FederalDaily - December 17, 2007

Some Disabled Vets May Be Due IRS Refunds

Payments under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) program are no longer taxable—and disabled veterans who paid tax on these benefits in the past three years can now claim refunds, the IRS said on Dec 12. Recipients of CWT payments will no longer receive a Form 1099 from VA. In addition, disabled vets who paid tax on these benefits in tax years 2004, 2005 or 2006 can claim a refund by filing an amended return using IRS Form 1040X, the IRS said in a statement. VA said that in Fiscal Year 2007, more than 19,000 veterans received CWT. The IRS reversed a 1965 agency ruling on CWT following a U.S. Tax Court decision issued earlier this year, which held that CWT payments are tax-free veterans’ benefits. Before the ruling, the IRS held that these payments were taxable. To see more, go to: www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=176442,00.html.

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Proportion of Hispanic Federal Workers Grows

The proportion of Hispanic workers employed in the federal workforce rose to 7.7 percent this year, an increase of 3,000 workers compared to 2006, said an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) report released on Dec. 13. As of June 30, there were about 130,000 Hispanic federal workers, according to OPM’s Annual Report to the President on Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government. Hispanics posted gains in most agencies, as well as in most categories and pay groups, from GS-5 to GS-15 and Senior Pay, said OPM Director Linda Springer. Among the report’s highlights, Springer noted Hispanics represented 8.6 percent of all new hires government-wide—a 1.1 percent increase since 2006. “The retirement wave the federal government is facing continues to create an increasing number of excellent career opportunities for citizens interested in public service,” Springer said. “In demographic terms, the Hispanic segment of the population is certainly a significant part of this equation.” To see more, go to: www.opm.gov/news/hispanic-participation-in-federal-workforce-grows,1348.aspx.

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Army Forms Logistics Branch

The Army on Dec. 13 announced the establishment of a new Logistics Branch for commissioned officers that will unite Ordnance, Quartermaster and Transportation officers from the ranks of captain through colonel. The old Ordnance, Transportation and Quartermaster branches will not be dispatched, but will now be filled with the ranks of enlisted soldiers, noncommissioned officers, warrant officers and lieutenants. The moves will become effective Jan. 1 and will be applied across all components of the Army. “Establishment of the Logistics Branch fully supports the needs of the modular Army,” said Lt. Gen. Ann Dunwoody, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, in a statement. “It promotes the development of multi-skilled logisticians, capable of anticipating requirements, planning, integrating, and executing all types of deployment and sustainment activities.” To see more, go to: www.army.mil/-newsreleases/2007/12/13/6566-army-announces-logistics-branch.

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