Federal Daily - June 30, 2009

DoD, VA Should Ban Tobacco Use In Military, at Facilities

The DoD should phase in a ban on tobacco use in the military, starting at military academies and officer training programs and among new recruits, said a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released on June 26. To achieve that goal of a tobacco-free military, DoD should gradually implement a ban and stop selling tobacco products in Army and Air Force commissaries—Navy and Marine Corps commissaries already do not sell them, the report said. In addition, DoD should stop selling tobacco products at a discount in military exchanges and other stores, according to recommendations in the report, and Congress should allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish tobacco-free medical centers. The report casts the tobacco debate in terms of military readiness. “The health of both smokers and nonsmokers, and the financial cost of the medical care of smoking-related illness in military and veteran populations are a sound basis for moving systematically toward a tobacco-free military,” said Stuart Bondurant, professor of medicine of the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. The IOM report was requested by DoD and VA. To see more, go to: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/bydate.aspx.

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OPM Needs to Balance Benefits for Deployed Civilians, GAO says

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) needs to develop a uniform benefits package for deployed federal civilians to make sure all of them receive equitable pay and medical benefits, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released June 26. GAO looked at how deployed civilians—employed through DoD, the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Justice and the U.S. Agency for International Development—were compensated for work done on stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although policies concerning compensation for deployed civilians are generally comparable across agencies, GAO found some discrepancies in pay. For example, National Security Personnel System supervisors, who are paid salaries equivalent to those of GS-12 step 1 supervisors, receive their normal hourly rate for overtime hours, while GS-12 step 1 supervisors receive 1.14 times their normal hourly rate for overtime, the report said. Even though lawmakers have previously told OPM to develop a benefits package for all civilians deployed to war zones, it still is not done, the report said. OPM officials told GAO that DoD had initiated an interagency working group that developed some proposals for legislative changes. However, these proposals have not yet been submitted to Congress, the report said. GAO also found that the workers in the study did not enjoy the same access to medical treatment following deployment. “Although policies concerning compensation for deployed civilians are generally comparable across agencies, we found some issues that affect the amount of compensation they receive,” the report said. “Deployed civilians at equivalent pay grades who work under the same conditions and face the same risks may receive different compensation.” To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/new.items/d09562.pdf

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GSA Wins Award for Promoting Telework Among Feds

The General Services Administration (GSA) was recognized for its efforts to boost telework programs among federal agencies. GSA’s Office of Government-wide Policy was named as the best in the National Capital Region for achievement in employer services. The award was part of the Commuter Connections Employer Recognition Awards, which are presented by Commuter Connections, a program of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. In April 2008, GSA signed a telework policy allowing eligible employees the option to work offsite at least one day per workweek. “GSA is committed to providing federal employees with the tools and resources they need,” said Stanley F. Kaczmarczyk, acting associate administrator of GSA’s Office of Government-wide Policy. “With GSA’s broad reach, we will continue to work toward innovative ways to keep our government running efficiently.” To see more, go to: www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?pageTypeId=8199&
channelId=-24825&P=&contentId=28249&contentType=GSA_BASIC.

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