Federal Daily - March 11, 2008
Report Cites Lack of Diversity Among DHS Senior Staff
Some major Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components have a significant shortage of women
or minorities serving in senior positions, said a staff report released March 7 by the House Committee
on Homeland Security. The report said that DHS, which employs about 160,000, “has not done well” in
ensuring diversity among its career Senior Executive Service (SES) staff. For example, as of March
2007, blacks were 8.5 percent of the Executive Branch career SES, but only 6.5 percent of career DHS
SES. Women were 28.9 percent of the Executive Branch SES, compared with 25.3 percent of DHS SES. But
among particular components of the department, shortages were more stark. Among those components with
the smallest percentages of career SES women were the Secret Service and the Office of Inspector General,
with 11.4 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. And there were no blacks in senior positions at the
Science and Technology Directorate, the Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant
Status Indicator Technology unit or the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, the report said. There
was just one black among DHS headquarters SES, the report said. To see more, go to: http://homeland.house.gov/press/index.asp?ID=
338&SubSection=1&Issue=0&DocumentType=0&PublishDate=0.
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Senate Bill Would Increase Student Aid for Vets
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on March 7 introduced a bill that would increase educational benefits
for veterans by expanding their access to federal financial aid. The Student Veteran Financial Aid
Fairness Act would ensure service-connected education benefits do not count against veterans when calculating
the amount of addition financial aid they are eligible to receive. McCaskill’s legislation would
close a loophole in federal law that reduces the amount of non-service related student aid that veterans
are qualified to receive because of their service-connected education benefits, McCaskill said in a
statement. If the bill were to become law, servicemembers would see an increase in the amount of funding
they receive when applying for Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, the Federal Work-Study Program
and some Specialized Loan Forgiveness Programs, McCaskill said. The measure also would allow all reserve
and National Guard members to claim independent status on federal student aid forms, freeing them from
disclosing parental income. “For many veterans, joining the military was their best opportunity
to afford a college education,” McCaskill said. “Yet, after years of service, they’re
still unable to do so.” Similar legislation has been introduced in the House. To see more, go
to: http://mccaskill.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=294463.
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OPM Submits Short-Term Disability Insurance Program
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda M. Springer last week submitted a proposal to
Congress to establish a short-term disability insurance program to protect federal employees who can’t
work because of an injury or illness. Under the proposal, participation would be voluntary and insurance
premiums would be fully paid by employees. Springer noted the program would benefit employees in a
variety of short-term situations, including childbirth, adoption, unforeseen injury or emergency surgery. “If
we are to maintain an efficient and effective federal workforce, it is imperative to ensure workers
are protected in the unlikely event of a short-term disability,” Springer said. “Health
care costs can be economically devastating to many employees.” To see more, go to: www.opm.gov/news/opm-submits-shortterm-disability-insurance-program-to-congress,1360.aspx.
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