SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Allow Veterans the option to choose either a primary care provider (for those with chronic medical problems that need to be monitored closely and often), or acute medicine or "walk-in" providers (for those who are basically healthy and just have a medical issue that needs attention within a day or so that doesn't necessarily meet the requirements for an ER visit.) As a young and healthy Veteran, who is required to have... more »

Every day, thousands of veterans miss their appointments because pre-calls are not made to remind them. Voicemails go unanswered because call-center employees are busy trying to make as many reminder calls as they can. This has led to decreased efficiency and an increase in overtime hours. The call center has historically been one of the most inefficient parts of the VA, albeit an integral one.

The use of an automated... more »

I work for a Navy command that uses XP, but I am forward deployed to an Army base which uses Vista. The systems will not interact with each other and prohibit the use of VPN, information sharing, and telework. There are work around solutions, but the easiest, most efficienct solution would be for DoD to all get on the same page and pick one to save money, share information, and provide solutions towards greater efficiency.... more »

The walkways that connect the North and South buildings in Forrestal act as heat sinks. Keeping the doors closed on these walkways (as designed) could substantially reduce heating and cooling costs.

To solve a problem you must first find the origin of the issue. Since we are trying to increase government efficiency and save tax payers dollars we need to look at how our government employees look at our internal budgets and spending plans. If you compare how one entity's (the USCG) specific units receive a budget and then follow through spending it against how private businesses conducts their spending plan is ridiculous.... more »

By eliminating the six "Regional Headquarters" within the NWS, directives from the top would reach the field offices more "efficiently" and would be carried out more effectively. Plus, it would save alot of money by eliminating all the unneccesary management that is "gumming up the works."
Most of the important support structure for the NWS is located in Kansas City, MO. The "Central Region" HQ is also located there.... more »

Eliminate billions of paper files by making it mandatory for all government agency workers using the “GovTrip” travel program to upload all documents as PDFs onto the server, thereby creating a single source for all government travel documents.

PROBLEM: Our administrative personnel require us to hand-deliver manila files with printed out documents for ALL travel. This requires preparers to print out all electronic files,... more »

Implement virtual software development environments for agency employees and contractors. Proven technology is available for this solution, and it saves money, encourages telework, increases security of the organization network, and decreases the loss of software work product.

1. Saves money: Virtual environments allow thrifty use of computer hardware. The virtualization software allocates centralized resources as necessary,... more »

There will always be a need for meetings but do all of them have to be face-to-face? No. With our technological advances and with GSA's current migration to the "cloud," we can communicate via our laptops or VTC. We need to utilize these "costly" technological investments.

My coworkers and I always work in teams of 2 or 3. However, our office space consists of individual cubicles and only one conference room. In order to complete documents essential to our work, we spend an exorbitant amount of time emailing back and forth with our changes incorporated. This process can take weeks and sometimes months. Once we finally complete a document, we begin the process all over again with our managers... more »