FederalDaily.com > Tinkering with Military Compensation

FederalDaily - May 13, 2005

Tinkering with Military Compensation

A new committee is studying the military compensation system to come up with ways to bring it more in line with what servicemembers want and operational needs demand, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced. The Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation held its first public meeting on May 11 to explain its orders from DoD Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld: to take a look at the current system and recommend how to make it better. The committee will look at the whole compensation program, including basic, special and incentive pays; benefits ranging from housing to medical care; and deferred pay that includes retirement pay and survivor benefits. It will also consider the best way to compensate members of the National Guard and Reserve. The committee plans to present Rumsfeld an interim report of its recommendations by late September and the final report in April 2006.

Marine Corps Stands By Recalled Vests

The Marine Corps is recalling 5,277 protective vests in a move to eliminate doubts about their effectiveness. But the Marine Corps publicly rejected charges that the vests don't offer the ballistic protection they were designed to provide. The concern began with an article in the Marine Corps Times regarding the vests. The article said there was doubt about whether the vests can stop a 9mm round fired from a standard pistol such as the M9 Berretta. The Marine Corps stated that the article was “taken out of context and misrepresents the actual capabilities” of the vests. The Marines have fielded more than 181,000 of the vests to date, and the vests being recalled represent less than 3 percent of that number, officials said.

USPS Reports Delivery Successes

Postmaster General John E. Potter told to Postal Service Board of Governors that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) achieved an on-time score of 95 percent for overnight First-Class Mail service for the 9th consecutive quarter, and a customer satisfaction measurement score of 93 percent, marking the 14th consecutive quarter at that mark or better. IBM Consulting Services provided the assessment on service performance. For more than two years, USPS has maintained a 95 percent on-time performance score for overnight delivery of First-Class Mail. Chief Financial Officer Richard J. Strasser, Jr., said total revenue of $17.3 billion exceeded total expenses of $17.0 billion, producing a net income of $275 million, down from $741 million in Quarter 2 of last year.

GPO Reports Transformation Efforts

Public Printer Bruce James told the Senate's Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations, "We have restored the GPO's finances to a positive basis for the first time in five years—taking the GPO from a $33 million loss to an $11 million gain.” To continue GPO's progress towards transformation, the agency asked for an overall increase of 5.3 percent for its traditional Congressional appropriations for fiscal year 2006. The GPO is also seeking a one-time appropriation of $5 million to its revolving fund to train its work force for managing the life-cycle of digital information products in the 21 st century. GPO's total budget request for fiscal year 2006 is $131.1 million.

Boosting Reimbursement for Veterans

The Veterans Road to Health Care Act of 2005, introduced by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., would raise the travel reimbursement for veterans who have to travel to Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals for treatment. The current reimbursement to veterans for travel is 11 cents per mile. The bill would raise that figure to match the federal employees’ travel reimbursement rate, currently 40.5 cents per mile. The bill also contains a special needs provision that would allow veterans who have been referred to a special care center by their VA physicians to be reimbursed under the Travel Beneficiary program for travel to the specialized facility. This would apply only to those veterans who cannot receive adequate care at their VA facilities. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs.