Federal Daily - December 11, 2009

No, Not That Season—Tax Season

'Tis the season to be jolly, but tax season is peeking around the corner as well.

If you can’t wait to get started, online access to various pay systems can speed up the process.

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, for example, announced this week that military servicemembers, retirees and annuitants, and federal civilian employees paid by DFAS should keep their eyes peeled for their 2009 tax statements, some of which already are starting to become available online.

Retirees are first up. Retiree Annual Statements are available via the DFAS myPay online pay information system starting Dec. 10. Generally, DFAS payees with myPay access (https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx) can retrieve their tax statements electronically up to two weeks sooner than those relying on regular mail delivery.

Those paid by DFAS can find the online and regular mail availability dates for IRS W-2s, 1099Rs and 1099-INTs; and retiree and annuitant annual account statements at: http://tinyurl.com/yc77t64.

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Troop Surge Won’t Affect Plans to Eliminate Stop Loss

President Obama’s decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan will not affect the Army’s effort to eliminate, over the next two years, the controversial “stop loss” practice that compels soldiers to remain active beyond their original service obligation.

In a joint message to senior Army leaders, Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. said the increase will not affect stop loss elimination plans—nor will it force the Army to impose 15-month deployments or reduce the 12-month at-home rest period troops are now given between deployments, according to a statement posted Dec. 7 on the Army’s Web site.

“We know our soldiers, families, army civilians and veterans have carried an enormous burden in this war, and we are committed to providing a level of care and support that is commensurate with their service and sacrifice,” the statement said.

The Army has grown large enough over the past five years (about 70,000 troops since 2004, with 40,000 in the last two years) to accommodate the surge in Afghanistan without employing stop loss or increasing deployment time-frames, the officials said. The drawdown of troops in Iraq also helps, they said.

DoD announced the stop loss phase-out in March. Last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, the Army paid bonuses to soldiers forced to stay in the Army beyond their original service obligation. The active-duty Army will deploy its first unit without stop loss next month.

To see more, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ygj5t7l

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Group Offers Scholarships to Servicemember Spouses

The National Military Family Association is accepting applications for a scholarship program to provide $1,000 to the spouses of servicemembers seeking to obtain professional certification or attend college. The deadline is Jan. 31.

The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship program has three divisions, a general scholarship for all spouses, a scholarship for spouses of the wounded and a scholarship for servicemembers’ widows or widowers.

Applications are only accepted online, at www.militaryfamily.org/scholarships. Spouses of uniformed servicemembers (active duty, National Guard and reserve, retirees and survivors) of any branch or rank are eligible to apply. The scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board.

“The National Military Family Association recognizes that unique challenges like frequent moves and deployments can interfere with military spouses’ ability to complete their education,” said Joyce Raezer, association executive director.

Award notifications will be made in March, and scholarship checks will be mailed by June. If selected for a scholarship award, applicants must be able to enroll in a school or vocational program and show proof of eligibility by April 1.

To see more, go to: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123181524.

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AFGE Applauds Contract Inventory List Proposal

The American Federation of Government Employees applauded a congressional proposal to require non-DoD agencies to compile inventories of service contracts that can then be used to determine which ones can be canceled or in-sourced.

The requirement is included as language in the Fiscal Year 2010 Financial Services Appropriations Bill (H.R. 3170 and S. 1432) that is pending in Congress. In addition, the funding measure includes a provision that continues the government-wide ban on starting new Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 privatization studies. Non-DoD agencies would also be able to scrutinize their service contracts for possible savings.

Congress should “be commended, for continuing to ensure that in times of budget constraints, agencies will look for savings from their contractors,” said AFGE President John Gage. “For too long, agencies have shrouded their vast contractor workforces in darkness, with little or any scrutiny.”

The measure is a follow-up to a similar inventory mandate for DoD in the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. DoD is using its inventory to identify contracts that can be canceled or that should be in-sourced because they include unauthorized personal services or work that is inherently governmental or closely associated with inherently governmental work. The list is also being used to determine which DoD contracts were awarded without competition or were poorly performed.

To see more, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yegfdx7.

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