ethics compliance

Practical steps agencies can take to mitigate financial disclosure controversies [GovExec]

In a new GovExec commentary, John L. Martin, Esq., a former government lawyer who consults with Intelliworx on financial disclosure best practices, looks at how scattered handling of supplemental disclosure forms can create ethical blind spots. Travel reimbursements, widely attended gatherings, and outside activities are often reviewed in isolation, so no single official sees the full picture. Martin points to the recent charges against John Windom, the former lead of the VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization project, as a cautionary case of what those gaps can allow. Martin lays out three practical steps agencies can take to reduce that risk. First, centralize supplemental processes so every ethics official reviewing a form can see the related disclosures around it. Second, create a clearinghouse with a common entry point where every review starts in the same place, which reduces the chance to forum shop an answer. Third, drive agency-level alignment through consistent […]

What ethics questions do federal employees ask most frequently? [The Federal Drive]

Federal ethics offices across executive branch agencies field thousands of questions annually, with gift acceptance, outside employment, and personal financial interests representing the top three categories of concern. According to Intelliworx’s analysis of the Office of Government Ethics’ latest survey data, financial conflicts dominate federal employee inquiries as government workers navigate complex situations where external parties seek to influence decisions affecting billions in taxpayer dollars. On a recent appearance on The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton, John Martin, Business Analyst with Intelliworx, explains that while most federal employees act with good intentions, daily work pressures can obscure potential conflicts until problems emerge, making proactive identification essential. Digital transformation has revolutionized federal ethics compliance through automated disclosure systems that significantly improve reporting accuracy while reducing administrative burden. Intelliworx supports financial disclosure automation for dozens of federal agencies, providing technology that pre-populates recurring information, flags discrepancies between reporting periods, and maintains searchable […]