from SWIFT, the global payment system for cross-border trade.

But the West’s capacity to maintain, let alone expand, its current sanctions program is already experiencing significant gaps and limitations. In early 2020 — at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic — the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report describing how several U.S. agencies responsible for enforcing sanctions were short-staffed and have been unable to fill enough full-time positions to operate effectively for years.

Without adequate human or technological support, regulators may be compromised in their efforts to counter the bad actors working to circumvent the sanctions. Many of them may be counting on the possibility that overwhelming mountains of data in the global financial system could slow down or block regulators’ actions. If enforcement teams adopt advanced AI technologies to boost sanctioning efforts, however, the same violators would soon realize the unfavorable odds in making such a wager.

Risk discovery, detection speed and accuracy

Risk detection lays the groundwork for all sanction enforcement actions. Moreover, detection speed and detection accuracy, via the elimination of “false positives,” play a critical role in determining the probability of success.

Here’s where the case for AI is most compelling. AI can help private financial institutions more than double the number of risks detected, reduce false positives by 60%, and increase the pace of risk detection by 40%. Through advanced machine learning technologies, AI systems are capable of analyzing large, complex, noisy and incomplete datasets (a.k.a., topological data analysis) to identify the latest and riskiest criminal behaviors. AI detects anomalies in payments and transaction patterns in a discreet manner that doesn’t depend on interrogations and won’t tip off the institutions, companies, or individuals seeking to sidestep sanctions.

AI can also help analysts develop behavioral models based on past sanction violations or similar financial crimes. Based on those models, it can analyze large volumes of data from a variety of sources to automatically pinpoint current violators. It can even identify emerging threats, to uncover the “DNA” of complex crime behaviors on its own.

Equally important is the capacity of an AI application to present its findings in an easy-to-understand format suitable for end users that are not data scientists or IT specialists. And all of this analysis can be executed in just a fraction of the time it would take most trained investigators — a crucial advantage in an endeavor in which time is of the essence, and there’s already an enormous drain on resources, time and capital.

AI could be a game-changing ally for regulatory and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to thwart sanctions violators. And, with political relations with Russia evolving by the day, if not the hour, the sooner support is brought in to help track new and existing sanctions against the country, the better.

Raj Srivatsan is Vice President, Civilian at SymphonyAI.

If you are working, retired, building a nest egg or living off one, these are tough emotional times. If you want good news, you’ve learned to avoid the financial news or stock market reports. Also national news, international news and, if you are a baseball fan in certain cities like Washington, D.C., you avoid the sporting news, too.

Hopefully you have a good cable package and a personality that lets you sort and live with the good news vs. the not-so-good-news. Which is the purpose of today’s Your Turn radio show: It’s a double-header on the good, the bad and the ugly. We are going to try to cover the waterfront. Our show begins at 10 a.m. EDT on www.federalnewsnetwork.com or 1500 AM in the Washington-Baltimore area. First up, financial advisor Arthur Stein will talk about the future course of your TSP account, and the pros and cons of investing heavily in the never-has-a-bad-day G fund. Many consider it the “safest” investment. But that begs the question: How do you define “safe” when building a retirement nest egg? Federal News Network reporter Drew Friedman will talk about the very latest on the federal pay raise. Then we’ll get into the prospects for a large retiree COLA. Last, but definitely not least, the issues TSP investors are having with the new system.

Hopefully this has something for everyone. Here’s a preview from Arthur Stein on the place of the G-fund in your TSP portfolio:

There are two advantages to the G-fund: Zero volatility and all holdings are guaranteed by the government.

However, G (and F)-fund investors need to recognize that, historically, long-term investments in the G and F-funds lost purchasing power. G-fund annual returns have gradually declined since it was introduced in April of 1987. In 2021, the return was 1.4%, 84% lower than in 1988. The cost of living (inflation) more than doubled over this period.

That leaves TSP participants with a dilemma. Should they invest for:

• The lower volatility and lower chance of losing principal (“safety”) offered by the G and F (bond) funds, and accept the higher chance of declines in purchasing power; or
• The higher potential growth historically offered by the stock funds, accepting higher volatility and market declines for the opportunity to increase purchasing power?

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Daisy Thornton

Source: Sci News

As the cloud operations landscape continues to change, the emergence of containers, Kubernetes and microservices is revolutionizing IT services. According to Gartner, 85% of global businesses will be running containers in production by 2025, up 35% from 2019.

Government IT leaders want the agility of container-native architecture. Through the support of containers, Kubernetes and microservices, public sector IT teams can truly modernize their applications and gain the speed, agility and scale needed to support better citizen service, access and collaboration across the agency.

Scalability and agility

Containers enable scalability as agency needs change, and they allow governments to operationalize and deploy applications faster and more securely. With Kubernetes, agencies can automate all processes associated with getting applications out into production by dramatically speeding up the time it takes to deploy and run applications.

Container-native development brings a heightened drive for data management for enterprise-level assurance while operating in a fully packaged and portable environment, speeding up development, preventing cloud vendor lock-in, and improving management and security.

Because of the interdependencies between government agencies, there’s a great impact on the ability to create scale and agility by utilizing a Kubernetes or containers-based orchestration. Container-native development allows applications to be deployed wherever they make the most sense in cloud, hybrid and multi-cloud architectures. This includes legacy applications government agencies rely on.

Investing in a right-sized efficient storage system and application, containers can help agencies elevate citizen service capabilities while addressing the critical areas of cyber protection, data management and digital services.

Data backup and security

Data is the backbone of government and its operations, as it holds the power to unlock critical insights and advance agency missions. Agencies can maximize and make better use of data through the use of AI and analytics, which enables them to simplify operations, power data insights, and transform legacy infrastructure for agile delivery with modern structured and unstructured data. Additionally, they can revolutionize operations by leveraging data, and it’s important to master data management and integration for the best citizen services.

All government apps require data that must be stored, managed, protected, and recovered. To modernize amid these requirements, governments need the speed and agility of Kubernetes, which is vendor-agnostic. It can run wherever the developer needs it: on-premises, in the public cloud, and in multi-cloud environments. And because of the container-native orchestration software, applications can serve multiple agencies, giving governments scale-out capability while improving efficiency and reducing silos. Moreover, backup, disaster recovery and business continuity can have ambitious objectives like near-real-time failover, dramatically reducing downtime risk in critical public sector applications.

Agencies should lean on trusted advisors when rolling out containers. Whether working directly with a software vendor or through an intermediary like a system integrator, government IT leaders can take advantage of the hard lessons experts learned while implementing Kubernetes and container-native environments across a broad range of industries and specialties.

Modernizing with containers and Kubernetes

One state government, as an example, is in the process of modernizing its law enforcement technologies using containers. Once integrated, the state will be able to provide fast distributed access to criminal record information with no degradation even under heavy load, increasing the safety of their law enforcement personnel and the public.

The most effective data services platforms are those that are designed to provide persistent storage, data protection, disaster recovery and other capabilities for your containerized applications. Kubernetes, paired with the highest-performing all-flash storage systems, will provide agencies with a complete data storage infrastructure solution capable of delivering premier citizen services.

Government IT leaders running mission-critical applications like emergency response have little room for error. Cyberattacks, ransomware and digital fraud ramp up the risk factors for public agencies trying to embrace new technologies while facing public scrutiny. The most effective Kubernetes-native environments will be programmable, comprehensive and self-contained. Provisioning, snapshots and other storage tasks must be available via APIs and automation; developers must maintain role-based access controls to ensure data protection. Containers are critical to modernizing government technology.

IT infrastructures must be built around a modern storage infrastructure, meaning solutions should be easy to set up, manage and expand, as well as integrate easily with existing backup software. Of course, it must be fast, restoring data and applications quickly enough to minimize any disruptive impact. It should also be seamless and capable of spanning any protocol, any tier of service level, and multiple clouds in a single environment. It should also sustain performance as data volumes increase.

By accelerating digital transformation with modern storage solutions, agencies can easily run any cloud-native application, in any cloud, on any infrastructure, and with built-in high availability, data protection, security and mobility. Agencies should strive for solutions that manage storage and data protection for Kubernetes applications, no matter where they are running.

Mike Wiseman is vice president for the public sector at Pure Storage.

Ever since the Biden administration’s 2021 cybersecurity executive order, federal agencies have been on the clock to onboard zero trust architectures (ZTA) into their information technology environments.

The most recent deadline is two years away. A January 2022 Office of Management and Budget guidance is asking agencies to comply with the five pillars of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s zero trust model by September 2024.

While this request may seem daunting, ZTA deployment does not have to be an arduous migration of talent, technology and resources. Federal leaders can start with targeted approaches that tackle each aspect of zero trust, such as endpoint risk posture or internet access, to better mitigate against evolving cyber threats and gain visibility and controls over their networks.

There are several small steps agencies can take to lay the foundation for zero trust. Most notably, deploying solutions to monitor users and endpoints.

Security Service Edge (SSE), a framework that converges critical security capabilities, provides a blueprint of the types of cloud-delivered solutions required for zero trust. Each product addresses a piece of the puzzle to ensure sensitive data is protected while enabling productivity.

Securing endpoints and web usage

One component of SSE is mobile endpoint security. Agencies already maintain government-issued device inventories with management tools, but these products only provide passive capabilities to update. To provide access that doesn’t add risk and to detect and respond to modern threats, agencies need to continuously monitor the risk level of those endpoints, whether it’s the device’s operating system, apps installed or the network they’re connected to.

The adjacent capability an organization needs for zero trust is to protect against web-based threats. This is where secure web gateway (SWG) comes in, monitoring internet traffic to ensure malicious content doesn’t enter your networks. Many of these attacks are now targeting mobile endpoints as users increasingly rely on these devices for both work and life.

Establishing micro-segmentation

While low risk endpoints should be given access too, that connection does not need to be network wide. Their risk levels fluctuate constantly, which means access needs to be dynamic. By establishing controls to limit availability by user identity and device, enterprises can subdivide their network with a process called micro-segmentation.

Micro-segmenting means that, even when a device and user is cleared for access, its connection to apps and data will be restricted. So in the event of an insider threat, compromised account, or an accidental risky action, the damage is limited.

SSE technologies leverage context-based telemetries such as user authentication, device, location, time of day and the requesting device’s risk posture. With this visibility, agencies can build policies that dynamically enforce policies based on those various factors.

Protecting data no matter where it resides

To ensure your data is secure while enabling telework, agencies need the ability to secure activities to all apps, whether they’re in the cloud or on premises. SSE technologies like SWG, cloud access security broker (CASB) and zero trust network access (ZTNA) serves as a security guard between the user and what they need to access, either by monitoring for malware, user and endpoint risk postures, logging user actions, enforcing security controls and more.

SSE becomes especially relevant as more agencies pursue multi-cloud environments. With IT environments varying based on technology and resources, agency leaders will have to assess their systems to determine which zero trust tools best fit their operations. Regardless, leaders need to ensure that the security platform they use considers the risk levels of users and their endpoints, and what types of data they need access to.

In addition to visibility and control, cybersecurity has been challenged by complexity as cloud apps and telework became the norm. To ensure your data is secure without adding extra operational burden, it’s critical that agencies look for SSE solutions that have a single policy engine.

Not only does a unified platform streamline operations for your security administrators, it makes secure access more efficient, so that workers can seamlessly connect to what they need, whether it’s in the cloud, inside data centers or on the internet.

By converging security capabilities, SSE protects data without hindering productivity — exactly what ZTA sets out to do. 2024 is closer than it seems.  I recommend agencies explore the different components of SSE and find a platform that can protect data no matter where their users reside.

Tony D’Angelo is vice president for the public sector at Lookout.

The article cited a New York start-up with Kombucha on tap, meant to lure workers. I don’t know of a single government office with Kombucha on tap. In government, to solve the people problem we need to the make the case to tech workers that their country needs them and their work will be meaningful.

I am the CEO of a small government contracting business based in Virginia. After high school I joined the Marines for a sense of purpose, adventure and to do something meaningful. Following my military service, I started my business to continue serving the nation I care so much about.

On a workplace culture panel last year co-hosted by George Mason University and Defense Acquisition University, I pointed out that federal agencies and contracting businesses like mine aren’t only competing against one another for talent. We’re also competing against the Teslas and Apples of the world.

Government work might not pay the same salary as glitzy tech start-ups, but as employers target younger workers, pay may not be the deciding factor.

Studies of millennial and Generation Z workers reveal 90% of this generation wants meaningful work. Half of millennial respondents in one survey of over 2,000 workers said they would even take a pay cut to do more meaningful work.

Government, at every level, impacts our friends and our neighbors. The success of our missions is felt at home and abroad. We see the striking need for stability and good government when unrest barrages across our Twitter feeds. Government work makes a difference in our communities, our nation and even across the globe.

For those of us hiring in the government sector, we need to find opportunities to tell the story of government work. It doesn’t sound sexy. But when we’re doing mission-first work, our work matters.

One of my government contracts in Vermont serves veterans. My team learned of a 95-year-old World War II veteran who was forced out of Canada during the early months of COVID. He and his wife ended up in Vermont, but they were homeless. My team stepped in to coordinate support across community resources to get this homeless veteran housing, nutritionally-sound meals, VA health benefits and a phone and computer. A government contract put the right people in this veteran’s life at the right time to be able to help him and honor his service.

In 2019, a Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary told Congress that the Federal Housing Administration’s information technology structure radically needed modernization. He stated some systems were more than 40 years old. My company partnered with other businesses to lead a long-overdue modernization project at HUD. The new system improves accuracy and efficiency and streamlines operations in critical analytics. Needed modernization efforts are rewarding to both the taxpayer and the tech employees making these vital improvements.

When I talk to fellow government contracting leaders, I hear the same challenge emerge. We’re all dealing with the people problem. We should support good educational opportunities that get potential young employees into agency and government contracting pipelines early in their careers, but developing talent takes time. In the immediate, let’s tell our real-world stories of the government sector making a difference. I urge my fellow contracting executives and public sector partners, let’s show how government work is meaningful and we’ll attract the tech workers our nation needs.

Michael Sanders is founder and CEO of Interactive Government Holdings, Inc., a verified service-disabled, veteran owned small business based in Springfield, Virginia.

The implications for government agencies are huge. The hiring and retention challenges for government roles are well documented. But bloated hiring timelines and the inability to offer competitive salary and benefit packages is only one side. Replacing and training new employees costs not only time, but also the ability to deliver on important agency missions as agency leaders strive to improve public services.

As governments at every level welcome back civil servants in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country, here are three areas public sector leaders should take into consideration in order to continue to attract and retain top talent.

Hybrid and remote work are must-haves 

Reports from PwC and Prudential show that following the COVID pandemic, more than half of employees surveyed would prefer to work remotely at least three days per week, and 87% would like that flexibility at least one day per week. Approximately, 49% of Millennials and Gen Z would consider quitting their job if they didn’t have remote work.

For many government agencies, productivity remained steady or grew during the pandemic, illustrating many employees could deliver working on-site or remotely. Some agencies, like the U.S. Small Business Administration, created new programs and handled citizen demand never before seen. Instead of rushing to business as usual, leaders can use this as an opportunity to innovate their future of work plans by creating flexible and supportive models that empower employees to thrive wherever they work.

Understanding employee preferences is essential

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that more than 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in January. This optimism came as U.S. workers showed confidence in finding places to work that were more closely aligned with their preferences and values. As some federal agencies start to encourage workers back to the office, it will be crucial to understand what their employees value in the post-pandemic landscape.

The Biden Administration has begun to gather exactly that type of insight, launching the first ever government-wide pulse survey last fall and sharing initial results in January 2022. While not an in-depth survey, it still provides leaders with data to be able to understand more about how government employees are feeling. Agency leadership can build upon this data by launching additional opportunities for feedback through agency-specific surveys and listening sessions.

Biden Administration DEI priorities don’t absolve agencies from building inclusive workplaces

The Biden-Harris administration made history signing key executive orders focused on advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice and equal opportunity throughout government. This gives the federal government a strong leg-up against many private sector companies. It’s no secret that the private sector has done the minimum in this area. This includes making commitments that aren’t tied to actionable metrics to diversity trainings that don’t meet the mark.

But government agencies are not insulated because of the priorities of the Biden administration. Agency leaders need to continue to attract a diverse candidate poll and actively create welcoming workplaces where diversity, equity and inclusion is both encouraged and supported day-in and day-out. Polls continue to show millennial and Gen Z professionals are avoiding organizations without a diverse workforce and a commitment to confronting systemic racism in their ranks, and government is no exception. Federal agencies that can’t redesign old generational systems, structures and workplace cultures will continue having challenges attracting and retaining top talent.

Government has long relied on the altruism of those who want to make a difference to help fill its ranks. But that is no longer enough to attract the best and the brightest leaders to public service. As the threat of COVID-19 begins to abate, the voice of the employee is stronger than it’s ever been. After two years, government workers have emerged with a different outlook on what they value, want and need. Agencies that aren’t in tune with its employees will see it comes at a cost, as talent leaves for other agencies and private sector opportunities that align with their values and ideal work experiences.

Katherine Thompson is a manager with Grant Thornton Public Sector, where she focuses on organizational change management.

Consider:

If you get invited to enter the Kentucky Derby, bring a horse.

If you want to make butter, a Jersey cow is the way to go.

To the untrained city slicker’s eye cows and horses are pretty much the same. But in fact they are very different. And that same big differential applies to pay raises vs. cost of living adjustments. Two very different things. And that difference can be critical in a time like now when inflation has taken off, prices for everything are going up and prospects for the future are dim. If you are still working, but eligible to retire, is this a good time? Because of the diet-COLA feature for FERS retirees a long period of inflation can eat into the buying power of an annuity. And if you are eligible or close to retiring this year or next you need to do some homework.

Most federal workers are looking at a minimum 4.6% pay raise in January 2023. Congress might even boost it to 5.1%. Depending on how the political winds blow between now and November.

The amount of the retiree COLA is to be determined but right now it looks like a minimum of 8.6%. But it could be more, or less, depending on what path inflation takes between now and September. That would mean an 8.6% increase for Social Security and CSRS retirees but “only” 7.6 for FERS retirees. That’s a lot. It would be the biggest in years. But its going up because prices are too. And the system used to measure inflation doesn’t take into account many of the added costs of older, retired people. Solution: Maybe you should defer your retirement a couple of years.

Benefits expert Tammy Flanagan says someone making $80,000 a year can boost his or her starting annuity by $30,000 by working just two more years. That’s a nightmare prospect if you hate your job, boss, coworkers or community. But its money in your pocket for life, if you hand on. And it’s linked to inflation. Here’s the example showing the magic of deferring your retirement, especially during a time of skyrocketing inflation:

• Length of Service at age 60: 19 years

  • 19 x $80,000 x 1% = $15,200 x .90 = $13,680 (10% reduction under the MRA + 10 retirement because employee didn’t have 20 years of service at age 60 to qualify for an unreduced retirement)

• Length of Service at age 61: 20 years

  • 20 x $80,000 x 1% = $16,000 + $12,000 = $28,000(The extra $12,000 represents a FERS supplement of $1,000 a month payable to age 62 when retiree could file for SSA and get an even larger SSA benefit based on their lifetime of FICA taxed wages)

• Length of Service at age 62: 21 years

  • 21 x $80,000 x 1.1% = $18,400 + $24,000 = $42,480(The $24,000 represents the SSA benefit payable at age 62 of $2,000 a month from their lifetime of FICA taxed wages)

The difference between this person leaving at 60 vs. 62 is almost $30,000 a year more income for only two more years on the job. Of course, at age 62, the person who left at age 60 could claim their SSA benefit, but the gap would still be close to $5,000 a year or $600 a month in their FERS basic retirement benefit for life! In addition, they would have benefited from two more years at their presumably highest earning years added to their SSA record, and two more years of contributions and growth to their TSP accounts. A win-win, for many. –Tammy Flanagan

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Daisy Thornton

Source: Wikipedia

Data will inevitably become a central part of the effort to improve the delivery of critical citizen services. But agencies are currently encountering several challenges as they work to reskill and upskill their personnel with cutting-edge data literacy tools and training. A recent survey of federal chief data officers found that identifying opportunities to increase workforce data skills was a challenge for 95% of respondents.

Broadly defined, data literacy describes a professional’s ability to read, work with, analyze and use data ethically to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. For individual employees, data literacy can help improve efficiency and maximize the impact of everyday job functions. And across a federal agency, a data-literate workforce has the power to transform mission-critical objectives and empower data-driven decision making, which ultimately helps modernize and improve government services.

But to get there – according to a recent study by the Data Foundation and Deloitte – agency leaders should proceed with deliberate speed and intention across four key areas:

• Securing executive sponsorships. To stand up a data literacy program, CDOs will need proactive support from senior agency leaders. In coordination with CDOs, agency executives should establish organizational data literacy and data use standards to clarify individual responsibilities and help effectively implement data programs. Data literacy is also a cross-cutting challenge, so agency leaders should work to align efforts by CDOs, human capital officials and relevant portfolio managers to implement and uphold these standards.

• Conducting knowledge gap analyses. Agencies will need to assess pre-existing data literacy across the workforce to identify competencies, knowledge gaps and priority education areas. Data skill frameworks and data literacy indexes are readily available and widely used, so public-sector organizations can build from ready-made tools to conduct these assessments and help create data literacy curricula.

• Setting expectations. A data literate workforce is not just a team of data science savants. The objective is for everyone within an agency to develop some level of awareness about how data shapes and affects their organization. Any employee can achieve data literacy once they are comfortable with communicating and utilizing data to inform decisions and can critically assess data-based analyses and reporting. 

• Establishing incentives. Employees are more likely to embrace data literacy if a program’s purpose, logistics and professional growth metrics are widely understood and accessible. This requires that agency executives distinctly communicate objectives and definitions for success. Participating federal workers should also be empowered to communicate openly about the data literacy program, and leaders should encourage and act on their feedback. 

Several federal agencies have successfully built strong foundations for data literacy programs. The U.S. Census Bureau’s opportunity project, for example, helps expand data accessibility and analysis through technological applications. Moreover, following the results of an internal skills gap analysis in 2019, the Census Bureau launched its data science training pilot in 2020, which upskills current employees with technical backgrounds and engages the bureau’s staff about emerging data science capabilities.

Today’s federal agency leaders know that data serves as the foundation for the government’s larger modernization efforts. They also know that it’s imperative to retain their current workforce and provide employees with the resources they need to succeed. Effective data literacy programs provide a critical steppingstone to help the federal government accomplish these goals. And with expanded data literacy and data access, federal workers will be empowered to make data-informed decisions, enhance day-to-day operations and improve the delivery of citizen services.

Adita Karkera serves as the Chief Data Officer for Deloitte’s government and public services practice and is a fellow at the Deloitte AI Institute for Government. She spent nearly 20 years with the Arkansas Department of Information Systems and was appointed as the state’s Deputy State Chief Data Officer in 2017.                            

While initially tapped to lead the search for a constituent service management platform, the HDS team must look beyond procurement to be successful in its broader mandate, .

The establishment of this critical initiative offers an opportunity to significantly improve day-to-day House operations and employee experience with better processes and technology to modernize the business of House legislation.

From pandemic-driven modernization to lasting digital transformation

The need to implement efficient, secure, user-friendly tools and processes within the legislative branch has reached an all-time high in recent years, both due to the pandemic as well as the overwhelming increase in public engagement with their representatives.

In 2020, the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress issued a landmark report emphasizing the need for improvements that would make the body work better for constituents, members and staff alike. Recommendations ranged from improving access to congressional websites for individuals with disabilities to expanding the use of digital signatures to apply to the majority of House business.

While the pandemic drove the urgent need for e-signatures, the report underscored the broader benefits of allowing more documents to be signed electronically. For example, reducing staff time required to gather co-sponsor signatures or remove a signature that had been added erroneously. Similarly, the call for IT and data maintenance plans to support remote work during the height of the pandemic was also essential for the long-term transition to a hybrid model.

The HDS unit will play a critical role in furthering many of the select committee’s IT modernization goals. In addition to spearheading the procurement of a constituent relations management platform, the team will also be tasked with building intuitive digital solutions to address member offices’ most significant challenges as well as staff offices with full-time IT experts.

Decreasing response time and improving the overall quality of communications is critical to making the legislative branch better serve constituents. While the right technology can support that effort, growing the IT toolset is only one piece of the puzzle.

People, processes and technology: How to make the House work smarter

To build transparency and accountability in the eyes of constituents, the HDS team must contribute to a strong operational foundation that prioritizes accessibility and user experience.

One group that stands to benefit greatly from House modernization efforts like the HDS unit is the dedicated workforce that undergirds the institution. Staffers on Capitol Hill must juggle a range of tasks from fielding constituent calls to helping draft legislation, often requiring them to work long, stressful hours.

In the face of ever-growing workloads and the pressures of the pandemic, thousands of congressional staffers are experiencing burnout and exhaustion at an all-time high. As a result, staffer turnover rate has reached its highest level since 2001, with 55% more House staffers leaving their jobs in 2021 than in the preceding year.

A core tenet of IT modernization, especially in government, is the implementation of sustained, incremental improvements –– streamlining operations in small ways that add up to transformational change. For staffers struggling with burnout, consistently better workflows could deliver far-reaching impacts.

For example, integrating a full-service e-signature capability for an expanded set of documents allows for faster processing and easier reporting, reducing both the time congressional staff spend traversing the Capitol in search of members and the hours spent compiling and redacting materials for public disclosure. Moreover, with such high turnover, the ability to access and review past documents more easily accelerates onboarding and strengthens continuity within member offices.

On the constituent side, better document management increases accessibility and accountability. Ensuring all public records are searchable allows members of the public to find the information they need more quickly and easily, offering constituents accessible avenues to find the information they need without waiting for a response from constituent services.

Implementing e-signatures among federal agencies has a proven track record of yielding better customer experience. A recent Forrester report surveying public sector employees from 32 government organizations found that e-signatures reduced errors and improved customer experience in 79% of cases. An additional 87% of government decision-makers surveyed reported that e-signatures increased business speed.

A unique opportunity to accelerate digital transformation

To build a solid foundation on which to scale digital transformation, the HDS team must draw on lessons and insights from federal counterparts as well as feedback from constituents and employees. By addressing pain points and focusing on small, sustainable improvements, the HDS team will not only increase transparency and accountability between lawmakers and constituents, but they will also see a significant improvement in operational efficiency that will improve the employee experience and reduce turnover rate.

More broadly, as the legislative branch emerges from the pandemic, the momentum towards modernization that was propelled by necessity has created a unique opportunity to scale digital transformation in the months ahead. Efforts like the upcoming House digital services team that dedicates resources and time to make real progress toward addressing longstanding technological challenges have the potential to usher in a new wave of growth.

David Santiago is head of industry for public sector, document cloud, Adobe

As the housing market continues to suffer from low inventory and sky-high prices, military members may look for cheaper options. Oftentimes, these options are located in unsafe neighborhoods or require living in a cramped hotel room. The other option is typically living in the barracks, which leaves little to no space for anything military members may wish to bring. This can impact our military in numerous ways from an increase in anxiety to never being able to relax to a loss of sleep. If family members are also brought into the situation, it can make the process that much more straining. However, what many do not realize is that there are several great options out there for service members that offer more than just typical short-term housing. Some housing companies offer customizations, all-inclusive monthly bills, and have access to a housing inventory that no one else does. Here are a few tips for optimizing your search for the right accommodations for yourself, as well as any family members moving with you.

 Utilize a third party who can give you options. When you rely on the right third party for housing, you can save time and money. Hours and even days should not be wasted on a search for a temporary home, which can be quite costly. Third parties can quickly provide you with a solution that will typically fit within your budget. Another benefit to hiring a third party is how understanding they can be. They are aware of some of the requirements that come with military housing such as lodging per diem and needing to be in close proximity to base. Additionally, third-party housing solutions can even offer the consolidation of all utilities into one bill, making it easier to track spending. A housing on-demand service will even provide you with several housing options during their search efforts, along with ways you can customize your short-term home.

Plan ahead of time. It’s vital to begin making plans when you are informed of your relocation. These plans can range from where you will be staying to what you need to bring with you. If you map out exactly what you will need, your location, who is coming with you, etc. you will be less stressed and more prepared for your next assignment. I also recommend thinking about what you will need during your stay and what you can live without. While I do encourage you to do what you can to make your short-term home feel more comfortable, it is smart to think about what you can leave behind and purchase while you are living in your home away from home. Additionally, think about what kind of housing you will need. Is the housing just for you or will your family be joining? How long will you be at this location and how close do you need to be to base? Having the answers to these questions makes it easier to find and secure the appropriate accommodations. That organization will also save you a lot of time.

Know Your Basic Allowance for Housing. It’s extremely important to know your BAH when facing an upcoming move that requires short-term housing. Whether it’s a GSA allowance or a dislocation allowance, make sure you get clear confirmation on the amount you will have to work with. When you know your allowance, in addition to your income, you can make a budget plan! This can help you figure out what you can afford in terms of housing, as well as what extras you may want to add on, whether that be a backyard, an additional bedroom, etc. Additionally, knowing what your income will look like makes it easier to research the neighborhoods that are close to your new base. It allows you to have a better understanding of where you can and cannot afford to live.

Lean on your third party. When using the right third party to book your housing, you can lean on them for various resources and some housing services. For example, housing on-demand will even do the searching for you. You can ask these third parties for help, whether it be with finding a grocery store in close proximity or what school district is close to your home. A housing on-demand solution will be extremely helpful and resourceful in this case. They can set up grocery deliveries in time for your arrival, install high-speed wifi, move in any furniture you may need, etc. Finding short-term housing should be easy and direct. If you lean on a third party they should be able to provide you with answers to any questions you may have and use the resources that are at their direct disposal, making your stay that much more stress-free.

The search for the right housing should not be as difficult as it is, especially for our nation’s military. Utilizing these tips should make the process of securing a short-term home more seamless and rid some of the stress that comes with this process. The abilities that some third-party housing and housing on-demand companies offer can make the process more seamless, enabling you to worry less about the housing situation and focus more on your next assignment.

Carlos Abisambra is president & CEO of Travelers Haven.

In the past two years, and then some, employers have been addressing change and challenges on a near constant basis. Businesses have experienced major delays and setbacks due to worksite closures, public health precautions, and supply chain concerns. Beyond the businesses themselves, the massive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the American workplace has left many employees feeling uneasy as they grapple with the aftershocks. This combination of workplace disruptions and rattled employees has created a new generation of expectations and benefits that many companies will be carrying into the future. Flexibility is a huge theme in this shift, with many companies opting for hybrid work schedules or moving to a fully remote workforce, and health benefits like telemedicine are rising in popularity. Employees are prioritizing balance and flexibility.

Industries with close physical proximity between employees – like construction and the service industry – as well as a population of hourly workers have been hit especially hard by the pandemic period. For this same group of employees, the personal health risks associated with the pandemic are higher and, therefore, so is the demand for benefits. Now more than ever, employee wellness is a focus. Beyond the physical needs of employees and keeping them safe during the pandemic, employers have also been looking to mental and financial health and wellness and how those needs can be met.

At this moment, the message is clear: Employers need flexibility, adaptability and the ability to weather the storm created by the pandemic, plus provide for their valued workers. Employees need stability and to know that their wellbeing is valued and protected. Benefits can provide that assurance and peace of mind. An effect of the pandemic is that many American employees are experiencing major mental health struggles and professional burnout, as much as 41% according to research from the Society of Human Resource Management.

There is an urgent need for support, in order to retain valued workers, which has led many employers to reevaluate their employee benefit offerings. Just as employers have adapted their work processes, the approach to benefits must also reflect the workplace of now. This concept of ultimate professional evolution takes the form of flexible employee benefits that emphasize stability for workers, while still providing adaptability to the employer.

Benefits offer the value of personal health and the promise of safety and can attract and retain talent. In this new frontier of prioritizing worker wellbeing, healthcare benefits go hand-in-hand with popular options like mental health services and ability to work at home or remote. The rapid shifts and evolutions in the workplace have created a volatile environment for hiring and talent retention. This has led many companies to focus the bulk of their energy on retaining and cultivating the talent that already exists within their company.

Benefit options that have been especially popular during the past two years are hour banking, flexible approaches to healthcare benefits, and telemedicine. What each of these offerings have in common is that they are as adaptable to the realities of the employees as they are the needs of the employer. Companies can build their benefits in a way that works for them while still providing greater value to their workforce. Hour banking, for example, provides necessary healthcare options to employees that are experiencing diminished work hours due to worksite closures. Telemedicine is perhaps the most talked about employee benefit solution recently. The scope of telemedicine offerings has exponentially expanded over the past year and bridges the gap between people and healthcare providers. Once again, flexibility is the undercurrent of all of these popular offerings. Retaining talent hinges on this principle of providing holistic options and greater sense of balance to a valued workforce.

You may be asking “but how does this help to retain talent within my company?” The value of benefits has already been attached to higher productivity and reduced employee absenteeism, according to a study from Employee Benefits. It’s simple. A healthy employee is an employee that performs well. Add the pandemic into the mix and employee benefits and healthcare go beyond being a career perk, they’re a necessity. Overwhelmingly, employees cite a great benefits package as an important part of their overall work satisfaction. Competitive employee benefits are a means of attracting top-tier talent and retaining a valued workforce.

The future of the American workplace is an approach to wellness that responds to the flexibility that employees are seeking. Business success is built on a foundation of employee wellbeing – physical, mental and financial. The entire landscape of industry and business demands flexibility, adaptability and a forward-thinking approach. Benefits provide the ideal foundation for those ideals to rest on. Retaining valued talent in the workforce comes down to caring for that workforce, plain and simple. Benefits that matter to the employee, delivered with the full picture of the current market in mind.

Caitlin Kennedy is the content marketing manager at Boon

Nothing will change for those who wish to stick to the traditional TSP. It offers a total of 15 funds, including the C, S, I, F and G funds, plus 10 self-adjusting target date funds.

But those who wish to broaden their investment portfolios into more targeted investments, or funds with social or environmental agendas, can do so. For a price: three new fees including a $55 annual access fee, plus a $95 annual service fee, and a per-trade fee of $28.75.

Whether you decide to stay put with your current options, or invest in some of the new ones, it’s critical to understand how the new system works. So here is the official 9-step fact sheet on the new Mutual Fund Window (MFW):

On June 1, 2022, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board launched a mutual fund window (MFW) for Thrift Savings Plan participants.

Highlights:

• The use of the MFW is entirely voluntary. TSP participants will remain invested in the same five core funds and the 10 target date funds that the TSP currently offers unless they choose to invest in a mutual fund through the MFW.
• The MFW offers roughly 5,000 mutual funds in roughly 300 mutual fund families, including those offered by Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and Vanguard. For funds with multiple classes, the lowest expense ratio class is offered.
• To exercise this option, participants must log into their TSP account and then open an MFW account before they can transfer money from their TSP account through the MFW and select the mutual fund(s) in which they choose to invest.
• All the mutual funds on the platform comply with all applicable U.S. laws and regulations, including those promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The mutual funds on the TSP MFW platform will follow the same rules applicable to any other mutual fund offered in any other public or private retirement plan in the United States.
• The mutual funds available on the MFW platform have not been reviewed by TSP fiduciaries to determine whether they are wise investments for any individual TSP participant. This means that participants must carefully review the prospectus for each mutual fund and decide which ones will meet their investment goals, as they would if choosing a mutual fund outside the MFW.
• TSP participants who choose to avail themselves of the MFW will be able to use a Morningstar-developed search tool to find mutual funds that meet their specific investment interests. They will be able, and in fact encouraged, to review any mutual fund’s prospectus before investing to have a thorough understanding of the fund’s goals and investments.
• In accordance with the statutory requirement that TSP participants using the MFW bear the cost of the MFW, all TSP participants electing to invest in the MFW would incur additional fees: an administrative fee of $55 annually; an annual maintenance fee of $95; a per trade fee of $28.75; and any fees and expenses imposed by the specific mutual fund(s) in which they invest.
• To be eligible to invest in the MFW, a participant’s minimum initial transfer must be $10,000 and the investments through the window can equal no more than 25% of the participant’s TSP account value.
• The funds that a federal employee or member of the uniform services uses to invest in the TSP or the MFW are personal property, not federal funds. Once a federal employee or member of the uniformed services deposits their paycheck in the bank, it is theirs and not subject to federal control. Money from TSP participants’ paychecks invested in the TSP is exactly the same; it is their personal property and they have property rights under the law.
• Any federal employee or member of the uniformed services can, and has always been able to, invest in any mutual fund outside of their TSP account through any mutual fund provider.

The FRTIB provided some interesting background about the mutual fund window program. If you are interested, find it here.

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Robert O’Shaughnessy

Source: How Stuff Works