FederalDaily - August 10, 2006

OSC Halts Whistleblower Transfer

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said it blocked the transfer of a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) senior special agent because of the possibility that the transfer was retaliation for the agent’s whistleblowing activities. OSC has requested a stay of transfer with the Merit Systems Protection Board for DEA Senior Special Agent Jim Waddell, who the agency said blew the whistle on illegal activity and possible civil rights violations at DEA field offices in Oklahoma in late 2005. In March 2006, Waddell wrote an anonymous letter to an official at DEA headquarters, according to OSC. After the whistleblower’s identity was revealed, OSC said, DEA officials decided to reassign Waddell out of his current position in McAlester, Okla., to New York state. A stay would allow OCS to complete its investigation and conduct a legal review to determine if Waddell’s transfer was in reaction to his whistleblowing. Waddell is a 15-year veteran of the agency.

:: Back to Top ::

Legion Reiterates Call for Free Credit Monitoring

The American Legion said it is urging the Bush administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to keep its original promise of one year of free credit monitoring for veterans, a pledge that was issued before the recovery of a stolen computer hard drive containing information on 26.5 million veterans. The announcement comes after another VA computer, this one containing the personal files of as many as 38,000 vets, went missing last week at a VA subcontractor’s office. “I’m not sure how many computers need to be stolen before veterans get some real assurances from the government that their information is not only safe, but that safeguards will be in place to help protect them against identity theft,” said American Legion National Commander Thomas L. Bock.

:: Back to Top ::

NTEU Raps IRS Collection Plan

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) hammered once more at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the agency’s proposed plan to turn over debt collection duties to private firms. In an Aug. 9 release, the union said an IRS message to its employees indicated that IRS will begin turning over “the first 40,000 taxpayer files to three private sector debt collection companies,” in spite of language already approved by the House in the fiscal 2007 Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill would prevent the use of funds to implement the program. NTEU President Colleen Kelley said that the IRS move “is going to be a confusing situation for impacted taxpayers, and a very costly mistake for the agency.”

:: Back to Top ::