FederalDaily - May 11, 2006

New Web Site on Long-Term Care Program

The Office of Personnel Management on May 10 announced the launch of a new Web site for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) at www.LTCFEDS.com. Long Term Care Partners, LLC, administers the program and maintains the site. New features and improvements to the Web site include:

• a frequently asked questions section on the federal program;
• a calculator allowing employees to calculate the average cost of care in 2005 for home health care, assisted living facilities and nursing homes in their area; and
• a calculator allowing employees to calculate premiums for the FLTCIP’s four pre-packaged plans or customized plans.

The FLTCIP is the largest group long-term care insurance program in the nation.

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Allowances for Feds in Iraq, Afghanistan

Some—but not all—federal agencies have the authority to offer expanded allowances, benefits and death gratuities to civilians stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. A new Senate bill would ensure that all civilians in those areas are eligible for expanded benefits comparable to those offered to members of the Foreign Service. Introduced last month by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and co-sponsored by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., the bill would allow any federal agency in any fiscal year to provide the same benefits offered to similarly-placed Foreign Service personnel. “To succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan, we need a full-court press by all agencies of the federal government,” Warner said in a prepared statement. “This bill will allow agency heads to offer further incentives to their civilian employees to contribute on the ground where their expertise is critically needed.”

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GAO Chimes in on Future of FEMA

Congressmen are debating whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should remain within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). But the effectiveness of future federal emergency response efforts could depend on factors other than FEMA’s organizational placement, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a May 9 report. GAO listed four issues that could be more influential than disbanding FEMA or removing it from DHS:

• clarity of FEMA’s mission, responsibilities and authority;
• experience and training of FEMA leadership;
• adequate technological, financial and personnel resources; and
• effective planning and partnerships.

The report is available online at www.gao.gov/new.items/d06746t.pdf.

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Studying Uranium’s Affect on Troops

A newly proposed amendment to the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act would require a comprehensive study of the possible health effects that depleted uranium had on troops. In a May 9 press release, Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., who submitted the amendment, stated, “There are too many legitimate medical questions concerning possible adverse health effects on our soldiers in Iraq from the U.S. military’s use of depleted uranium.” He added, “We owe it to our soldiers to get answers.” According to the prepared statement, the Pentagon has maintained that depleted uranium is a “safe and effective weapon.” However, the statement said, many Gulf War veterans believe that depleted uranium exposure is a cause of Gulf War Syndrome.

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