Hi, all. Today's report features:
• Recovery Act projects: Helping people live better in Tennessee; nuclear waste handling in South Carolina; communications for the deaf in Louisiana, and a green-energy police department in California.
• Recovery and Accountability: Tracking the money; successfully preventing fraud and waste.
• Two years of improving veterans' benefits: President Obama has provided one of the largest funding increases in decades to help create a 21st century VA that provides our veterans better health care, better services, and better support, including in rural communities.
• Inside the White House kitchen garden: A tour of the garden and a report on the 70,000 bees that pollinate it.
And a link to Blackwaterdog.
• RECOVERY ACT PROJECTS AROUND THE COUNTRY •
Tennessee Department of Human Services, Nov. 23, 2010:
The Faces of Recovery
Four stories about Tennesseans who have benefited from ARRA grants administered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
SRS News, Nov. 14, 2010:
Robots Answer Nuclear Waste Challenges at SRS
At the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina, robots are answering challenges raised by the storage of 37 million gallons of radioactive nuclear waste resulting from more than five decades of nuclear materials production. In an environment where human intervention is foreclosed, robots are being used to sample and characterize residual nuclear waste in the tanks, prepare material for processing and facilitate tank closure. Funding for portions of the robotic work has been provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
From SRS.gov:
In just a year and a half, the Recovery Act program at SRS has made dramatic progress across the Site and throughout the community surrounding the 310-square-mile DOE’s facility. SRNS, the management and operating contractor at SRS, has put people to work and awarded millions in contracts to local businesses, a combination that has both jump started the local economy and secured success in completing SRS cleanup projects ahead of schedule.
"Without the skill and dedication of our Recovery Act team, our progress would not be so monumental," said Garry Flowers, SRNS president and chief executive officer. "We look forward to the challenges of the next year and are confident that the successes of Recovery Act Program at SRS are key to future missions at the Site and future opportunities for the people who support the Savannah River Site and call this region home."
The SRS Recovery Act Project has funded 3, 369 jobs so far. Approximately $383 million in ARRA contracts has been awarded thus far, with $260 million going to small businesses.
LPA Inc., Nov. 8, 2010:
Hesperia Police Department and ARRA
The new Hesperia, California Police Department is a 42,887-square-foot, two-story facility that houses an Emergency Operating Center, patrol, investigation services, evidence storage and handling, and secured parking for 285 staff and department vehicles. The first LEED certified building in the City of Hesperia, the police department is a model of green building design for the entire community. The project has participated in Savings by Design, beating Title 24 by 17.8 percent. The recipient of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds (ARRA) under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program for a large array of photovoltaic panels on the roof and in the parking lot.
Deaf Action Center, Nov. 8, 2010:
Instructions for the Tandberg 1700
Instructional video on how to setup the Tandberg 1700 to use with the AccessAmerica VRI service. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce, funded the development of this video through a grant awarded to the Deaf Action Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. No audio.
• RECOVERY AND ACCOUNTABILITY •
From Recovery.gov, Nov. 19, 2010:
National Conference on Preventing Recovery Fraud
Vice President Joe Biden delivered the keynote address at the "Focus on Recovery" Biennial National Procurement and Grant Fraud Conference on Tuesday, November 16, in Philadelphia.
The Vice President lauded the $787 billion economic stimulus program and the efforts of his own Recovery team, and delivered a ringing endorsement of the oversight work performed by the independent Recovery Board and its Chairman, Earl E. Devaney.
Speaking to the more than 500 investigators, auditors, and prosecutors who attended the three-day conference at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Vice President Biden said:
"You, and Earl Devaney at the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, have literally shifted the paradigm. You have changed the culture, from just detecting fraud and abuse, to preventing it. Where once the focus was mainly on those who had engaged in fraud and abuse, now you are using sophisticated tools that are shining the spotlight so bright that would be-abusers don’t even try....
The first thing we did was develop an incredible website, Recovery.gov. Earl and the Board did this with new collaboration and transparency. They held an online dialogue and solicited ideas on how to build the site. They got ideas on mapping, on new technology standards, and data presentation that are in the site today.
Quarterly, that site gets updated with what the people who have Recovery contracts, grants and loans – people who have taxpayer dollars – and what, exactly, recipients are doing with the money. Through the site, we basically deputized thousands of citizen IGs.
If they hear of a road project at the corner of 9th and Main Street, they can go check out the construction site, make sure the job’s getting done, and that it’s getting done well. Not only can any citizen see these details, on every page of the site, they can hit the button at the top right of the screen and report fraud, waste or abuse. We knew the American people could be some of our best watchdogs, so we gave them the tools they’d need to keep their eyes on everything....
The Recovery Board, Aug. 10, 2010:
How the Money Moves
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law on February 17, 2009, allocating $787 billion to spur economic activity. The first contract awards under the Act were made the very same day. A number of steps are required to move the Recovery funds through the government to the recipients.
Office of Management and Budget, Nov. 16, 2010:
Improper Payment Progress
Posted by Jeffrey Zients
Readers of OMBlog are now quite familiar with the Administration’s determined effort to cut the billions of dollars wasted each year in improper payments -- payments made by the government to the wrong person, at the wrong time, or in the wrong amount. These include payments made in error by a government agency sending a benefit check, inadequate documentation by a local provider, or outright fraud by a contractor or other recipient.
As part of the President’s Accountable Government Initiative, we’ve worked hard to bring down the rate of improper payments, recapture misallocated funds, and meet the President’s goal of reducing improper payments by $50 billion by the end of 2012. Yesterday, federal agencies finished their year-end financial statements, and I’m pleased to report that we have made significant progress on these fronts.
For 2010, the government-wide improper payment rate declined to 5.49 percent, a decrease from the 5.65 percent reported in 2009. This means that we prevented an additional $3.8 billion in improper payments from being made in 2010, and are headed in the right direction as we work to meet the President’s goal.
In fact, eight of the 10 high-priority programs (programs which account for the majority of government-wide improper payments) reported lower improper payment rates in 2010 compared to 2009. It’s worth noting that Medicare and Medicaid both achieved lower error rates in 2010, avoiding approximately $8 billion in improper payments if those declines had not been achieved.
Agencies also reported that they recaptured almost $687 million in improper payments in 2010, a significant amount of payment recaptures. This total includes approximately $611 million recaptured through payment recapture audit reviews of agency contract payments – a specialized audit in which auditors are given an incentive to find more misspent money. This was the highest recaptured amount reported in the seven years that agencies have conducted payment recapture audits, and more than doubled from 2009. All told, the $687 million recaptured in 2010 puts us on track to achieve the Administration’s goal of recapturing at least $2 billion between 2010 and 2012.
Now, because many of the targeted programs – such as Unemployment Insurance and Medicaid – are paying out more benefits as the economic downturn creates more demand for these benefits, the total number paid out in improper payments increased to $125 billion last fiscal year even though the overall error rate declined. This is an unfortunate result of the recession and of basic math: the more that is paid out, the more paid out in error even if the overall rate declines.
Looking ahead, we are not stopping in our efforts to reduce improper payments. Today, we are releasing guidance to agencies on steps that they should take to comply with the Presidential memorandum on intensifying and expanding payment recapture audits, and steps on how agencies can begin to implement the new recapture authorities contained within the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (IPERA). We also are launching a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pilot www.VerifyPayment.Gov, a new portal for the new Do Not Pay List that will create a central clearinghouse of information to prevent payments to ineligible recipients.
And because, ultimately, it’s your money at stake, information about agencies’ improper payments will be available later today at www.PaymentAccuracy.gov.
The results today demonstrate that we can cut waste, boost effectiveness, and create a government where tax dollars are respected. As the steps we have taken over the past several months continue to take root, I am confident that with the continued hard work of folks across the federal government and with the leadership of President Obama, we will see continued progress in reducing improper payments and toward a more efficient federal government.
• TWO YEARS OF IMPROVING VETERANS' BENEFITS •
From the White House, Sept. 15, 2010:
Posted by Michael Harasimowicz, Director for Personnel and Readiness, National Security Staff
• President Obama has provided one of the largest funding increases in decades to help create a 21st century VA that provides our veterans better health care, better services, and better support, including in rural communities.
• We’ve eliminated inpatient, outpatient and prescription co-pays for the catastrophically disabled, which today account for a historically large percentage of our veterans coming home from war.
• We’re breaking the back of benefit claims backlog so vets don’t have to wait years for the benefits they need, and are continuing to work to improve and modernize VA’s delivery of services.
• We’re helping our veterans transition back to civilian life by helping them get jobs and sending our veterans to college through the post-9/11 GI Bill, which has already helped more than 300,000 veterans or a member of their family pursue their dream of a college education.
• And, we’re providing unprecedented resources to treat the wounds of today’s wars -- traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder – and to provide additional resources to help family members and caregivers who put their own lives on hold to care for their loved one.
• Finally, the Administration is making it easier for those suffering from PTSD to qualify for VA benefits. A veteran can now establish a claim based on his or her own testimony of events that caused PTSD without the requirement of corroborating evidence -- no matter what war you served in.
• 2009 •
White House, April 9, 2009:
Improving Our Veterans’ Health Care
The President announces a plan to improve the health care system for America's veterans along with Secretary Gates and Secretary Shinseki. In attendance were patients and health care providers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda) and the DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In addition, the leaders from Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) and Military Service Organizations (MSO) were present.
Office of the Press Secretary, April 9, 2009:
Remarks by the President on Improving Veterans’ Health Care
The President:
.... Under the leadership of Secretary Gates and Secretary Shinseki, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have taken a first step towards creating one unified lifetime electronic health record for members of our armed services that will contain their administrative and medical information -- from the day they first enlist to the day that they are laid to rest.
Currently, there is no comprehensive system in place that allows for a streamlined transition of health records between DOD and the VA. And that results in extraordinary hardship for a awful lot of veterans, who end up finding their records lost, unable to get their benefits processed in a timely fashion. I can't tell you how many stories that I heard during the course of the last several years, first as a United States senator and then as a candidate, about veterans who were finding it almost impossible to get the benefits that they had earned despite the fact that their disabilities or their needs were evident for all to see.
And that's why I'm asking both departments to work together to define and build a seamless system of integration with a simple goal: When a member of the Armed Forces separates from the military, he or she will no longer have to walk paperwork from a DOD duty station to a local VA health center; their electronic records will transition along with them and remain with them forever. (Applause.)
Now, this would represent a huge step towards modernizing the way health care is delivered and benefits are administered for our nation's veterans. It would cut through red tape and reduce the number of administrative mistakes. It would allow all VA sites access to a veteran's complete military medical record, giving them the information they need to deliver high-quality care. And it would do all this with the strictest and most rigorous standards of privacy and security, so that our veterans can have confidence that their medical records can only be shared at their direction....
I'm also pleased that the budget resolutions adopted by both houses of Congress preserve priorities that I outlined in my budget -- priorities that will go a long way towards building that 21st-century VA that we're looking for. The 2010 budget includes the largest single-year increase in VA funding in three decades. And all told, we will increase funding by $25 billion over the next five years....
Veterans Health Administration, May 5, 2009:
The Post-9/11 GI Bill
Assistant Secretary to the VA, Tammy Duckworth, shares information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
White House, Aug. 3, 2009:
President Obama Launches Post-9/11 GI Bill
President Obama marks the launch of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which will provide comprehensive education benefits to our veterans. The bill will provide our veterans the skills and training they need to be successful in the future, and is part of the President's plan to build a new foundation for the 21st century.
Office of the Press Secretary, Aug. 3, 2009:
Remarks by the President on the Post-9/11 GI Bill at George Mason University
The President:
.... And this is even more important than it was in 1944. The first GI Bill helped build a post-war economy that has been transformed by revolutions in communications and technology. And that's why the post-1911 -- 9/11 GI Bill must give today's veterans the skills and training they need to fill the jobs of tomorrow. Education is the currency that can purchase success in the 21st century, and this is the opportunity that our troops have earned.
I'm also proud that all who have borne the burden of service these last several years will have access to this opportunity. We are including reservists and National Guard members, because they have carried out unprecedented deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are including the military families who have sacrificed so much, by allowing the transfer of unused benefits to family members. And we are including those who pay the ultimate price by making this benefit available to the children of those who lost their life in service to their country.
This is not simply a debt that we are repaying to the remarkable men and women who have served -- it is an investment in our own country. The first GI Bill paid for itself many times over through the increased revenue that came from a generation of men and women who received the skills and education that they needed to create their own wealth. The veterans who are here today -- like the young post-9/11 veterans around the country -- can lead the way to a lasting economic recovery and become the glue that holds our communities together. They, too, can become the backbone of a growing American middle class....
And so today, we honor the service of an extraordinary generation, and look to America that they will help build tomorrow. With the post-9/11 GI Bill, we can give our veterans the chance to live their dreams. And we can help unleash their talents and tap their creativity and be guided by their sense of responsibility to their fellow citizens and to this country that we all love so much....
White House, Aug 7, 2009:
Reform Reality Check: Vets' health care is safe and sound
Matt Flavin, Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, explains that nothing in health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget greatly expands coverage for veterans who have been denied access in the past.
White House, Oct. 22, 2009:
President Signs Bill to Expand Veterans’ Benefits
The President speaks at the signing of a bill that will increase the VA budget, help fund the post 9/11 GI Bill, and dramatically increase funding for veterans health care. October 22, 2009.
Office of the Press Secretary, Oct. 22, 2009:
Remarks by the President at signing of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act
The President:
.... Since taking office, my administration has worked hard with many of you to make sure that America fulfills our obligations to our veterans and their families....
All told, we have made the biggest commitment to veterans -- the largest percentage increase in the VA budget -- in more than 30 years. (Applause.) And this includes funding the post-9/11 GI Bill -- making sure it works as intended so our newest veterans and their families have the chance to pursue their education and live out their dreams.
But we're here today because a problem that's gone on for far too long -- the delays and uncertainty that often plague funding for veterans' health care. Over the past two decades, the VA budget has been late almost every year, often by months.
At this very moment, the VA is operating without a budget, making it harder for VA medical centers and clinics to deliver the care our vets need....
This is inexcusable. It's unacceptable. It's time for it to stop. And that's just what we'll do with this landmark legislation -- the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act....
And let me say that I take special pride in this legislation because as a senator I was a proud co-sponsor of this legislation. I served on the Veterans Affairs Committee. In the campaign last year, you all remember, I made a promise to pass it. And today as President, I'm fulfilling that promise and I'm going to sign it into law. (Applause.)
With this legislation we're fundamentally reforming how we fund health care for our veterans. With advance appropriations, veterans' medical care will be funded a year in advance. For the VA, this means timely, sufficient and predictable funding from year to year. For VA hospitals and clinics, it means more time to budget, to recruit high-quality professionals, and to invest in new health care equipment.
And most of all, for our veterans it will mean better access to the doctors and nurses and the medical care that they need: specialized care for our wounded warriors with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, and the staffing to welcome back to the VA those half-million "Priority 8" vets.
In short, this is common-sense reform. It promotes accountability at the VA. It ensures oversight by Congress. It is fiscally responsible by not adding a dime to the deficit. And it ensures that veterans' health care will no longer be held hostage to the annual budget battles in Washington. (Applause.)....
• 2010 •
White House, May 5, 2010:
Improving Health Care for Veterans
President Obama signs the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act that improves health care services for veterans and provides assistance and training to those who provide care to wounded warriors. May 5, 2010.
Remarks by the President at Signing of Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act
The President:
.... With this legislation, we’re expanding mental health counseling and services for our veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq, including our National Guardsmen and Reservists. We’re authorizing the VA to utilize hospitals and clinics outside the VA system to serve more wounded warriors like Ted with traumatic brain injury.
We’re increasing support to veterans in rural areas, with the transportation and housing they need to reach VA hospitals and clinics. We’re expanding and improving health care for our women’s veterans, to meet their unique needs, including maternity care for newborn children. And we’ll launch a pilot program to provide child care for veterans receiving intensive medical care.
We’re eliminating co-pays for veterans who are catastrophically disabled. And we’re expanding support to homeless veterans, because in the United States of America, no one who has served this nation in uniform should ever be living on the streets.
Finally, this legislation marks a major step forward in America’s commitment to families and caregivers who tend to our wounded warriors every day. They’re spouses like Sarah. They’re parents, once again caring for their sons and daughters. Sometimes they’re children helping to take care of their mom or dad.
These caregivers put their own lives on hold, their own careers and dreams aside, to care for a loved one. They do it every day, often around the clock. As Sarah can tell you, it’s hard physically and it’s hard emotionally. It’s certainly hard financially. And these tireless caregivers shouldn’t have to do it alone. As of today, they’ll be getting more of the help that they need....
White House, July 9, 2010:
Weekly Address: Help for Vets with PTSD
President Obama announces that the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Shinseki, will begin making it easier for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to receive the benefits and treatment they need.
Office of the Press Secretary, July 10, 2010:
Weekly Address: President Obama Announces Changes to Help Veterans with PTSD Receive the Benefits They Need
The President:
Today, we’ve made it clear up and down the chain of command that folks should seek help if they need it. In fact, we’ve expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets.
But for years, many veterans with PTSD who have tried to seek benefits – veterans of today’s wars and earlier wars – have often found themselves stymied. They’ve been required to produce evidence proving that a specific event caused their PTSD. And that practice has kept the vast majority of those with PTSD who served in non-combat roles, but who still waged war, from getting the care they need.
Well, I don’t think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for a claims application. And I’ve met enough veterans to know that you don’t have to engage in a firefight to endure the trauma of war.
So we’re changing the way things are done.
On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Ric Shinseki, will begin making it easier for a veteran with PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs.
This is a long-overdue step that will help veterans not just of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, but generations of their brave predecessors who proudly served and sacrificed in all our wars....
• INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE KITCHEN GARDEN •
America’s Heartland, Nov. 3, 2010:
America's Heartland is a magazine-style, half-hour series with an agricultural focus produced by KVIE, Sacramento, in high definition.
White House Garden – Interview with the First Lady
Many of us have home gardens that allow us to enjoy fresh and easily-accessible fruits and vegetables. America's First Family is no exception. The U.S. Park Service and many volunteers help maintain the White House kitchen garden.
White House Garden Tour with First Lady Michelle Obama
First Lady Michelle Obama takes Jason Shoultz on a more detailed tour of the White House kitchen garden.
White House, June 23, 2010:
Inside the White House – Bees!
This beehive on the South Lawn is a first for the White House. The busy bees pollinate the kitchen garden, flora all over Washington and provide honey for the White House kitchen. Take a look at this year's colony, estimated at about 70,000 bees, and listen to how the idea for a beehive on the South Lawn came about.