FederalDaily - March 21, 2007
GAO: EFMP Falls Short for Special Needs Families
Active duty servicemembers who have family members with special needs may have trouble receiving adequate
specialized care due to staffing shortages at domestic military installations, said a new Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report. In the report, released March 16, GAO looked at the adequacy of
DoD’s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)—a mandatory enrollment program for military
families with special medical, family support or educational needs. DoD officials told GAO auditors
that certain medical services may be difficult to obtain because a limited number of specialists are
available in DoD’s health care system. For example, the only developmental pediatrician on staff
at Naval Medical Center-San Diego told GAO that—in addition to seeing patients from San Diego—he
also sees patients from other installations, including a Nevada Air Force base, because these installations
do not have a developmental pediatrician on staff. In 2006, there were an estimated 102,596 exceptional
family members enrolled in EFMP, the report said. To see more, go to: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07317r.pdf.
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DOL Offers Online Tool for Toxic Substances Exposure
The Department of Labor (DOL) launched a new online tool to help Department of Energy (DOE) employees,
former employees, contractors and subcontractors who are seeking compensation for exposure to toxic
substances at government sites. The DOL on March 19 unveiled the public database that provides information
on toxic substance and chemical exposures at facilities covered under the Energy Employees Occupational
Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000. DOL has compiled records on more than 1,900 toxic substances
at 24 major DOE sites, as well as more than 4,000 uranium mines and 48 uranium mills. “We want
to get money into the hands of eligible claimants as quickly as possible,” said Shelby Hallmark,
director of DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. “The department created
this database to help injured workers and their families get information they need.” The database—called
the Site Exposure Matrices—will be continually updated as new exposure evidence is identified
and additional covered sites are evaluated, he said. The Web site is at www.sem.dol.gov.
To see more, go to: www.dol.gov/compliance.
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Farmers Union Critical of FSA Office Closures
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is sharply critical of a Department of Agriculture (USDA) plan to
close a number of Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices which the union said provide valuable services
to rural America. NFU Vice President Alan Bergman said on March 19 that USDA should rethink its efforts
to close and/or consolidate FSA county offices across the country. A disaster assistance bill is expected
to be passed in Congress soon and FSA offices will be vital to ensuring that the aid is distributed
to farmers and ranchers in an efficient and timely manner, said Bergman. “County FSA offices
are the primary contact for administrative delivery of every major farm assistance program,” Bergman
said. To see more, go to: www.nfu.org/news/2007/03/19/nfu-speaks-out-on-proposed-fsa-office-closings.html
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