Federal Daily - August 29, 2008
Legion Joins Opposition to Outsourced GI Bill Processing
The American Legion on Aug. 26 joined a chorus of veterans groups critical of a Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) move to outsource the processing of new GI Bill education benefits. The American Legion,
meeting in Phoenix for its 90th National Convention, passed resolutions opposing the outsourcing of
benefits processing, as well as the VA’s proposed privatization of state veterans homes inspections. “Our
newest generation of veterans deserve the benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs,
not outside contractors,” said Marty Conatser, national commander of the American Legion. In
the resolution opposing outsourcing the new GI Bill, advocates argued that VA should hire the staff
necessary to fulfill the law's requirements. The Legion has historically opposed the movement toward
outsourcing critical services that could be handled internally at VA. In the resolution opposing efforts
to hire outside companies to perform inspections on state veterans homes, the group noted that such
inspections have always been performed by trained VA staff. The American Federation of Government
Employees and the union’s National Veterans Affairs Council also have criticized the proposed
outsourcing of GI Bill processing, saying the privatization would bypass the expertise of federal employees
who have been performing those activities all along. To see more, go to: www.legion.org/homepage.php.
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EEOC Offers Advice on Employing the Disabled
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Aug. 26 issued a new question-and-answer fact
sheet aimed at helping agencies increase the hiring and advancement opportunities of those with disabilities.
The fact sheet was released in the wake of a new EEOC study that shows that fewer of those with targeted
disabilities— deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis,
convulsive disorders, mental retardation, mental illness, and distortion of limb and/or spine—are
employed in the federal workforce. The percentage of federal employees with targeted disabilities has
declined each year since reaching a peak of 1.24 percent in Fiscal Years (FY) 1993 and 1994. In FY
2007, the participation rate of people with targeted disabilities declined to 0.92 percent of the federal
government’s total work force, the lowest participation rate in more than 20 years. The guide
responds to frequently asked questions about what the law allows and requires federal agencies to do.
For example, the guide notes that there are special regulations that allow federal agencies to hire
individuals with severe disabilities who are qualified for jobs without going through the usual competitive
hiring process. The new publication is available on EEOC’s Web site at www.eeoc.gov/federal/qanda-employment-with-disabilities.html.
To see more, go to: www.eeoc.gov/press/8-26-08.html.
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USTC Announces Launch of New Household Shipment System
The U.S. Transportation Command (USTC) and the Army’s Military Surface Distribution and Deployment
Command on Aug. 25 announced the launch of a new automated management system for shipping household
goods for members of the armed services and government civilians. The Defense Personal Property System
(DPS) automates much of the process of pre-move counseling, scheduling, tracking, invoicing and claims-filing
for household goods shipments, USTC said in a statement. DPS operations will begin Sept. 10 at 18 transportation
offices; it will be available to transportation offices worldwide Jan. 22. The system implements elements
of the USTRANSCOM Families First initiative and will replace TOPS, the Transportation Operational Personal
Property Standard System. DPS, a Web-based software system, also will offer online self-counseling
of household goods entitlements as well as a link for claims submissions and satisfaction surveys.
To see more, go to: www.transcom.mil/pa/body.cfm?relnumber=082508-1 or www.army.mil/aps/08/information_papers/sustain/
Full_Replacement_Value_and_Families_First.html.
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