FederalDaily - August 27, 2007
IRS Looks for Solutions to Recruitment, Retention Challenges
To address a potential staffing shortfall in coming years, the IRS plans to offer bonuses to current
employees and waive restrictions on the employment of retired annuitants, agency officials told the
IRS Oversight Board. For the next four years, about 4,000 IRS employees are expected to retire each
year, the board said in an Aug. 22 statement. In addition to replacing employees who leave, the IRS
is seeking to expand the size of its existing workforce in the area of enforcement. IRS priorities
for FY 2008 include beefing up agency-wide revenue agent hiring, expanding filing season recruitment
support, and targeting key demographics in the recruitment pool, the board said. Oversight Board members
also questioned whether the IRS has measures that can evaluate the effectiveness of the current pay-for-performance
system to motivate high performance. In response to the board’s observations, National Treasury
Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen Kelley pointed out that the IRS must do a better job of addressing
the needs of its employees—including, she said, by focusing on low morale caused in part by the
agency’s efforts to contract out employees’ work. To see more, go to: www.treas.gov/irsob/press-posting_08222007.shtml.
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Major, Wife, Sister Indicted in Money Laundering Scheme
An Army major, his wife and his sister were indicted on federal bribery and money laundering charges
in connection with work the officer did overseeing DoD contracts while serving in Kuwait in 2004 and
2005, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said Aug. 22. John L. Cockerham, a resident of Fort Sam
Houston Army Base in San Antonio, Texas, his wife, Melissa Cockerham, and his sister, Carolyn Blake,
a resident of Sunnyvale, Texas, were indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States
and to commit bribery, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and conspiracy to launder money. Maj. Cockerham
was also charged with three counts of bribery, DOJ said in a statement. Maj. Cockerham, while serving
as a contracting officer responsible for soliciting and reviewing DoD bids, allegedly accepted $9.6
million in bribe payments from at least eight DoD contractors working in Iraq and Kuwait. Melissa Cockerham
and Blake are charged with receiving the payments—which came in the form of both U.S. and foreign
currency—and depositing the money in bank accounts and safe deposit boxes in Kuwait and Dubai.
To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/criminal/pr/press_releases/2007/08/08-22-07three-indict.pdf
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Referral Bonus Program Produces Results
The Army said Aug. 22 that sponsors have referred 31,000 recruits under the Referral Bonus Program
to produce 6,800 contracts as of early August. Eligible sponsors—who include active-duty and
reserve soldiers, Army retirees, Department of Army civilians and new recruits awaiting basic training—earn
$2,000 for each contract: half when a recruit begins basic training, and the other $1,000 when the
soldier graduates advanced individual training. Soldiers in the Special Recruiter Assistance Program
are also eligible to participate as sponsors. There is no bonus for referring an immediate family member.
Potential sponsors can find more information at: https://www.usarec.army.mil/smart.
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