FederalDaily - August 8, 2007
Army Offers New $20,000 Enlistment Incentive
To bolster its recruitment efforts, the Army has launched a new $20,000 bonus for recruits with no
prior military experience who sign up by Sept. 30 and agree to serve two years of active duty. The
new “quick-ship” incentive program can be combined with the Army’s other cash enlistment
bonuses, up to a maximum combined $40,000, if an enlistee signs up for at least four years, the Army
said in an Aug. 6 statement. The Army Recruiting Command is looking to sign up more than 34,000 soldiers
after Army officials last month admitted they missed the Army’s recruiting goal in June for the
second month in a row. To receive the quick-ship incentive, recruits must enlist for at least two years
of active duty and report to basic training within 30 days of enlistment, the Army said. “To
attract interested young men and women we know that we must have cutting-edge enlistment and retention
options to acquire and retain America’s best soldiers,” said Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle,
the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff. To see more, go to: www.army.mil/-newsreleases/2007/08/06/4296-20000-bonus-for-recruits-who-report-to-basic-training-before-sept-30/
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GSA Announces FY 2008 Per Diem Rates
The General Services Administration (GSA) on Aug. 6 announced that the federal government’s
Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 standard U.S. per diem allowance will increase from $99 to
$109 a day. The $10 hike is due to an increase in the standard Continental United
States (CONUS) lodging rate change from $60 to $70, GSA said in a statement. The
current CONUS standard lodging rate of $60 was established in 2005. The per diem
rate reimburses employees for expenses incurred on authorized official travel within
the United States. The meal and incidental expense portion of per diem was not re-evaluated
this year and remains the same as for FY 2007, ranging from $39 to $64 per day depending
on the travel destination. The new per diem rates become effective on Oct. 1, 2007. “The
federal government spends approximately $4 billion in travel each year, and it is
important for GSA to establish per diem rates that ensure taxpayer money is spent
prudently,” said Kevin Messner, acting associate administrator for the GSA
Office of Governmentwide Policy. To see more, go to: www.gsa.gov
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Man Convicted of Fraud at Treasury Credit Union
A Silver Spring, Md., man was convicted on Aug. 3 of bank fraud and other charges in connection with
attempts to pass two counterfeit certified checks in the amount of more than $8 million at the Treasury
Department Federal Credit Union. A jury found Edward Everett Brown guilty of bank fraud and uttering
fictitious obligations. According to the charges against him, Brown opened an account with the Treasury
Department Federal Credit Union in the District of Columbia on July 18, 2005, and two days later delivered
for deposit a fictitious financial obligation for $2.9 million, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials
said. An alert teller notified officials and the deposit was never made. Then, on Feb. 21, 2006, Brown
returned to the same credit union and presented a different fictitious obligation for $5.5 million,
DOJ said. Brown faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. DOJ said that as part of the investigation,
agents learned that Brown had attempted a similar scheme previously. To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/usao/dc/Press_Releases/2007%20Archives/Aug_2007/07-204.html
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