ASMC Washington Chapter, October 2006 Newsletter
ASMC Washington Chapter, P.O. BOX 16237, Arlington, VA 22215-1237
ASMC - Washington Chapter
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A Five Star Chapter
October 2006
Date: 11 OCTOBER 2006 LUNCHEON Time: 11:30Am Place: holiday inn
Sponsored by: NAVY
President’s Message
President, ASMC Washington Chapter
Just when you thought you could breathe easy because you successfully crossed the threshold into the new fiscal year (with an appropriations bill).....you remember that it's time for year end closing!
At the end of an accounting period, controllers are responsible for closing the books to support an organization's financial and management reporting. Meeting this important responsibility requires executing a detailed close-to-report process, using supporting systems and tools, and employing the appropriate accounting and technical skills.
Accuracy of the financial report depends on the participation and cooperation of numerous people throughout the Department, many of whom are members of our Washington Chapter. Our collective goal is to present our financial information in a way that will give our shareholders confidence that their investment (tax dollars) is sound. We want them to have as much confidence in us as they do in our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in providing for our national defense.
In the upcoming days, I wish all of you patience, persistence and infinite energy as we bring 06 to a close.
Elizabeth McGrath
ASMC, Washington Chapter President
Today’s Topic and Speaker:
DoN's implementation of A123
MR. MARK E. EASTON
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF FINANCIAL OPERATIONS
Mr. Easton assumed his current position as the Director, Financial Operations, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management and Comptroller (FM&C) in May 2004. In this position, he is responsible for the Department of the Navy financial improvement initiates that involve those financial systems/processes required. He was appointed as a member of the Senior Executive Service in January 2003, serving initially as the Director of DFAS Cleveland and the Senior Navy Client Executive for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).
He retired from active duty in September 2002, following a 29-year career as a Navy Supply Corps officer. In his command tour in DFAS Pacific, he provided support for all four military services from locations in Hawaii and Japan. Prior to this assignment he served as the Executive Assistant and Naval Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management and Comptroller.
While on active duty, Mr. Easton served in assignments both afloat and ashore. His shipboard tours included service as Supply Officer of the Battleship USS NEW JERSEY, Assistant Supply Officer of the Destroyer Tender USS PIEDMONT, and, Supply and Disbursing Officer aboard the Amphibious Tank Landing Ship, USS FAIRFAX COUNTY. Ashore, he served in a variety of logistics and financial management positions, including Freight Terminal Department Director, Naval Supply Depot, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines and Planning Department Director at the Navy Ships Parts Control Center in Mechanicsburg, PA. While at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Headquarters in Washington, DC, he was the Director of Readiness Support, and directly involved in DLA’s Operational Logistics Support of Hurricane Andrew disaster relief and in humanitarian missions to Somalia, Bosnia, and Haiti.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he received a commission through the NROTC program at Miami University (Ohio). He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and has completed the Executive development program at the University of Northwestern Kellogg Graduate School of business. He is also a graduate of the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Mr. Easton has received various personal military awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with gold star. He has also been awarded the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award.
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY A-123 PROGRAM
by Brandon Satterwhite
In December 2004, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised Circular A-123, Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control. While the revisions to the Circular included many changes, the primary focus was on OMB’s addition of Appendix A.
Appendix A, of the revised version of OMB Circular A-123, the implementing guidance for the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA), requires federal agency managers to accept responsibility for, and provide annual assurance over, the effectiveness of their internal controls over financial reporting. This new provision is very similar to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (commonly referred to as SOX) that governs management’s assessment of internal controls in the private sector. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law in response to numerous accounting and management scandals in the corporate world, with Enron and WorldCom being the most recognized examples.
Soon after the release of the revised OMB Circular A-123, the Department of Defense (DoD) went to work on revisions to DoD Instruction 5010.40, Managers’ Internal Control (MIC) Program Procedures, in order to capture OMB’s new requirements. The revised instruction included several changes that would impact the Department of the Navy’s (DON) Management Control Program, including its name. The term “Management Control Program” was replaced across DoD with “Managers’ Internal Control Program.” Private industry and the Government Accountability Office had long used the term “internal control” instead of “management control” and DoD wished to update the name of the program to reflect this practice. The term “Managers” was also included in the program name to emphasize that internal controls are the responsibility of all managers no matter where they fall within an organization.
While the requirements of the revised Circular A-123 were not scheduled to take effect until FY 2006, the DON had already been refining its approach to documenting, testing, and assessing the effectiveness of its financial reporting controls through the DON Financial Improvement Program (FIP). Because of this, Appendix A would not only provide the means by which the DON would report on the effectiveness of their internal controls over financial reporting, but also provide a framework of sustainability for the FIP efforts.
Perhaps the biggest impact the OMB Circular A-123 and the subsequent revision to DoD Instruction had on the DON’s internal control environment was how it would affect the DON’s reporting on the effectiveness of internal controls. In years prior, DoD components were only required to submit one Statement of Assurance (SOA) that addressed compliance with FMFIA as a whole. However, with the advent of the revised OMB A-123, the requirements were changed to include a separate section to the SOA to address financial reporting. The new section of the SOA, commonly referred to as FMFIA Over Financial Reporting, was to be based on the work of the DON FIP and reviewed by the DON’s new Senior Assessment Team, which is composed of various command comptrollers who have been involved in improving the DON’s financial statements.
In March 2006, the Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller), or OUSD(C), released its own implementation guidance for Appendix A. Specifically; the Comptroller addressed the development of process-level internal control test plans and sample selections. This guidance provided a uniform method of testing internal controls over financial reporting, and reporting their effectiveness in the newly required SOA. Following this guidance, the DON developed test plans for each of the current FIP focus areas. For FY 2006, the focus areas included financial statement line items such as Fund Balance with Treasury, Environmental Liabilities and Appropriations Received. In addition, test plans were developed for those financial processes where the DON has asserted audit readiness. These include Debt, FECA Liability, and Investments. The test plan package was subsequently delivered to the Comptroller.
Testing of the controls surrounding each of the above mentioned processes was conducted during May and June. At the conclusion of the testing period, all results were compiled and communicated via memorandum to members of the DON FIP Senior Assessment Team (SAT), the DON Audit Committee, and OUSD(C). For the purposes of developing the test plan and control testing deliverables to OUSD(C), it should be noted that the Marine Corps provided separate submissions from the Navy. However, the results of control testing at the Marine Corps are ultimately included in the DON SOA for FMFIA over Financial Reporting.
Generally, the results of the tested focus areas showed that the DON is making significant progress toward achieving OMB A-123 Appendix A compliance, particularly in the overall involvement of the commands or “process owners”. While the DON’s Office of Financial Operations (FMO) served as the lead on this effort, it should be noted that each command was called upon to test the controls for which they were responsible. Internal controls, even those over financial reporting, are not simply a responsibility of FMO, but of the entire DON management.
Looking ahead to 2007, the DON will continue to expand its coverage of OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A. OUSD(C) has designated four new focus areas for 2007, in addition to the continued monitoring and testing of internal controls for prior year focus areas,. The new focus areas are Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory, and Operating Materials & Supplies (OM&S).
Coverage of these areas will remain consistent with that given to the previous year focus areas in that the primary goal will be to sustain the efforts of the DON FIP, all the while paving the way to an unqualified audit opinion in the future.
Featured Article
By: Ednora Armour-Ohanmu CDFM,
ASMC Washington Chapter
SPAWAR Systems Center Office, Washington, DC
Defense Travel System (DTS)
This is an electronic system that allows Department of Defense (DoD) civilians and military personnel to electronically input their official government travel requests in DTS. I am not sure of the timeline but eventually all DoD civilians and military employees will be required to use DTS. This system has been operational at Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) System Command’s San Diego, California headquarters since 2002.
When logging into DTS, you insert your Control Access Card (CAC) into the reader or insert the diskette into the A: drive. You then access the DTS Home page, ; click LOGIN TO DTS; read the Security Alert screen, select Yes and Click Accept to the DoD Privacy & Ethics Policy. The Digital Signature Login window opens; the Key File displays, Enter your PIN (or password) and Click OK. First-time users will see the User Activation screen. Enter your Social Security Number in both fields and click Submit. Your DTS User Welcome screen opens.
If your DTS account has not been activated, you will only see an Administrative menu displaying on the screen. (1) Click the ‘Administrative’ menu. (2) Click ‘Self Registration’, completing the Basic Information and Additional Information screens. (3) Click ‘Submit Self-Registration’. (4) Log off DTS. (5) You will receive an e-mail when the registration has been accepted. Once accepted, you may login to DTS to create your authorization.
Creating an authorization is the same as preparing a travel request. The Travel itinerary screen is your starting point where you put in your departing and returning dates. Before leaving this section, please make sure you hit “Save and Proceed”. When inputting Air Travel Reservations, you will type in the name of the airport city or airport code for departure and arrival airport. Please make sure the Arrival/Departure times are correct before clicking ‘Search Availability’. You can check up to 10 flights and want to make sure the arrival and departure flights you select are part of the Government travel share program. I really like the ‘Select Seat’ feature. When you have finished with this section, please make sure you click on “Save Selected Flight”. You are now ready to click “Continue” at the bottom of the screen and proceed to the Lodging section.
All military members on temporary travel at a military installation must contact the lodging facility to reserve lodging (see Document Processing Manual, Section 2.6.2). You can search hotels by Name, Near an Airport, Near a City or Near a Zip Code. After you have clicked on ‘Search Accommodations’, you can select the desired hotel by clicking on ‘Hotel Info & Pricing’. I selected a desired hotel in Bath, Maine that was within the per diem. The other sections to go to are Rental Car, Expenses, Lines of Accounting, Additional Options and Review/Sign. While in the Expenses section, please make sure you include total estimates for hotel taxes, taxis to and from airport (or other means of transportation), gasoline and ATM surcharge. I was not able to make changes to the Lines of Accounting section. If you have changes or additions to your personal information in DTS, you do this in the Additional Options section. In the Review/Sign area, you must type in a justification. If your temporary travel area did not list hotels within the per diem amount, you must type in the Comments box “authorization for actuals necessary” and state the reason. You can click on “Save and Proceed to Digital Signature, stamp the document SIGNED and click on “Submit Completed Document”. [I always print out a copy of my travel authorization document after the Additional Options section.]
You have five business days, after completion of your official travel, to do your travel voucher. From the drop-down list under Official Travel in DTS, you will Click Vouchers and begin inputting actual travel expenses in the Lodging, Rental Car and Expenses areas, remembering to ‘Review/Sign when finished. It is not necessary to go into the Itinerary or Travel sections unless you have changes.
All receipts for lodging and other individual official travel expenses of $75 or more, including airline receipts charged to the individually billed account, must be electronically attached to your travel voucher. [I was surprised to learn that when the Commercial Travel Office makes your air reservations, the amount is charged to your individual government travel card and you may receive a bank statement for the plane ticket charges before DFAS has sent the bank their monies.]
Please do not make the same mistake that I did when I submitted my receipts by fax (instructions in Chapter 2 that can be retrieved from the DTS Home site referenced above). After I had followed all of the instructions, had clicked on “View” to look at my receipts; the next instruction was to click on “Remove”. When I hit the “Remove” button, my receipts were lost!
I hope this information is helpful to you.
Ednora Armour-Ohanmu, CDFM
2006-2007 ASMC Washington Chapter
Awards Program
The Chapter Award Program recognizes individuals and teams from the Washington DC Area for outstanding accomplishment within one of the functional fields of comptrollership. Any office or person in the Department of Defense or the United States Coast Guard (to include National Guard or Reserve Components) may nominate a person who has demonstrated outstanding performance. Although award nominations won’t be accepted until January 2007, now is a good time to start thinking of those people, teams, and projects that deserve the extra recognition that comes with the ASMC Award. Look for additional details in upcoming Washington Chapter emails and newsletters and on the ASMC National website and the Armed Forces Comptroller magazine. If you have any questions or wish to serve on the award committee feel free to contact me at 202-685-6703 or beverly.veit@navy.mil
Committee Chairman, Ms. Beverly Veit
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USO Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament Re-cap
Six ASMC members spent an exciting evening on August 22nd volunteering at the monthly USO of Metropolitan Washington Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. ASMC volunteers served as dealers and assisted injured soldiers and their families throughout the evening. It was a great success and a ton of fun! Thank you to the following ASMC members for their incredible support, enthusiasm, and participation- Charlotte Beacham, Melinda Graves, Irene Hall, Dick Reed, and Jennifer Sizemore. We look forward to growing our relationship with the USO and our chapter’s commitment to the community. If you are interested in future chapter volunteer opportunities with the USO please email Amy Anda at asmcdcvolunteer@.
Annual ASMC “No Holiday For Hunger” Food Drive
Please bring canned food and non-perishable items to the ASMC Luncheon on Wednesday, November 8th. A list of the most-needed items is provided below and is also available on the chapter website. All items and funds collected will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). CAFB is the largest, public nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Each year the CAFB distributes 20 million pounds of food, including 6 million pounds of fresh produce through over 700 member agencies.
CAFB Most Needed Items
Canned Proteins (tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter)
Canned Fruits (pineapples, peaches, and pears)
100% Fruit Juices (All sizes including juice boxes)
Pastas and Sauces (spaghetti sauce)
Canned Vegetables (mixed, green beans, corn)
Soups (beef stew, chili, chicken noodle, turkey rice)
Cereal (cheerios, cornflakes, grape nuts, raisin bran)
Diapers
Deodorants for men and women
Toilet paper
Tissues
Soap
Toothpaste
Shampoo
Capital Area Food Bank Hands-On Project
Join us on Wednesday, November 29th from 6:30-8:30 PM for an exciting hands-on volunteer project at the Capital Area Food Bank (645 Taylor St., NE; Washington, DC). ASMC volunteers will help deliver the ASMC food drive donations and then will sort and repackage food for needy adults, children, and families. Learn more about the food bank and see how donations move from donors to delivery. This is also a great opportunity for members to socialize and network while also giving back to the community. Please RSVP to asmcdcvolunteer@ no later COB on Wednesday, November 15th.
Stay tuned for more details about our annual toy and food drive for the ASMC DC Chapter Holiday Social!
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NEW CDFM CERTIFICATIONS
Brenda Joyce Biggs Andrea Simmons Newsome
Deborah Ann Bourgeois Kimberly Ashton O'Keefe
Terry Steven Carter Hubert K Ouattara
Melvin Leon Chattman LeRoy K Smith
Stephen Scott Curtis Carleen M Stidham
Kelly Ranae Maurer Travis J Upton
Sharnell Venise Montgomery Lisa Lynette Vaughn
Donald Allen Moore Gordon A Weiss
Amy Anda, ASMC DC Chapter Community Service Chairman, has been selected by Federal Computer Week (FCW) Magazine to receive the first annual Rising Star Award for her efforts supporting the Army Human Resources Command (HRC). The Rising Star Awards are designed to recognize the people who are the up and coming leaders for the government IT community.
Amy L. Franklin-McDowell completed her PhD in Organizational Leadership with the University of Oklahoma on May 12, 2006. She was also hooded a second time (June 2006) in Heidelberg, Germany where she was the student speaker for the Univ of Oklahoma’s graduate program.
She is currently serving as a Career Broadener for SAF/MRD, where she is utilizing the knowledge gained from her dissertation research subject, diversity.
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DR Franklin-McDowell Receiving diploma from Dr. Boren, Norman Oklahoma
Upcoming Events
DATE EVENTS
1 November Executive Board Meeting
8 November ASMC Luncheon
29 November Capital Area Food Bank Hands-on Project
6 December Executive Board Meeting
13 December Holiday Social
15 March 2007 Washington Chapter Mini PDI
Please make a reservation if you plan to attend the luncheon. The Chapter uses this number to guarantee a certain amount of lunches to the hotel. If you find that you cannot attend, please cancel. Otherwise, the Chapter may have to pay for your luncheon.
Chapter News
Congratulations to our members who have recently retired from Federal Service!
Edward Johnson - ASN (FM&C) FMO
Thomas Murray - ASN (FM&C) FMO
Donna White - ASN (FM&C) FMB
Ms. Megan Salser was the raffle winner from the September Luncheon.
SAVE the DATE (s)
The National Capital Region Mini-PDI 2007
When: Thursday, 15 March 2007.
Where: Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, Washington, DC.
The Mini-PDI provides a great opportunity for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors to provide training, networking, and technological updates for Government, Industry, and Military. There were about 443 paying attendees at the Mini-PDI 2006. The income from this function supports Chapter scholarships and charities.
ASMC NOVEMBER LUNCH
SPONSER: Coast Guard
PLACE: Holiday Inn, Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria
DATE: November 8, 2006
TIME: Social 11:30, Lunch 12:00
For the most updated information on future events, please visit our website at:
ASMC National News
Surveying All ASMC Members
The online survey asks your opinion about current professional development opportunities at ASMC and possible new opportunities. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete. For each ASMC member who has already taken this survey or takes it in the future, ASMC will contribute $1 split between two charities: USO and the Wounded Warrior Project (a charity that aids severely injured U.S. military personnel during the period of their initial rehabilitation). Special thanks to Grant Thornton LLP for help in preparing the survey and for use of their online survey site.
news
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Washington Chapter Officers for 2006- 2007
|Name |Title |E-Mail |Phone |
|Elizabeth McGrath |President |Elizabeth.Mcgrath@osd.mil |(703) 614-3883 |
|Kyle Fugate |Secretary |Kyle.Fugate@osd.mil |(202) 685-6718 |
|Stacey Simmons |Treasurer |stacy.simmons@bta.mil |(703) 692-0902 |
|Carol Phillips |OSD Vice President |Carol.Phillips@osd.mil |(703) 693-6503 |
|Lucy Williams |OSD Ass't Secretary |lucy.williams@osd.mil |(703) 571-9183 |
|Robert Benefiel |DFAS Vice President |Robert.E.Benefiel@dfas.mil |(703) 607-2848 |
|Sherri Anthony |DFAS Ass't Secretary |Sherri.Anthony@dfas.mil |(703) 601-2476 |
|Colonel Byron L. Cherry, Sr |Army Vice President |byron.cherry@hqda.army.mil |(703) 602-7717 |
|Mary Williams |Army Ass't Secretary |mary.r.williams@hqda.army.mil |(703) 693-2818 |
|Beverly Veit |Navy Vice President |beverly.veit@navy.mil |(202) 685-6718 |
|Brenda LaFleur |Navy Ass't Secretary |LaFleurBL@ |(703) 607-7094 x142 |
|Marcia Case |USMC Vice President |Marcia.Case@usmc.mil |(703) 692-5508 |
|Arlillian Coleman |USMC Ass't Secretary |Arlillian.Coleman@usmc.mil |703-614-2023 |
|Keith Hicks |Air Force Vice President |Keith.Hicks@pentagon.af.mil |(703) 604-4325 |
|Michael Ebiala |Air Force Ass't Secretary |Michael.ebiala@pentagon.af.mil |(703) 697-5596 |
|Warren Cottingham |USCG Vice President |Wcottingham@comdt.uscg.mil |(202) 267-0484 |
|LT Robert Hart |USCG Ass't Secretary |RHart@elcbalt.uscg.mil |(410) 762-6483 |
|Debra Delmar |Corporate Vice President |debra.delmar@vanguard- |(571) 203-7137 |
|Brian Boshart |Corporate Ass't Secretary |Brian.boshart@ |(703) 289-6832 |
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