Author: Joanne

Memorial Day will soon be here and that means that beach season is just around the corner!  I just took the time to schedule some time off for summer fun in the sun, and my kids are already nagging us to take them to the beach.

Did you know you can check the water temperature at the beach online? How nice that we can keep an eye on the water temperature so we can plan our vacations for optimal surf splashing.

This summer don’t forget the sunscreen whether you’re at the beach or not. In the past, I didn’t think too much about the effects of sun exposure.  I used to think that if I didn’t have a really bad burn, everything was fine. Then a few years ago my father died of skin cancer and the reality of sun exposure and skin damage began to sink in. It’s summertime and we’re all spending more time outdoors – at the pool, the beach, the garden or just playing in the yard, so now’s a good time to be thinking about our skin.

We haven’t booked our vacation rental, so if you know a fun, family-friendly beach town on the northern east coast, let me know. Whether you’re on the land or in the water – stay safe and have a great summer!

I remember picking up a prescription for my mother last year. The voice coming out of the speaker at the drive-through pharmacy said it would be “eight sixty three.” “Eight dollars?” I asked, because I was afraid that he might mean eight hundred and sixty three dollars.

Right now I’m fortunate because nobody in my family takes prescription drugs regularly, but I know many families that are not so fortunate. $300 for a bottle of pills, $800 for a tube of ointment – prescription drugs can be shockingly expensive!

Many times senior citizens are hardest hit with drug costs because they generally have more prescriptions and many live on fixed incomes. If you’re enrolled in the Medicare prescription drug program and having trouble making the co-payments, there is extra help available to pay for Medicare prescription drug program.

Even if you’re not a senior citizen, assistance is out there and there may be a program to help you with your drug costs.

People are always asking us questions about scams and fraud. There are many types of financial fraud like mortgage scams that target the elderly, Ponzi schemes, tax fraud that steals money from our nation’s coffers, predatory lending that discriminates against vulnerable communities, and credit card fraud.

A few years ago I was a victim of identity theft. The scary thing about identity theft is that so much of your personal information is in the hands of others – in medical offices, human resources, school records, and credit card applications. You’re really at the mercy of the people holding your records. I was lucky that the fraudsters didn’t do any financial harm to me, but the mountain of paperwork and follow-up was outrageous.  I hope it never happens to you.

If you’re smart, and I know you are, you’ll protect yourself from fraud before the fraudsters get to you.  If you’re informed, you can take steps to keep yourself and your hard-earned money safe.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, I know all too well that it’s hard to figure out how to report it. Today there’s the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force web site to help. The Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force is made up of 20 federal agencies, 94 US Attorneys Offices and state and local partners that can help you report fraud.

Yesterday I spent my morning at the Government Customer Support Conference with government contact center managers. They have some questions for you and helped me write my post today. Government contact centers are the places you call when you need to report a pothole on your street, or you need to replace your social security card. We talked about social media tools and we had some debate and discussion about how we can use them to serve you, and we want your thoughts.

We have groups of “internal” and “external” contact center managers. The internal centers are people who provide support to an organization, such as a computer help desk. The external centers directly support the public.

As a group of managers for internal contact centers, we’re uncertain of the value of an internal blog in improving customer support or reducing the number of customer contacts by helping customers help themselves. We wonder:

• Will a blog yield enough results to make it worth employees’ time in preparation and maintenance?
• How will we manage inaccuracies in comments on the blog posts?
• Will anyone use the blog?
• How will we measure the usefulness of the blog?

The group of managers for external contact centers agreed that there could be some value in a blog for their customers. While the blog would not replace the contact center and most likely not be administered by its employees. The contact center managers all agreed that contact center support for a blog would be valuable. The blog could pull posts from frequent topics in the center and feed information to the agents for answering public contacts.

The contact center managers did see value in using microblogging tools like Twitter to provide information to decrease the number of calls, emails and web chats. New York City has tweeted information to students about school snow closings to much success. One member of this group had parking availability tweeted so he would know the parking availability in the city of Pittsburgh.

Would any of these services be helpful to you? Share your ideas.

p.s. Many thanks to my blogging partners today!

If you’re like millions of Americans, you might be wondering when your federal tax refund will arrive. Of course, if you’re like me, there’s no need to wonder because you haven’t even filed your taxes yet. There’s still two more days!

These days you don’t have to wonder about your federal tax refund status. You can check the status of your federal tax return on the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) website. It’s also possible to check the status of your return by phone by calling the IRS TeleTax System at 1-800-829-4477 or the IRS Refund Hotline at 1-800-829-1954.

If you e-filed your taxes, your refund information is available about 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return. If you mailed a paper return, it takes 3-4 weeks until the information is available.

And as always be alert and don’t fall for any tax refund scams or fraud. The IRS never requests detailed personal information through e-mail, and they don’t send e-mail requesting your PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

Recently I’ve been getting offers for a credit card that I don’t want or need. The more I ignore the offers, the hotter their pursuit and soon the offers were arriving every week!

In a moment of weakness, I considered the offer. I did something a little unusual – I read the fine print. It was very interesting, particularly this little bit: no annual fee for the first year. It had a footnote that I thought might explain the annual fee in subsequent years. I had to turn the paper over to the back and the footnote in teeny tiny print says, “For details, please read the “Pricing Information” section and the Terms and Conditions included with this offer”. Well guess what? The offer was a single sheet of paper and nowhere is there a section titled “Pricing Information” or “Terms and Conditions”. I guess they expected me to lose interest before I got that far.

This is the moment I decided that I don’t want a credit card from a company that goes to such lengths to hide basic account information from a potential customer. I picked up the phone, told them that I am not interested in their credit card offer and to stop sending it to me.

New rules were put in place a few months ago to help protect consumers from deceptive credit card practices, but most of the new credit card rules apply to existing accounts.

If you’re smart, like the average GovGab reader, you’ll be sure to read credit card offers carefully before you get yourself into an account that doesn’t suit your needs. You can find help understanding the terms and fees of your credit card offer and show those credit card companies that you’re too clever to fall into their financial trap.

There are an estimated 40 million people with disabilities in our country. The rest of us are temporarily abled, as they say. It’s only a matter of time until we have an injury or illness that will cause us to experience some sort of disability.

Many people don’t think of accessibility for the disabled unless they become disabled or they’re close to someone who is. In many people’s minds, accessibility means wheelchair ramps, or automatic door openers, but accessibility laws apply to government websites and information technology too.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a well known law that gives civil rights protections to people with disabilities. If you work for the government, it’s likely that you’ve also heard of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 requires access to electronic and information technology provided by the federal government.

As a web content manager for USA.gov,  I’ve learned a lot about Section 508 standards. We take accessibility very seriously and we go to a lot of effort to try to make our website accessible to people with all types of disabilities.

Recently I learned that there will be an update on the Section 508 standards for information technology and telecommunications products. There’s an agency called the Access Board that develops and maintains design criteria for buildings, vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and for electronic and information technology.

The Access Board is circulating a draft of the updated standards and guidelines and you can now comment on the draft. These new standards and guidelines aim to make sure that people with disabilities have access to new technologies. So if you or somebody close to you has a disability and wants to be able to use technology that we temporarily abled people take for granted like cell phones, websites and media players…be sure to comment on the standards.

It’s one of those parenting nightmares – you find your baby sitting on the floor with an open bottle of medicine. My story went something like that, but instead of medicine, my 1 year old got her hands on a bottle of cleaning solution for our CD’s. It has no child proof cap and she found it while rummaging through the stereo cabinet. Small children are curious little explorers and it’s amazing what they can get themselves into when you turn your back for a moment.

So there she was, sitting on the floor happily holding the open bottle. I didn’t see her drink any of it, but there wasn’t much liquid left in the bottle. I just didn’t know what to do, so I called the Poison Center.

The people at the Poison Center asked me some questions about the situation, and luckily the cleaning solution was alcohol and the quantity (if she had any at all) was small enough that it didn’t pose a serious threat. They told me what to watch out for, just in case she had a bad reaction and were calm, comforting and helpful. *whew* Everything turned out OK.

Needless to say, a child safety latch was installed on the stereo cabinet – pronto! It’s hard to make your home 100% safe, but if you have small children or animals around your home, do your best to prevent poising.

I got mine, did you get yours? It’s March and the Census Bureau is in full gear making sure census forms are delivered to every home in the United States and Puerto Rico.

The good news is that it’s easy – when you get your form, just answer the 10 questions and mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope they provide (the form cannot be completed online). It only took me a couple of minutes to complete mine.

If you don’t mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.  I don’t like random visitors to bother me at home, so I filled out the form and sent it back last week.

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. Each question helps to determine how more than $400 billion will be allocated to communities across the country. That’s a lot of money – so make sure that your local hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, emergency services, and bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects get their fair share.

Do your part and fill out the official forms, and stay alert to avoid the census scammers.

What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book?  I love The Cat in the Hat with its moss-covered three-handled family gredunza. I love to recite the “Tweetle Beetle Bottle Puddle Paddle Battle Muddle” in Fox in Socks just as fast as I can. The Lorax, The Sneeches, Green Eggs and Ham…I could go on and on.

Reading children’s books is a fun part of having kids, and today is Read Across America Day. Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association, is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.

The research is clear: children who are read to, and who read for pleasure, are more successful in school than children who do not. Reading is a wonderful way to spend fun time with any child, and reading gives a child the gift of lifetime learning. So get in touch with your favorite children’s books of the past and discover some new treasures with a child. Read to a kid today.

It’s tax season once again, and time to gather all the forms and tax records you’ll need to file your tax return. One of the most important documents you’ll need is your W-2 form. We always hear from a lot of people who didn’t get their W-2’s and don’t know what to do. So if you haven’t received your W-2 yet, read on.

Your employer is required to give you copies of your W-2 form by January 31. If that didn’t happen, the first thing you should do is contact the employer and see if you can resolve the issue together. If that didn’t work and you still don’t have your W-2, then it’s time to contact the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). They’ll ask you for some information and then they’ll contact the employer and request the form.

Did you know that even if your employer doesn’t provide the W-2 form in time, you’re still required to file forms with the IRS? Yep. Things start to get a little tricky at this point, so if you’re in that position you should check with the IRS to be sure you file the correct forms.

And just so you know, the rules are pretty similar if you did receive a W-2 from your employer, but it was incorrect.

I wish you a happy tax season and a hefty return!

Today is Groundhog Day and like the thousands of people gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, I’m eager to hear if Phil sees his shadow.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn’t see his shadow, there will be an early spring. I know it’s just a legend, but like winning the lottery, I dream that he’ll emerge from his burrow, not see his shadow and spring weather will be just around the corner.

Groundhog Day has its origins in an ancient celebration of a point mid-way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. These days it’s still fun to observe tradition, but I prefer to turn to the National Weather Service for weather forecasts. I’m a native Pennsylvanian, so I’ll always have a soft spot for Phil the cuddly groundhog. But when it comes to weather forecasts, I look to the scientists with the climatic data.

I’ve got a serious case of cabin fever. I’m exhibiting all the classic signs – flannel PJ’s, making soup, organizing, re-arranging furniture and seed shopping. There’s something comforting about looking through garden catalogs with their beautiful photos of people working in the garden, bountiful harvests, and flowers in bloom. I want my garden to be green and bountiful too!

I love to play in the dirt, I love fresh vegetables, and I can’t wait to start planting. Last night I had a hard time putting the seed catalog down. I couldn’t decide what variety of butternut squash to plant. My husband would prefer no squash, but it won’t kill him to eat a few – in fact, it’ll be good for him.

I have two catalogs that I order from every year where I can find heirloom and organic seeds. There are so many sources for seeds, and I’m always on the lookout for new sources of seeds and plants, so if you’ve got any great suggestions let me know. There’s still time for me to get my hands on a catalog.

January is National Radon Action Month. I know that your home radon level is not the fun kind of thing you want to think of every day, but it’s one of those things you need to give a little attention to if you want to protect your health and the health of your family.>/p>Radon is an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. It accumulates in homes, buildings and drinking water, and causes lung cancer. It is responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths per year in the United States.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that if you have radon in your home, like I did, you can correct the situation. If you’re wondering if there’s radon in your home, first you need to test your home. The tests are very inexpensive and simple to perform. Just open the canister and walk away from it for a few days. You send the canister off to the lab and they mail you your results. We were shocked to learn that our home had pretty high radon levels, so we wasted no time in contacting a local certified radon mitigation company. The installation of the mitigation equipment took a little less than a day, so that wasn’t so bad.

The best part is knowing that we can breathe easy in our (virtually) radon-free home. So if you don’t know what the radon levels are in your home – get testing!

Security procedures continue to evolve for air travelers. Last week we talked about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) increasing security at U.S. airports in response to the incident on the December 25 flight.

Yesterday the TSA implemented new air travel security measures, and these will have an effect on people traveling to the United States from other countries. There will now be more pat downs, carry-on bag searches and random screenings happening in foreign airports for travelers headed to the United States. Travelers from or departing from countries the United States considers a State sponsor of terrorism will receive the highest levels of scrutiny.

The media keeps talking about the prospects of advanced imaging technologies in airports. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if advanced imaging will become a requirement before boarding a flight. There are already some of these machines in use in airports in the U.S. and I know that not everyone is very happy about the idea of widespread use of these new imaging technologies. I haven’t encountered one in my travels yet. Have you? What are they like?

Surely you heard the news last week that a person on board a flight to Detroit set off a device on the plane. Thanks to the heroic actions of the crew and passengers, he was subdued and the plane landed safely. That’s what I call saving Christmas.

When incidents like this happen on planes, usually a change in airport security follows. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued some guidance to the public about this incident and how it will affect you.

The TSA says that they will implement additional screening measures including explosive detection dogs, law enforcement officers, gate screening, and other measures.

But what does all that mean to you? Right now, security checkpoint requirements remain the same for departures from U.S. airports.

You don’t need to do anything differently, just remember to pack well to get through the line faster, follow the liquid rules and keep prohibited items at home.

You may notice additional security measures at the airport, and you know that additional security measures mean it just might take more time to get through the security line. Be sure to give yourself even a little more extra time to get to your flight.

Christmas came early at my house this year. Instead of buying the girls yet another mountain of plastic toys, we got a puppy.

It’s hard for me to believe, but this is my first dog. It wasn’t because I didn’t want one, but I guess there were always factors in my life that made me feel like I wouldn’t be the best dog owner ever. Until now.

I’ve heard about the health benefits of having pets, and I’m a believer that they have an incredible ability to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Since we’re still working on potty training, we take lots of walkies. Just yesterday I was walking her and thinking how nice it is to get outside more…even if it is freezing cold. One thing that I didn’t expect, but I’m very happy about, is that my 8 year old is really stepping up and taking responsibility for her puppy. What a rewarding learning experience for her! I wish all responsibilities were as fun as puppies.

Of course I’m learning a lot about caring for a dog, and making sure that my home will be a safe and comfortable place for her. So far, she thinks my bed is just fine. With the holidays approaching, I’ve been thinking about holiday plants and I want to be sure that I’m not bringing any toxic plants into the house. I was especially concerned about poinsettia plants, so I looked it up and was really happy to learn that the story of poinsettias being so toxic is a rumor, and they’re not going to cause anyone any terrible harm unless you eat lots and lots of them. I’ll be sure to not let that happen.

So since I’m a new dog owner, I need your help – what’s a good dog training book?

Every now and again, we do something you may find strange for the government.  Instead of sitting in a conference room and deciding what’s best for you, we ask you to tell us how we can serve you better.

You may or may not know that I’m a web content manager for usa.gov, the US government’s official web portal.  We know it’s time to make some changes to the web site and we’ve got about a zillion ideas of how we can improve it, but we also want to hear your ideas.  After all, the site is there to help you find the government information and services you need.  

Do you have an answer to this question:  How can USA.gov deliver government information and services in ways that meet your needs and expectations?

You do?  Super! Here’s what you do.  Visit the dialog site – that’s where you can share your own ideas for usa.gov, and/or vote for ideas that other people submit.  I promise you that we’re interested in what you have to say and we look forward to implementing the ideas that come out of this dialog.