FederalDaily - July 25, 2005
GSA Supports Reservists and Guard Members
General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Stephen A. Perry signed
an agreement last week saying that GSA:
- Promises to safeguard job positions, support continuation
of medical and dental benefits for family members, grant leaves
of absence for military service without penalty of lost vacation
time to those employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve,
to the extent allowed under applicable laws.
- Ensures men and women who serve in the Guard and Reserve
will not be denied employment with GSA nor will there be limited
or reduced job and career opportunities due to service in the
Guard or Reserve.
The federal government is one of the largest employers of National Guardsmen
and Reservists in the country.
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Senate Committee Votes to Block IRS Cuts
The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the fiscal year 2006
Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill, which would force the IRS to reconsider
plans to cut taxpayer services. Before taking such action, the IRS would be
required to assess the impact of such cuts, if the provisions of the appropriations
bill become law. The IRS announced earlier this year that it would close 68
walk-in Taxpayer Assistance Centers as well as shut three of its telephone
call sites and cut back by 15 hours a week the amount of time such telephone
help would be available. The House has also passed legislation requiring the
IRS to seek a study by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
assessing the impact of some of the cuts. The National Treasury Employees Union
has been protesting the cuts and is pleased with the new legislation.
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Military Mulls Pay Changes
The Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation met in Washington
, D.C. , on July 20 to hear presentations about the current state of military
compensation programs and recommendations to improve them. The committee talked
about retirement compensation, health benefits, special incentive pay, quality
of life and reserve component compensation. Some of the suggestions included
changing the health care system to mitigate future costs by either modifying
cost sharing or instituting new benefits; consolidating special incentive pay
and changing the levels of payments to reward performance; and changing the
Reserve compensation program to make it more like the active duty program.
No recommendations have been made yet.
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Bill Focuses on PTSD Among Troops
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced legislation last week that would require
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to immediately strengthen its Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) services for veterans and their families.
Durbin pointed to a study published in the July 2004 New England Journal
of Medicine that said up to one in five veterans return home from the
Middle East with PTSD or related conditions such as major depression or anxiety.
However, a report by the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) last September
shows that the VA doesn’t know how many patients it is currently treating
for PTSD. In addition, officials at six of the seven VA facilities visited
by the GAO reported that they may not be able to meet the increased demand
for PTSD services caused by the war in Iraq. Durbin’s new bill would
add about 400 mental health professionals to the VA to treat veterans struggling
with PTSD and to assist their families.
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