FederalDaily - February 23, 2007
NTEU Supports Bill To Extend Pre-Tax Premium Benefit to Retirees
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has called on Congress to approve legislation that would
extend to federal civilian and military retirees the same right that current federal workers enjoy
in paying health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis. The bill, HR 1110, introduced by Rep. Tom Davis,
R-Va., would provide the pre-tax benefit for federal and military retirees, said NTEU President Colleen
Kelley on Feb. 21. Active federal workers have been able to exercise the pre-tax benefit for about
the past five years, Kelley said. In introducing the legislation, Davis noted that while the amount
of savings is likely to be modest, extension of this important benefit could have a substantial impact
on those living on fixed incomes. Similar legislation was introduced in the last Congress and drew
340 House co-sponsors, but it was never enacted. “Those who served their country in military
or civilian work,” Kelley said, “should be permitted to pay their health insurance
premiums with pre-tax dollars just like their fellow active employees are permitted to do.” To
see more, go to: www.nteu.org.
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GAO: Army Needs Better Officer Accession Plan
The Army could be facing a future officer shortage unless it develops an overall plan to groom and
retain commissioned officers, said a new Government Accountability Office report. The report, released
Feb. 20, looked at how well the military services were accessing and retaining the officers required
to meet their needs. The services generally met most of their overall accession needs for newly commissioned
officers, but the Army faces challenges and expects to struggle with future accessions, the report
said. The Army’s traditional approach—relying on the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps,
the service academy programs and Officer Candidate School—won’t generate an adequate number
of officers to meet its future needs, the report said. In addition, the Army’s three accession
programs are decentralized and do not formally coordinate with one another, making it difficult for
the Army to effectively manage them, the report said. “Without a strategic, integrated plan for
determining overall annual accession goals, managing risks and allocating resources,” the report
said, “the Army’s ability to meet its future mission requirements and to transform to more
deployable, modular units is uncertain.” To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-224.
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Military Brass Say They Received No Complaints About Walter Reed
Top military officials said they were never told by patients or staff of the miserable conditions
at Building 18, a former hotel at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center used to house outpatients recuperating
from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a series of investigative stories, The Washington
Post described how the injured combat veterans had to endure substandard living conditions, bureaucratic
delays and inadequate benefits for seriously injured servicemembers. Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant
secretary of defense for health affairs and Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army,
said on Feb. 21 they first learned of the problems through the newspaper stories. “I am disappointed
that I had to learn about the conditions of that building through media reports,” Cody said. “That
is not an excuse by any shape or form. Clearly, we've had a breakdown in leadership. I can assure you
that the appropriate vigor and leadership is being applied to this issue and we will correct any problems
immediately.” The Army has started repairs at the building and initiated a review of the medical
care provided at both Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center. To see more go to: www.defenselink.mil/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3892.
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