Federal Daily - December 9, 2008

Obama Taps Shinseki to Head VA

President-elect Barack Obama on Dec. 7 announced he was nominating retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to head the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Shinseki, 66, a four-star general and 38-year veteran, retired from the Army in 2003. If confirmed by the Senate, Shinseki would head one of the federal government’s largest agencies, with 240,000-employees—second only to DoD. “The servicemen and women who embody what’s best about America should get the best care we have to offer,” Obama said in a statement. Obama said Shinseki “will be a VA Secretary who finally modernizes our VA to meet the challenges of our time.” Shinseki, born in Hawaii like the president-elect, several years ago drew national attention for comments he made during the build-up preceding the Iraq war. Serving as Army chief of staff during the run-up to the war, Shinseki publicly disputed the administration’s determination to invade with a relatively small force. At the time, his criticism was rebuffed by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. To see more, go to: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/president_elect_barack_
obama_announces_gen_eric_shinseki_as_secretary_of_ve/

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OPM Releases Draft Rules for Noncompetitive Hiring of Military Spouses

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Dec 5 published draft rules that would give agencies the authority to appoint the spouses of military servicemembers to civilian government jobs without going through the competitive hiring process. The proposal, published in the Federal Register, seeks to implement a September executive order issued by President Bush to allow agencies to noncompetitively appoint military spouses. However, the order does not provide for a spouse’s hiring preference. “This authority allows agencies to recruit and noncompetitively appoint spouses of certain members of the armed forces to positions in the competitive service,” the notice said. “These regulations do not provide a hiring preference for military spouses, nor do they establish selection priority for these individuals.” Those who qualify are the spouses of active-duty servicemembers of the armed forces who are under orders that authorize a permanent change of station move; spouses of totally disabled retired or separated servicemembers; and the unremarried widows or widowers of servicemembers killed on active duty. The proposal also would require agencies to appoint spouses to positions within the local area of the servicemember's permanent duty station. The public comment deadline is Jan. 5. To see more, go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-28747.pdf.

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DoD Launches Online Health Record Demo Project

DoD on Dec. 5 announced the launch of an Internet-based personal health record (PHR) demonstration project that is designed to help members of the military and their families more easily manage their healthcare needs. The prototype effort is called MiCare and is based at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) in Tacoma, Wash., according to DoD’s Military Health System. The demonstration project, developed in partnership with Microsoft Corp. and Google, seeks to incorporate services offered by the commercial vendors as a way to expand the capabilities of the military’s PHR efforts. Beneficiaries who choose to enroll in MiCare at MAMC will have access to their demographic information, active medication lists, their allergy data, lab results, radiology results, personal problem list, past visits, upcoming appointments and inpatient/outpatient documentation. Using Microsoft HealthVault or Google Health, enrollees also will have the ability to store health records obtained from civilian providers, plans and pharmacies, DoD said. “MiCare will empower our beneficiaries and significantly enhance both the quality and continuity of healthcare we provide,” said S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. To see more, go to: www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=456.   

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