Transfer of Tier One Help Desk and Agency Advocate Duties to COD

Effective July 1, 2009, Financial System Tier One Help Desk and Agency Advocate duties will transfer from the Associate Chief Financial Officer for Financial Systems Planning and Management (ACFO-FSPM), Customer Service Division (CSD), to the Associate Chief Financial Officer for Financial Operations (ACFO-FO), Controller Operations Division (COD).  COD looks forward to assisting its customers in transitioning to USDA’s new financial management system, Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI). 

For more details, click here to view the memorandum from Michael Clanton, ACFO‑FSPM, which includes a listing of your new COD Agency Advocates.

2009 FMT Presentations Now Available

Presentations from the 2009 Financial Management Training held in Washington, D.C. May 6-8, are now available for viewing. Click here to go to the 2009 presentations, or click the link under Presentations on the left-hand menu. Presenter biographies are available as well by clicking on the presenter’s name.

COD Wins A-76 Competition

The Controller Operations Division, Administrative Payments Branch (COD/APB), located in New Orleans, Louisiana, processes telephone and utility payments for the entire Department of Agriculture. COD/APB has been selected as the Most Efficient Organization (MEO) under OMB Circular A-76, Performance of Commercial Activities, to provide utility and telecommunications invoice processing services. COD/APB has partnered with US Bank to modernize and improve these payment processes by:

• Providing web-based transaction visibility and transparency to USDA and agency stakeholders,


• Tracking payments to recover/eliminate overcharges for improper late penalties, and


• Leveraging business intelligence reporting to provide value added services and achieve efficiencies and agency cost savings.

USDA webTA Initiative

The Controller Operations Division, Customer Liaison and Training Branch (COD/CLTB), is pleased to announce a partnership with the National Finance Center (NFC) and Departmental Administration (DA) to support the coordination of the implementation and training of the Department-wide Time and Attendance (webTA) system. Click here to view the e-mail announcing this partnership sent to the USDA financial community on October 15, 2008.

Be assured that COD is fully supportive of this initiative, and in our continuing effort to keep you informed of the status, we will post periodic updates on the COD Web site. Please click on the link below to view the update.

COD Customer webTA Initiative Update as of February 26, 2009

Visit the USDA webTA Implementation Web site at http://www.da.usda.gov/webTA for detailed information, including agency roll-out schedules, guides, tutorials, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Please contact COD at ocfo.priorityrequest@usda.gov, or call (504) 426-5471, for additional information or assistance. You may also contact your COD Customer Relations Specialist, who is available to assist you with coordinating unique agency issues with the NFC and DA webTA team. A list of COD Customer Relations Specialists, by agency, is available from the link under Spotlights, below, or from the Contact Info tab.

Questions About Establishing Account Numbers in TUMS?

The Administrative Payments Branch has prepared guidelines that are sure to be of assistance. Click here to view.

The guidelines are also available on the Publications tab under Quick Picks.

2007 RIT Processing

COD is ready to accept and process all 2007 Relocation Income Tax (RIT) vouchers. Please submit all RIT vouchers to:
Controller Operations Division
Attention: Travel Section
P.O. Box 60000
New Orleans, LA 70160

If submitting by Federal Express, send to:
Controller Operations Division
Attention: Travel Section
13800 Old Gentilly Road
New Orleans, LA 70129

Questions concerning processing of RIT vouchers should be directed to the Travel Inquiry Section at nfc.travel@usda.gov, or 800-421-0323 or 504-426-6515.