FederalDaily.com > Bill Would Support Children of Slain Servicemembers

FederalDaily - February 21, 2007

Bill Would Support Children of Slain Servicemembers

A bipartisan measure would help the children of single military parents who are killed in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere by providing greater flexibility in the assignment of servicemembers’ death benefits. The Kinship Caregiver Support Act will be introduced by sponsors Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the lawmakers said on Feb. 16. If passed, single parents would have greater flexibility to provide the death benefit to the person who will be the guardian of their minor child in case of their death. The legislation would allow single parents to designate the custodial guardian of the minor child to receive those benefits, Clinton said. “This bill reflects the realities that the toll of this war is taking on American military families,” Clinton said. “Single parents are being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the ability for grandparents or other designated guardians to care for surviving children is limited and creating unnecessary hardships.” Also, the legislation would require mandatory counseling during pre-deployment activities specifically tailored to provide information about wills, trusts and life insurance options, Clinton said. To see more, go to: http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=269452&&

GAO: OSC Needs to Tighten Case Tracking, Electronic Security

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) needs to tighten electronic security and improve its case tracking management practices, a new government report said. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) looked at the OSC’s case data security and whether it had made recommended improvements to increase the reliability of its case tracking system. The GAO report, released Feb. 16, noted OSC still lacked functional requirements documentation for its OSC 2000 case management system. Without documentation, the history of system changes could be lost—making future system modifications more time-consuming and costly. Also, the OSC did not provide documentation of detailed information security controls or standards that GAO auditors could review. Without such controls, personal information on complainants maintained by OSC could be compromised. “These controls are essential to ensuring that information is adequately protected from inadvertent or deliberate misuse, fraudulent use, improper disclosure, corruption or destruction,” the report said. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-318R

OPM Director Meets with Veterans Groups

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda Springer on Feb. 16 met with more than 20 veterans service organizations to discuss new OPM strategies for hiring and recruiting veterans into the federal workforce. Springer noted that OPM has changed veterans preference eligibility, expanding it to include all veterans who have served on active duty since the 9/11 attacks. Also, OPM has changed student employment regulations to count active duty time toward the program requirement for permanent placement—enabling veterans to credit 320 hours toward the program’s 640-hour requirement. In addition, OPM has made eligibility changes for Veterans Recruitment Appointments, Springer said, to include disabled veterans, veterans who have received a campaign badge or medal, veterans who have received an Armed Forces service medal or veterans released or discharged within three years of applying. “Our commitment to veterans of the Armed Forces remains steadfast and strong, and we will do everything we can to ensure the rights of veterans are protected,” Springer said. To see more, go to: www.opm.gov/news/opm-director-meets-with-veterans-service-organizations,1149.aspx