Washington, DC - The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has met the agency's goals for the month of March. The goals, as outlined in OPM's Strategic and Operational Plan, are a part of the agency's efforts to ensure the American public can count on the federal workforce to produce the high quality work products expected.

"OPM's employees accomplish important tasks every day...everything from ensuring the federal government's background investigations process to maintaining an efficient Federal Employees Health Benefits Program," said OPM Director Linda M. Springer. "What is most important is that when OPM sets a goal, a timetable, we meet our goal."

Goals met for March included:

- Implementing healthcare information technology initiatives, including price and quality transparency, and including them in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program call letter;

- Developing legislation to offer Short-Term Disability Insurance to federal employees;

- Issuing 2007 FEHBP community-rated reconciliation instructions;

- Producing a retirement process educational video for the Executive Branch;

- Completing the development of an enhanced automated core qualification examination tool;

- Increasing the number of CHCO agencies using the USAJOBS resume format and integrating online applications with their assessment systems to 50 percent;

- Identifying and recommending new types of outlets for advertising federal employment opportunities and developing an implementation plan;

- Meeting with the CHCO Council to obtain and assess ideas on improving hiring and prepare appropriate action items;

- Developing a concept of operations for entry-on-duty system (EODS);

- Completing private-sector Shared Service Centers' operational capabilities requirements;

- Completing the final statement of work for private-sector Shared Service Centers;

- Expanding accountability report requirements to include the application of the SES performance-based pay system;

- Conducting quarterly informational General Counsel meetings with Associate Directors and office heads;

- Developing a plan to expand CTS Pilot Incentive program to include a quarterly individual/team sales recognition to encourage business development in our reimbursable business;

- Meeting OMB data-encryption requirements for protecting sensitive agency information;

- Encrypting all OPM Blackberry devices;

- Developing an acquisition strategy to procure software, integration, and application hosting services for a new accounting system; and

- Communicating the CHCO Council's mission and successes with stakeholders, including Congress, the media, and employee advocacy groups and stakeholders quarterly.

For a complete copy of OPM's Strategic and Operational Plan, please visit http://www.opm.gov/strategicplan/index.asp.