FederalDaily - August 14, 2007
CHCOC Training Academy Extends Outreach,
Attendance Triples
Attendance at the Chief Human Capital Officers Council (CHCOC) Training Academy bimonthly training
sessions has more than tripled this year after the academy opened its doors to a broader range of federal
employees, said Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer. More than 300 attended the
bimonthly series of training sessions this fiscal year, compared with attendance of less than 100 in
FY 2006, Springer said in an Aug. 10 statement. Springer, who serves as CHCOC chair, credited the boost
in attendance to last year’s decision to allow each council member to send up to three representatives
to sessions—which previously had been limited to Chief Human Capital Officers only. “As
a result of that decision, the academy is having a greater impact in the education of federal human
resource professionals, helping them to improve their skills and share best practices as they confront
today’s major challenges,” said John Salamone, council executive director. To see more,
go to: www.opm.gov/news/chief-human-capital-officers-council-training-academy-extends-reach-impact,1313.aspx
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GAO: NASA Needs Strategic Plan for 2015 Transition
As NASA prepares for a new post-Shuttle manned-space-flight program by 2015, the agency needs to develop
a strategic plan to keep onboard its federal work force of about 18,000 civil servants, said a new
government report. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report that looked
at how well NASA has aligned its human capital planning framework with its strategic mission, which
includes retiring the Space Shuttle in 2010 and launching a new program by 2015. To meet its future
needs, NASA is seeking to maintain certain critical skills in space exploration, scientific discovery
and aeronautics research, the report said. To do so, the agency must engage in strategic work force
planning, including systematic assessments of current and future human capital needs and the development
of long-term strategies to fill any gaps, the report said. “Currently, NASA is able to attract
and retain critical science and engineering personnel needed for mission accomplishment,” the
report said, “by employing a wide variety of human capital tools such as recruiting and retention
bonuses.” To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/highlights/d071004high.pdf
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Changes Sought for Presumptive Disability Benefits Decisions
A panel of experts urged Congress to upgrade the way the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awards
benefits to veterans with health conditions presumed to be connected to their military service. The
Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences issued a report Aug. 9 that called for changes
in the VA’s presumptive disability decision-making process. The report recommends that Congress
create a new standing advisory committee to guide the VA on which health conditions and related exposures
during military service merit a detailed scientific review. Also, the report recommended that Congress
establish a permanent, independent science review board to assess whether the scientific evidence supports
a causal connection between the exposures and the health conditions in question. The VA automatically
awards veterans monthly compensation payments and health care for disabilities that, on the basis of
scientific evidence, are presumed to be caused by military service. In many cases, however, the evidence
for presumption decisions is weak because potential exposures are often not measured or recorded in
the field and health studies may be lacking, the report said. To see more, go to: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11908
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