FederalDaily - May 7, 2007

Group Advises FSOs to Seek Private Mental Health Care

An advocacy group concerned with security clearance issues is telling State Department Foreign Service Officers (FSO) to be wary of seeking treatment for mental health issues from the agency’s Office of Medical Services (M/MED) because they could be risking their security clearance. The group, Concerned Foreign Service Officers (CFSO), advised FSOs to seek such treatment from private mental healthcare providers and not through M/MED. In a May 3 statement, the group said there have been reports of incidents in which allegations of mental health issues—ranging from depression to marital discord to stress-related substance abuse—have been referred by M/MED to Diplomatic Security (DS), usually resulting in recommendations to revoke a clearance. The group said the problem is aggravated by the fact that M/MED keeps medical records related to such cases in administrative files shared with, and sometimes even stored by, DS. According to the organization, the State Department maintains that such files are not protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which governs patient privacy. By seeing a private mental health care provider, FSOs may still be required to share information with M/MED and DS, but at least they will be able to compel HIPAA compliance, CFSO said. To see more, go to: www.worldcrafters.com/factsheet.html

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Bill Would Enhance Vet Training Benefits

A new Senate bill would make attending an institution of higher education more affordable for military veterans and their families who choose a career in a high-tech field. The Veterans and Survivors Employment and Training Act, introduced May 3 by Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., would expand the education programs that are eligible for accelerated payments under the Montgomery GI Bill. The bill would also extend those accelerated payments to recipients of the Survivors’ and Dependents Educational Assistance Program (SDEAP). Under current law, individuals eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill qualify for accelerated payments of their education benefit if they are pursuing two- or four-year college programs in life or physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, science technology, computer specialties and management. The accelerated payment option is currently not available to individuals eligible under SDEAP. The bill would provide 60 percent of the benefit for each semester in a single lump sum at the beginning of the semester for veterans and SDEAP participants. To see more, go to: http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=219532&Month=5&Year=2007

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Measure Would Aid Servicemembers’ Readjustment Needs

Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on May 2 introduced a measure that would address the physical, mental health and readjustment needs of servicemembers returning from combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Homecoming Enhancement Research and Oversight (HERO) Act, would launch a comprehensive research effort to evaluate those needs. Between family commitments, widespread traumatic brain injuries and mental health disorders—and multiple redeployments—servicemembers and their families face a unique set of pressures, the senators noted. The act would direct DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to launch a national two-phased research study. “Caring for our returning servicemembers is one thing we can still get right about this war,” said Obama. To see more, go to: http://mccaskill.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=273487&;

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TSP Monthly Returns for April 2007

Rates of Return were updated on May 1, 2007.

For more information on TSP, click here.

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