Federal Daily - March 11, 2010

Bill to Compensate DOT Workers Passes House

The House on March 10 passed a bill to compensate about 2,000 employees of the Department of Transportation who were furloughed for two days earlier this month when funding for the Highway Trust Fund was allowed to lapse because of blocked legislation in the Senate.

The bill, H.R. 4786, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., would compensate employees furloughed at the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

As precedent for compensating employees for such furloughs, Connolly cited Congress’s vote to compensate 800,000 feds affected by a 26-day shutdown in late 1995 and early 1996 during the Clinton administration.

“It was the right thing to do then, and it’s the right thing to do now,” Connolly said before the House approved the bill.

To see more, go to: http://connolly.house.gov/.

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VFW Chief Calls Processing Backlog ‘Unacceptable’

Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Thomas J. Tradewell urged lawmakers to fix the backlog that vets continue to face when submitting benefits claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A backlog in claims processed by the Veterans Benefits Administration has resulted in a six-month average wait for an initial rating decision and a two-year average wait for an appeal decision, Tradewell told a joint hearing of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees March 9.

“The most important issue facing America’s veterans today is the unacceptable VA claims backlog and an equally unacceptable processing error rate,” said Tradewell. He noted that although the VBA system reports an overall 17 percent average error rate, the rate at VA Regional Offices in Virginia, Alaska and Maryland strands at 25 percent, 29 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

While Tradewell applauded VA Secretary Eric Shinseki for making reform of the VA claims system a top VA priority, he cautioned against any seeking quick solutions.

“We know that any single plan to make the overall claims process simpler could occur at the expense of the rights and benefits earned by veterans,” he said. “A quick fix plan is simply unacceptable, because fixing the backlog will require thoughtful solutions.”

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

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Union Voices Concerns Over Workplace Safety

Two recent attacks on federal facilities—the plane which crashed into an IRS building in Austin, Texas, and the recent shooting at a Pentagon entrance—have ratcheted up worries about the safety of the federal workplace, said National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley.

“In recent weeks federal employees have seen violent acts in Austin, Texas, and at the doorway of the Pentagon. A federal employee was killed, and too many others were injured,” Kelley said. “These events have left workers across the country extremely concerned.” Kelley made the comments March 9 during the union’s annual legislative conference in Washington, D.C.

Kelley applauded the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce for scheduling a March 16 hearing to review issues raised by the recent attacks. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., who chairs the subcommittee, cited “a pressing need to evaluate federal and postal office security and protocols.”

In response to the Austin attack, Kelley also announced the creation of a $5,000 annual memorial scholarship in conjunction with the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund in honor of Vernon Hunter, the IRS employee killed in the Feb. 18 crash.

To see more, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ylfsy3u.

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