FederalDaily - August 6, 2007
GAO: Some Progress Made in Hiring Anti-Terror/Language Experts
State Department officials have made some progress in hiring Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) and other
critical personnel to shore up staffing in crucial anti-terror and foreign language positions, but
shortfalls remain, said a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. GAO looked at how well
the department was implementing its 2002 Diplomatic Readiness Initiative (DRI), which is designed to
hire a reserve of FSOs, civil service employees and support staff central to anti-terrorism efforts.
From 2002 to 2004, the DRI enabled the department to hire more than 1,000 employees above attrition,
but officials told GAO that most of the staffing was absorbed by the demand for personnel in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and reserve staffing of crises and training employees was never achieved. In an effort
to address staffing shortfalls, particularly at critical hardship posts, the department has implemented
various incentives—including offering extra pay, said the report released Aug. 1. The department
also has taken steps to ensure all Iraq positions are staffed, the report said. But a shortage of seasoned
staff remains. “Despite these and other efforts, mid-level positions at many posts are staffed
by inexperienced junior officers with minimal guidance,” said the report. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/new.items/d071154t.pdf
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Union Urges Upgrade of Workplace Benefits
Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), urged lawmakers to recognize
the important role that pay and workplace benefits play in helping federal agencies recruit top talent
and retain their best employees. Kelley testified Aug. 2 before the House Oversight and Government
Reform subcommittee on the federal work force. In her testimony, Kelley said that “every day,
federal employees are asked to do more with less, and face an often-hostile administration that does
not seem to value the work that federal employees do.” Kelley focused on two issues: expanding
coverage for dependents in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to age 25, and providing
paid parental leave. She noted that adding this generally healthier pool of young people to the FEHBP
may even lower the average costs for group insurance. Although non-paid parental leave is available
to federal employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act, many can’t take advantage of the
leave because they can’t afford it, Kelley said. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1141
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NARFE Seeks Health Tax Benefits for Retirees
A federal employees union voiced support for a pending House measure that would extend to retirees
the health tax benefit of premium conversion which executive and legislative branch employees have
had for several years. National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) President
Margaret Baptiste applauded the measure, HR 1110, which is sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. The bill
would amend the tax code to allow federal civilian and military retirees to pay health insurance premiums
on a pretax basis and to allow a deduction for TRICARE supplemental premiums. In testimony before a
House federal workforce subcommittee, Baptiste also sought support for a budget-neutral measure that
would offer federal workers increased survivor annuity benefit amount options. She praised an Office
of Personal Management (OPM) proposal to allow agencies to re-employ federal retirees on a limited
part-time basis without an offset of their annuity, as well as OPM’s recommendation to permit
federal workers to contribute bonuses into their Thrift Savings Plan accounts. “The compensation
we receive, both as employees and retirees, is an investment in a system that makes federal service
attractive as a career for millions of talented and skilled Americans,” she said Aug. 2. To see
more, go to: www.narfe.org/departments/pr/guest/current.cfm
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