Federal Daily - September 4, 2009

USPS Narrows List of Facilities for Possible Closure

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on Sept. 2 released an amended list of 413 retail stations and branches under consideration for closure or consolidation as it attempts to eliminate a budget gap of about $7 billion. The final list is down considerably from the preliminary list of 677 stations and branch offices that USPS published during the summer. The stations were selected from a larger list of 3,243 underperforming stations out of the total 32,741 post offices operated by USPS across the country. The list does not represent a final decision on consolidation, USPS said. No final actions will be taken regarding consolidation until after Oct. 2, 2009. “Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a good business move,” the announcement said. “Every effort will be made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services.” The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) over the past few months has been organizing against the closures. In August, APWU asked the Postal Regulatory Commission for a six-month discovery period to examine the evidence USPS is using to justify the closings, and to present rebuttal testimony. To see more, go to: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/stationbranchop.pdf.

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DoD to Vaccinate All Servicemembers Against H1N1 Virus

In preparation for a possible fall pandemic, DoD will vaccinate all military servicemembers against the H1N1 flu virus, and the vaccine will be made available to all military family members who want it, DoD announced Sept. 1. The vaccine, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, will be mandatory for uniformed personnel, said Army Lt. Col. Wayne Hachey, director of preventive medicine for DoD health affairs. Priority will be given to health care workers, deploying troops, those serving on ships and submarines, and new recruits, Hachey said. DoD initially will receive 1 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available, and another 1.7 million doses later in October. Officials do not know yet whether people will need one dose or two, Hachey said. Guidelines for giving priority to family members will follow those for the general population, and family members will have multiple opportunities to get the vaccine, Hachey said. Seasonal flu vaccine already is available and DoD will begin giving those shots shortly. The H1N1 is a never-before-seen combination of human, swine and avian flu viruses, officials said. First detected in Mexico in February, it quickly spread around the world. To see more, go to: www.army.mil/-news/2009/09/02/26861-troops-to-receive-h1n1-flu-vaccinations/?ref=news-home-img7.

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Agencies Will Have to Fill 273,000 Openings Over Next 3 Years, Group Says

The federal government will have to fill 273,000 mission-critical jobs over the next three years, with most of the openings in the fields of medical care, public health and security, according to a survey by the Partnership for Public Service (PPS). The group released the survey, “Where the Jobs Are 2009: Mission-Critical Opportunities for America,” on Sept. 3. Based on an analysis of 35 federal agencies, it projects government-wide, mission-critical hiring needs through 2012. Factors driving the federal government’s projected hiring spree include retirements, national security and the need to provide employment for new veterans. The biggest categories with demand for new employees are the medical and public health fields, with 54,114 jobs to be filled—including 31,455 nurses, 10,626 doctors and thousands of nursing assistants, PPS said. Other fields in high demand include compliance and enforcement, with 31,276 projected positions; legal, with 23,596 jobs; and administration and program management, with 17,287 jobs, PPS said. Looking at the individual agencies, the Department of Homeland Security has a record 65,730 projected openings, the Department of Veterans Affairs is projected to have 48,159 jobs to fill, and DoD has 43,514 projected openings. To see more, go to: www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/pressroom/releases/release_
090903_wtja.shtml.

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VA Says It Has New System to Prevent IT mismanagement

Federal Computer Week—The Department of Veterans Affairs has set up a new oversight system to deal with problems cited by its inspector general about systemic mismanagement of major information technology projects, the department said this week. “VA has put in place its new Program Management Accountability System to ensure that the resources required to deliver IT products are managed to ensure that progress is demonstrated and non-performing projects are identified and quickly stopped,” the VA said in a statement. The VA issued the statement in response to an Aug. 26 report from the department’s inspector general’s office that blamed ongoing mismanagement of large IT projects for the failure of the department's Replacement Scheduling Applications development program. To see the rest of this story, go to: http://fcw.com/articles/2009/09/02/va-responds-to-ig-report-on-it-mismanagement.aspx.

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