Federal Daily - July 15, 2009

VA Announces 1,100 ‘Yellow Ribbon’ Education Partners

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on July 13 announced it had entered into agreements with more than 1,100 institutions of higher education to provide enhanced financial aid for some vets participating in the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The VA Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans who want to attend schools with tuition that is more expensive than limits established by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The bill will pay tuition only up to the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate in the state where the veteran lives. The Yellow Ribbon program funds tuition expenses that exceed those limits—institutions can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses, and VA will match this additional funding. The Yellow Ribbon program is reserved for veterans eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100 percent benefit level.  This includes those who served at least 36 months on active duty or served at least 30 continuous days and were discharged due to a service-related injury. Provisions of the program include payments for tuition, fees and housing, as well as a books and supplies stipend. The tuition and fee benefit is paid directly to the school. “Implementing this landmark legislation and providing even more veterans with a quality education is a top priority for VA,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. To see more, go to: http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1729.

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Senate OKs Bill to Reopen Enrollment Window for Federal Judges

The Senate on July 10 unanimously approved a bill that would—if passed into law—reopen for six months an enrollment window to allow federal judges to opt into the Judicial Survivors’ Annuities System (JSAS). The bill, the Judicial Survivors Protection Act (S. 1107), sponsored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would allow nonparticipating federal judges around the country to pay a penalty and buy into the JSAS program. Under current law, judges have only six months from the date of their appointment to sign up for JSAS and, for a variety of reasons, many do not do so, according to a statement by Durbin. Nearly 900 federal judges, representing about 40 percent of the federal judiciary, currently do not participate in JSAS. However, if given the opportunity, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts estimates that nearly a third would take advantage of the open season, Durbin said. Under the bill, nonparticipating judges would be required to pay an enhanced contribution rate of 2.75 percent of their salary each year rather than the 2.2 percent rate they would pay if they had enrolled within six months of taking office. JSAS provides an annuity for the surviving spouses and dependent children of a deceased federal judge. Depending on a judge’s length of service, the annuity for a surviving spouse can be as high as 50 percent of the judge’s average annual salary. To see more, go to: http://durbin.senate.gov/showRelease.cfm?releaseId=315674.

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Groves Approved as Head of Census Bureau

The Senate on July 13 approved Robert Groves, a veteran survey researcher at the University of Michigan, as the new director of the Census Bureau. Groves will lead the 2010 census, which could affect the makeup of the House since about a dozen states could gain or lose House districts because of population shifts. Prior to his nomination by President Obama, Groves had been director of the University of Michigan Survey Research Center and a research professor at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Maryland. From 1990 to 1992, he was an associate director of the Census Bureau, on loan from the University of Michigan. “The 2010 Census faces significant challenges and Dr. Groves will help us meet those challenges,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Groves’s new boss. “He is a respected social scientist, highly regarded by the professional statisticians.” To see more, go to: www.census.gov.

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