Government Executive - Authors - Douglas J. Gillert

DoD offers buyouts and dual compensation boost

Douglas J. Gillert — Thu, 23 Dec 1999 00:00:00 -0500

The fiscal 2000 National Defense Authorization Act extended several incentives designed to help some Defense Department civilian employees leave federal service and one incentive for a select group to consider staying on the DoD payroll.

The latter comprise some 7,000 retired military officers across the federal system, most of whom work for DoD organizations. However, they represent only about 10 percent of all military retirees employed as civil servants by DoD.

Before Oct. 1, the dual compensation limit required retired officers to forego 50 percent of their military retired pay in access of $10,450.77 if they worked for the federal government. The pay cap also limited their combined military retiree pay and civilian employee salary for 1999 to no more than $110,700, the amount earned by assistant defense secretaries and service secretaries. Retired officers affected by the limit continued to draw their full retirement annuity, but their civilian pay was offset.

The retired officers affected by the change began seeing bigger civilian pay checks in October.

Diane Disney, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy, said the move will save DoD administrative costs, because a separate system is no longer required to manage their pay. But more importantly, she said, the change could make federal jobs more appealing to retired officers.

"What we will find, probably, is that civil service becomes a more attractive second career to some retired officers," Disney said at the Pentagon Dec. 8. "Perhaps some whom are now working for the government may want to stay a bit longer than they would have stayed, otherwise," she added, "because their income will be increased. We see this as a benefit to a group of people who have served the country."

Since the civilian draw down began in 1989, however, Disney's office has been busier finding ways to encourage people to leave rather than stay. Incentives to retire or separate have helped induce 400,000 departures. DoD needs to cut another 100,000 employees from its payrolls by 2005, and Disney said the recent authorization extending some incentives will help.

The fiscal 2000 budget gave DoD authority to continue offering employee buyouts under the Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay plan; pay health insurance premiums for up to 18 months after employees leave DoD; and make lump sum severance payments. Authority for all three incentives was extended through Sept. 30, 2002.

"Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay has been one of our single most valuable tools in easing the transition for separating employees," Disney said. "It enables people to manage the transition more effectively, to start a new career, pay off debts and do a wide range of things than enables them to adapt after leaving DoD."

Since DoD began offering buyouts in 1989, 139,000 employees have qualified. The buyouts aren't an entitlement, Disney warned. Employees have to be in units or organizations undergoing downsizing and may have to be in specific jobs and pay grades.

Federal law permits civilian employees leaving federal service and their families to continue their federal health benefits plan for up to 18 months, as long as they are willing to pay for it. For the past three years, however, DoD has picked up the government's share of health insurance premiums, or about 72 percent of the cost. With its authority extended to the end of fiscal 2003, DoD will continue the pay the employer's share of health insurance premiums.

"That really eases the transition, particularly if somebody is trying to find another job," Disney said. "Because then, you don't have worries about being able to pay for the insurance or being faced with a loss of care because of preexisting conditions. It's a very, very excellent buffer."

Lump sum severance pay, in lieu of biweekly payments, can also help employees cover expenses after they leave DoD, Disney said.

"We're grateful to Congress for extending these incentives," she said. "These are three very useful tools and we will not have them through virtually all of the draw down."

The Pentagon reviews the need for such incentives each budget year, Disney said, and it is always open to fresh approaches to dealing with personnel cuts.

"Every year we try to find new ideas," she said. "Individually, they may not help a lot of people, but collectively they really enable us to manage the transition humanely. We encourage people across the department to suggest pieces of legislation that relate to work force transition."

Disney said anyone with suggestions of how to improve or enhance the draw down should call her office at (703) 614-9487. "Dave Hyde is our director of legislative affairs, and he would be more than happy to hear from people having concerns or ideas," she said.

For personal assistance with buyouts and other incentives, contact your local civilian personnel office. A limited amount of information on civilian assistance and reemployment also is available on the Civilian Personnel Management Service home page at www.cpms.osd.mil.

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Key TSP changes six months away

Douglas J. Gillert — Mon, 13 Dec 1999 00:00:00 -0500

More investment funds to choose from and daily transaction processing are among the major changes coming May 1, 2000, to the federal employees' Thrift Savings Plan.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board that manages the government's 401(k) for civilian employees will transfer all existing accounts to a new system in April. The system will convert dollar amounts to shares and offer investors two new investment options in addition to the three existing funds.

The new International Stock Index Investment I Fund will be invested in the Barclays Europe, Australasia and Far East stock index. The index consists of stocks of companies in 20 countries representing 45 percent of the value of the world stock markets.

The Small Capitalization Stock Index International S Fund will be invested in a Wilshire 4500 index fund. The index represents approximately 23 percent of the market value of the U.S. stock market. It consists of stock actively traded in American stock markets except those in the Standard and Poor's 500 index.

The I Fund is expected to be the most volatile of TSP's five in the short run, followed by the S Fund. Third is the current C Fund, a Barclays Equity Index Fund that tracks the S&P 500. The C, I and S funds potentially can yield higher returns than the safer but generally lower yielding F bond fund and G government securities fund.

Currently, changes investors make to their accounts take effect the following month. Under the new system, transactions will be processed each business day, giving investors more flexibility in managing their accounts. They also won't have to wait for a semiannual open season to change the amount deducted from their pay for Thrift Savings Plan investment. Instead, they will be able to allocate future contributions at any time using the ThriftLine [(504) 255-8777] or the World Wide Web (www.tsp.gov) or by submitting a Form TSP-50 directly to their Thrift Savings Plan record keeper.

Open seasons will still occur for new enrollments, but the dates will change. The new periods will be April 15-June 30 and Sept. 30-Dec. 31. Currently they are May 15-July 31 and Nov. 15-Jan. 31. Enrollees will receive quarterly rather than biannual statements for the periods ending March 31, June 30, Sept. 30 and Dec. 31.

Loan and withdrawal transactions also will change. Quarterly statements will include loan balance information. Employees with unpaid loans will be able to reamortize them more than once and repay part of the loan ahead of schedule at any time, rather than just once and for the full amount.

Included among new withdrawal options: Employees can make a one- time partial withdrawal if they haven't taken an age-based, in- service withdrawal. They can use any combination of single payments, monthly payments or a life annuity to withdraw the total account balance.

All key transactions will be available on the Thrift Savings Plan Web site. There, employees will be able to allocate future contributions, check a loan status, obtain a loan prepayment amount and begin or, where spousal approval isn't required, complete loan and withdrawal requests and reamortize loans.

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Panel assesses quality of military health care

Douglas J. Gillert — Wed, 17 Nov 1999 00:00:00 -0500

A new federal advisory committee is evaluating how well the Defense Department is improving the quality of health care it provides some 9 million eligible beneficiaries.

The Healthcare Quality Initiatives Review Panel has met three times since Sept. 21 to review access and quality improvement initiatives begun in early 1998 and to assess how well DoD has done in achieving quality objectives, including:

Better education and training programs for physicians and other health care providers.
Establishing "centers of excellence" for complicated surgical procedures.
Reporting malpractice and adverse credential issues to the National Practitioner Data Bank (a service designed to prevent physicians who lose their license to practice in one state from seeking new credentials in another state).
Providing beneficiaries comprehensive information on the quality of health care they receive.
Making sure laboratory standards are met.
Ensuring the accuracy of patient information.

Panel members, appointed by Defense Secretary William Cohen, include physicians, nurses and representatives from service organizations that support the armed forces. More information about the panel's objectives is available on the Internet at www.hqirp.org. Williamson said the panel plans to visit sites around the country before submitting its initial report to Cohen in March or April 2000.

"We want to visit military treatment facilities and talk to commanders, quality management directors and facility personnel," said Williamson, who serves as an alternate panel member. He said no specific sites have been selected, but the panel would like to visit areas where all three medical service departments have operations. "That doesn't rule out visiting remote locations as well," he said.

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TSP open season begins

Douglas J. Gillert — Mon, 15 Nov 1999 00:00:00 -0500

Federal employees can begin their holiday gift giving early with a gift to themselves in the form of Thrift Savings Plan investments.

Open season for the government's retirement savings and investment plan begins today and continues through Jan. 31, 2000. During this period, civilian employees with at least six months' continuous federal service may enroll in the TSP. Current participants can change their future contributions or the way they are invested.

The plan offers three investment funds. The G Fund invests in short-term U.S. Treasury securities specifically issued to the Thrift Savings Plan. Investments earn fixed interest at a rate equal to average market securities with four or more years of maturity. The U.S. government-backed securities guarantee G Fund investments and earnings against loss.

The F Fund invests in public-sector and commercial notes, bonds and other obligations and offers potentially higher returns than G Fund securities. The C Fund diversifies investments in the stock market and is the riskiest fund, but potentially the highest yielding one. Neither contributions nor earnings in these two funds are guaranteed or insured against loss.

Each of the funds has had varying degrees of success during the past 12 months. A healthy stock market has kept the C Fund atop the performance charts, yielding a 25.56 percent investment growth for the past 12 months ending Oct. 31. During the same period, the F Fund posted a .47 percent gain and G Fund investments grew by 5.78 percent.

All contributions to the plan are made through payroll deductions. The amount employees can invest depends on their employment status. Civil Service Retirement System employees may contribute up to the lesser of 5 percent of their basic pay or $10,500 in 2000. Federal Employee Retirement System employees may contribute up to 10 percent of their basic pay or $10,500 in 2000, and their agencies match the first 5 percent they invest.

The Thrift Savings Plan also allows participants to apply for low-interest loans, based on the current G Fund rate of return, including loans to purchase homes.

Over the past year (October 1998 to October 1999), the C Fund is up 25.56 percent, the F Fund 0.47 percent and the G Fund 5.78 percent.

The TSP is slated to add two new funds next year. The S Fund will track the Wilshire 4500 stock index, which covers about 6,500 stocks of small U.S. companies. The I Fund will track the Morgan Stanley EAFE fund of stocks in 20 countries in Europe, Australia and Asia.

The next open season runs May 15-July 31, 2000.

For a daily index of the performance of the C Fund, see the "TSP Ticker" on the front page of GovExec.com. For more TSP information, see the Thrift Savings Plan guide.

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Web site explains military pay, TSP changes

Douglas J. Gillert — Mon, 01 Nov 1999 00:00:00 -0500

The Defense Department has posted a new site on the World Wide Web that explains the military pay changes taking effect Jan. 1, including the 4.8 percent pay raise.

Pay2000 (pay2000.dtic.mil) provides details on the January pay raise and briefly covers new retirement options; the Thrift Savings Plan that would allow service members to build a retirement nest egg; special pay and incentive pay improvements; and new rules on housing allowances, temporary lodging expenses and leave sell-back. The site also offers a means to provide e-mail feedback.

According to Thomas Tower, an assistant director for compensation in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, user feedback will contribute to the site's providing more in-depth information during its second phase, expected to go online by mid-November. The third stage, toward the end of this year, will be interactive and allow service members to calculate and compare retirement choices they have after 15 years' active duty, he said.

The option of choosing retirement plans is one of the most important improvements to military pay according to Tower. "Members now have a choice of retirement plans, including a reduced monthly payment with a $30,000 lump sum payment at 15 years or a higher annuity at 20 years, " he said. Those who elect the lump sum payment at 15 years are still required to serve on active duty through their 20th year, he said. "We will provide financial comparisons of what they can save."

Pay2000 doesn't duplicate information like pay tables that are available on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Web site, said Tower. He said, Pay2000 conveys information pertaining directly to compensation issues in the fiscal 2000 Defense Authorization Act, while the DFAS site contains more standardized information.

"The message we want to convey is that military compensation has been dramatically improved," Tower said. "A military career is a more attractive option, particularly in relation to the private sector, because service members each year will get a .5 percent higher pay raise than the private sector."

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen called the pay changes an "investment in our warriors" at the signing of the defense authorization act Oct. 5. "We can never pay you enough," he said, "but we can pay you more. And that is precisely what this bill is going to do."

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Agencies required to protect reservists' jobs

Douglas J. Gillert — Tue, 03 Aug 1999 00:00:00 -0400

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 has been amended to protect the rights of reservists returning from active duty to government jobs.

Although few Guard and Reserve members have expressed a concern, DoD's increased reliance on the reserve components spurred the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations concerning the act's application to federal civilians. The protections also apply for reservists employed by state and local governments and by private employers.

There are few incidences where a reservist would not be entitled to return to a position of employment, according to Air Force Col. Rowan Bronson, assistant director of personnel in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. Those incidences would include people who fail to give advance notice to employers that they've been called to active duty, those who exceed five years' cumulative active duty time or who failed to report back in time, and those who are discharged under less than honorable conditions.

"Basically, if they don't fall into those categories, they should have no problem getting back within federal civil service," Bronson said.

About 5 percent of the Ready Reserve-73,000 people-hold federal civilian jobs, Bronson said. They may volunteer or be called up individually or with a unit, but still receive the same protections, he said. Another agency, the National Committee for Employer Support of Guard and Reserve, protects their rights, too, as well as the rights and concerns of employers. The committee uses ombudsmen in the field (at least one in every state) who act as mediators between reserve component members and their employers and who explain to them the roles and responsibilities of each.

Employers concerned about a reserve component member being gone too long or too often also can directly communicate with unit commanders, the colonel said.

Before going on active duty, reserve component employees should notify their civilian employers, preferably in writing, Bronson said, except when to do so would hamper military security or delay the employee from reporting to duty. While reservists are away from their normal jobs, their entitlements continue as if they were there, he said.

"Benefits that are provided to all employees should continue to be provided to absent reservists," he said. "If the reservists are in positions that would automatically be upgraded during their absence, they should receive the upgrades. Pension and health benefits attached to the position as a normal course of the way the employers do business should stay in place."

Administration of the new rules will be applied uniformly across federal departments, although there could be some nuances depending on the reservists' branch of service and the department's human resources policies.

Reservists can find out exactly what's required of them through their units and employers and by accessing the Department of Labor "tickler file" that contains questions and answers for both reservists and employers. The file is on the Web at www.dol.gov/elaws/userra0.htm.

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DoD aims to prepare future civilian leaders

Douglas J. Gillert — Wed, 10 Mar 1999 00:00:00 -0500

The Pentagon is shining a light on its brightest civilian prospects, growing future leaders through a comprehensive program of training, education and development.

In 1996, DoD established the Defense Leadership and Management Program (DLAMP) in response to recommendations by the Commission on Roles and Missions. Initially aimed at GS/GM-14s and 15s, DLAMP enrolled 297 employees in May 1997 and 343 last year. For fiscal 1998, DLAMP expanded to allow GS-13 participants and will eventually include high achievers at the GS-12 level.

Two classes will be admitted this year, including 350 for the Class of 1999 (May) and a similar number for the Class of 2000 when the starting date is moved to December.

"DLAMP is an extremely creative venture," said Diane Disney, deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy. "It's designed to develop civilians for the top 3,000 leadership positions within the department. Essentially, it applies developmental principles in the Goldwater-Nichols Act to the civilian workforce for the first time."

Those 3,000 positions represent roughly one-tenth of civilians in grades 14 and above, responsible for people, policy, programs and other resources of broad significance. Many of the positions support joint warfighting strategy, policy, plans and operational management. Graduates of the DLAMP will become the primary source for filling these positions, Disney said.

Generally at the GS-13 level, DLAMP participants receive a rotational assignment of one year or longer outside their occupation or component. "This is designed to broaden their perspective while they are still fairly young in their career," Disney said.

Those in grades 14 and 15 take part in professional military education. This is done either through 90-day professional military education courses at the National Defense University or through 10-month programs at one of the senior service schools. Seventy-four DLAMP students are currently enrolled in 10-month programs to graduate in June 1999. A similar number will start the 10-month program in August. Both groups of participants are required to complete advanced level graduate courses.

Since February 1998, 291 participants have completed at least one of the 14 DLAMP courses. Upcoming classes range from economics to human resource management, finance and accounting, management information systems, quantitative tools, public policy and electives.

Disney said the program takes an average of six to seven years to complete. Enrollees must complete at least 10 graduate courses and may need as many as 20 courses, depending on their previous schooling, she said. In order to continue in the program, participants must be recertified annually.

Applicants for DLAMP must submit a package containing their resume and educational history. They must describe how they meet DLAMP evaluation criteria, including Office of Personnel Management executive core qualifications and criteria. Details of the program and application process are available on the Internet at www.cpms.osd.mil/dlamp.

A council chaired by the assistant secretary of defense for force management policy oversees DLAMP. Disney serves as the Council's executive secretary, with the DLAMP office located in the Civilian Personnel Management Service.

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New Web site aids career planning

Douglas J. Gillert — Wed, 24 Feb 1999 00:00:00 -0500

Federal employees who want to get the most out of their career and retirement have a new source for information and assistance on the Internet: Career Manager, a Web site developed by the Interior Department's human resources office. The site is located at www.doi.gov/octc.

Although the site was created for Interior employees, other federal employees will find much of the information useful. Well- organized and easy to follow, the site provides a career transition course map-steps to take to change career paths or advance on your current one.

Career Manager will help keep you from getting bogged down in endless lists and pages and sites. You can click your way through the site, taking advantage of each "chapter" of information and assistance, or skip directly to specific chapters. The course map lists all topics and recommends who should consult them.

The course map recommends everyone complete the online Keirsey Temperament Sorter to identify your basic personality type. The Keirsey instrument is a long series of multiple-choice questions, but is not a test and has no "right" answers.

Keirsey uses your answers to define your temperament and personal tendencies in office relations, decision making and other business factors. The site presents a list of suggested careers suited to your temperament. It also shows interesting profiles on some earlier high achievers.

You may find you're already in the right career field. Or you may find a job you've often considered switching to better matches your temperament than the field you're currently in. Either way, the "quiz" only takes a few minutes, it's fun, and it may help you confirm you are or aren't where you should be from a career standpoint.

If you think you might want to switch to a different career, the site provides several ways to explore the possibilities. Check out "Growing Occupations," which covers the fastest growing occupations and regional trends, as well as occupations in decline.

If you're looking to change jobs or advance in your current occupation, sections on networking, job fairs, resumes and interview tips and relocation will guide you through the process. The site also links to various federal, state and private employment indexes. Finally, the site offers guidance for employees planning retirement in five to 10 years. It covers retirement planning in four major sections: financial aspects, health resources, life style and general information. It also provides links to OPM pages covering the Federal Employees Retirement System and Civil Service Retirement System and the Thrift Savings Plan.

A link to the Social Security Administration provides full Social Security and Medicare information and an online form for requesting a Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement. It also links to Internal Revenue Service Publication 721, which explains how federal tax rules apply to Civil Service retirement benefits.

The site also includes an online career transition course, which will take you through the process of building a binder of materials to guide you through your federal civilian career. By the end of the course, you'll have completed exercises to clarify your career goals, learned how to use job hunting tools, obtained forms to chart your progress, checked job listings and maybe even applied for jobs.

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Military health care not good enough, DoD official says

Douglas J. Gillert — Tue, 16 Feb 1999 00:00:00 -0500

Military medicine boasts some of the best doctors, facilities and care available anywhere, but that's not good enough, DoD's top personnel official told health care managers in Washington on Feb. 4.

"Ten years hence, people will come together and say, 'What a tremendous system we have, but there were growing pains in the process,'" said Rudy de Leon, defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness, at the annual TRICARE conference. The military health system, he said, still has to improve how and when patients receive care, how people learn about their health care options, and how and when bills are paid. And, de Leon insisted, DoD has to fulfill its commitment to care for retirees age 65 and older.

Health care is important to service members' quality of life and is one of their greatest concerns, de Leon told the worldwide gathering of military and contract medics. "Our challenge in 1999 is going to be to take important steps forward that will restore people's confidence in their health care," he said.

TRICARE, DoD's managed health care plan, is up and running nationwide. Now, de Leon said, it must ensure beneficiaries receive easily accessible and hassle-free care. "As I talk with our beneficiaries at home and on deployment, a common theme emerges," he said. "Active duty members and their families are pleased with the quality of health care they receive. The problems exist in the level of service."

To learn more about patients' problems with TRICARE, de Leon has conducted town hall-style meetings across the country. He said most of the comments he hears fall into two categories: how long it takes to get through on the telephone to make an appointment, and the times patients have had to deal with their whole bill because the doctor hasn't been paid. Health care providers also focus on the claims process, he said.

Unpaid medical claims are a particular concern, de Leon said. TRICARE-contracted civilian doctors expect their patients to pay when the government is late. "To be successful, we must be credible in the promises that we make to both beneficiaries and providers," he said. "Together, we must resolve that the system will not allow young military families to be hounded by bill collectors or surprised by out- of-pocket costs. And we must do all we can to pay our health care providers on time so that the best civilian doctors and other health care professionals will want to participate in the TRICARE system.

"We have first-class people in our system, we have first-class facilities. One thing we can all pledge for 1999 is that we will have a first-class claims process."

Improving the appointment system is critical, de Leon said, so "beneficiaries do not have to spend their time on the telephone making appointments or wait several weeks to get an appointment."

De Leon said people need to know as much about TRICARE as possible. "We have to do more work on educating our beneficiaries on how TRICARE works," TRICARE has improved military health care, he said, but it doesn't do any good if nobody knows about it or how to use it, he said. He urged medical facility commanders to tell their line leadership, senior noncommissioned officers and patients what they're doing locally to improve health care delivery.

"Engage your community," he said. "These are your neighbors and our people that you're working for.

"We've got to keep the message simple, ensuring service members and their families that TRICARE is there for them in times of need."

That message must extend as well to Medicare-eligible retirees and family members 65 and older, de Leon said. The challenge of finding space and funds to cover the cost of elder care "is going to be with us well into the next century," he said. "We've got to work to make sure we keep faith with our military retirees."

In five years, retirees 65 and older will outnumber active duty beneficiaries in the military health system, de Leon said. He said he's encouraged that Congress will support Medicare Subvention, a Medicare reimbursement program currently being tested at selected military hospitals. He said several senators have told him they support a more inclusive system, allowing retirees to use their Medicare dollars in military treatment facilities.

"We still have a long way to go to meet the commitment for health care that all of our people expect," de Leon said. "But I look out at this audience, and I see the caliber, professionalism and the dedication that exists. You provide very precious benefits both in times of war and peace-gifts of healing and caring. Thank you and I salute you for all that you do."

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Eight sites to enroll military retirees in FEHBP

Douglas J. Gillert — Mon, 25 Jan 1999 00:00:00 -0500

The Defense Department will enroll up to 66,000 military retirees over age 65 in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program at eight locations nationwide.

Sites selected for the three-year test program are Dover Air Force Base, Del.; Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Fort Knox, Ky.; Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point, N.C.; Dallas; Humboldt County area, Calif.; Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; and New Orleans.

The plan will allow participants to enroll during federal civilian employees' fall 1999 health benefits open season. Open seasons, normally about 30 days long, occur in November and December. Those eligible to enroll will include over-65 retirees who are Medicare eligible and their dependents, unremarried former spouses of military members, and dependents of deceased members or former members. Medicare eligibility is not required for retirees' dependents in the last two groups. Coverage will begin in January 2000 and end in December 2002.

Dr. Sue Bailey, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, announced the site selection at the Pentagon Jan. 14.

"The Military Health System stands firm in our commitment to providing quality health care to all our beneficiaries," she said. "This demonstration project, along with several other test programs, will provide the department with valuable information about the cost and feasibility of several alternative approaches to providing increased health care access for our over-65 population."

Other projects either under way or planned include TRICARE Senior Prime, which has enrolled at least 21,000 over-65 beneficiaries at six locations, expanded pharmacy services, and a TRICARE supplemental benefit for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries.

Participants must enroll in a Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plan and pay premiums to receive benefits. Premiums will be based on a separate risk pool for Military Health System beneficiaries and be partially offset by government contributions. During the test, enrollees can't use military hospitals or clinics for any health care services.

The 1999 Defense Authorization directed DoD and the Office of Personnel Management to develop the demonstration project. The selected sites follow congressionally mandated requirements, with no more than one site allowed in each TRICARE region. The OPM and DoD will jointly evaluate the program and submit reports to Congress in May 2001 and December 2002.

More details of this program are available on the Military Health System Web site.

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Life insurance open season dates changed

Douglas J. Gillert — Thu, 07 Jan 1999 00:00:00 -0500

The Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program enrollment open season will be from April 24 to June 30, Office of Personnel Management officials recently said.

OPM changed the open season dates for the second time to give agencies enough time to reprogram their computers to handle employees' new insurance options.

During the one-time open season you can stop, start or change your life insurance coverage freely. Changes normally are allowed only at certain milestones, such as marriage and retirement. Changes made during the season will take effect on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after April 23, 2000.

OPM began phasing in other new insurance options in November. It eliminated caps on the basic term insurance and Option B additional insurance you can purchase.

Additional changes on tap for 1999 allow you to choose unreduced Option B coverage when you retire or to retain Option B coverage if you separate from the civil service or are in a nonpay status that runs out. Option C family coverage also will change, allowing you to elect coverage in multiples up to five times the current amounts of $5,000 for spouses and $2,500 for each eligible child.

The government contributes only to employees' basic term insurance premiums. Employees pay the full premiums for options, which are offered only along with basic term coverage. Option A-a flat extra $10,000 in coverage-is unchanged.

Forms and information about the insurance program are available on the OPM Web site.

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DoD clarifies Web policy on Web sites

Douglas J. Gillert — Tue, 15 Dec 1998 00:00:00 -0500

A new DoD policy encourages use of the World Wide Web as a powerful communications tool. But at the same time, the policy calls for tighter security controls and a stronger focus on matching web sites to the organization's mission.

"The policy encourages people to use web technology," said Bill Leonard, security programs director for assistant secretary of defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence. "But the most important thing we're telling people is to focus on who your target audience is for the information you're trying to convey and how sensitive that information is."

The new web policy clarifies and extends the rules for posting information on public DoD web sites. In the past, restrictions on web publication applied to information that was either classified, sensitive in nature, or not cleared for public release. The new policy, published Nov. 25, broadens these restrictions to include information of questionable public value that creates a potential security risk if made easily available to a worldwide audience. Information intended only for an internal audience, Leonard said, should be posted on Intranet, or closed-loop sites.

The new web guidelines are an outgrowth of a Sept. 24 directive from Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre to ensure that publicly accessible DoD web sites don't compromise national security or place personnel at risk. Hamre created a task force and ordered a review of operational, public affairs, acquisition, technology, privacy, legal and security issues associated with the use of DoD web sites.

Leonard said the new policy isn't intended to decrease the number of defense sites on the web. "The web is integral to a lot of our overall objectives and imperatives-disseminating accurate information rapidly," he said. "But you need to have a strategy for how and why." Organizations need to establish their information objectives, analyze and determine their customer base, then "embrace technology to maximize the benefits, balanced against the risks," Leonard said.

Leonard said many of the sites reviewed by the task force were strong, focused and easy to use, but many others "appeared to be there only because the technology is available," he said.

Leonard's office will provide policy and procedural guidance for the establishment and operation of web sites. DoD public affairs will provide policy oversight to ensure the credibility and effective dissemination of defense information. Public affairs also will continue to operate DefenseLINK as the principle gateway to DoD's web presence. DefenseLINK will serve as a central registration point for DoD web sites.

Service departments also will set up central registration points. Sites must register with their service component or directly with DefenseLINK.

The policy gives commanders the lead in establishing and maintaining appropriate web sites. "It's not a webmaster responsibility," Leonard said. Comparing it to a soccer game, he said, "When opponents score a goal, people point their fingers at the goalie. But that ball got past 10 other people on the team. It's the same in posting information to the web site. It's clearly a command responsibility."

The new policy also calls for the Reserve to conduct operational security assessments of DOD web sites. These assessments will help DoD increase awareness of the total defense presence on the web, Leonard said. "When commands look at their sites, they'll only be looking at a piece of the technology," he said. "We need to look at it from a DoD perspective. The Reserve approach will give us the capability to increase our awareness."

The Reserve will provide feedback to components, as well, letting them know what other information on the web might have an impact on their sites, Leonard said.

With the new policy published and posted to the web, the next milestone comes in late March, when components complete a second, more detailed scrub of their web sites.

"In the meantime, we'll continue to look towards new technology," Leonard said. "We're confident the long-term solution is to come up with an information delivery system that is relatively transparent to the user but will make it much easier to maintain information security."

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Big city ER preps military docs

Douglas J. Gillert — Thu, 10 Dec 1998 00:00:00 -0500

SAN ANTONIO, Texas-Military medics in Vietnam called it the "golden hour"-that precious 60-minute countdown when they scrambled to stabilize wounded soldiers-to save their lives and limbs. Sometimes at field hospitals, the golden hour extended to 12, 18 or 24 hours, the emergency medical teams working without break or sleep to treat hundreds of wounded soldiers.

Since Vietnam, military medics have deployed to other lands and skirmishes, but they haven't experienced the intensity of Vietnam emergency rooms. Even during Desert Storm in 1991, the single largest trauma event yielded an average of only 1.5 patients per physician over 24 hours.

The Army, Navy and Air Force surgeons general insist military surgeons must receive more hands-on training in trauma care. They want each surgeon to know what it's like in a trauma center-and that knowledge, they said, will better prepare military doctors for combat medicine.

Except at a handful of military emergency departments that provide trauma care to their civilian neighbors, military doctors today have little opportunity to train hands-on for combat care. Many Army, Navy and Air Force medics just can't get the training they need in-house. Now, a pilot program promises a new resource-big, inner-city hospitals. The first to offer such training is Ben Taub General in Houston.

In September, the forward surgical team from the 41st Combat Support Hospital, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, trained at Ben Taub. The nurses and medics came from Brooke Army Medical Center, also at Fort Sam Houston, while the surgeons came from throughout the Army's Great Plains Regional Medical Command. They received the training under an experimental Army program called Combat Trauma Surgical Training.

The medics trained individually and collectively alongside their civilian counterparts. When the training was completed, a senior military physician spent time helping them relate their experiences to what they would see in actual combat. To a person, the medics said they came away from the training with renewed appreciation for military medicine and greater confidence in their own capabilities.

Based on the medics' experiences at Ben Taub, defense health officials are looking at expanding the program to other civilian hospitals and providing the training to trauma teams DoD-wide, said Army Dr. (Lt. Col.) Cass Calloway, 41st Combat Support Hospital commander.

"We want to train 12 teams a year, one per month," Calloway said. Fort Bliss, Texas, will send a team to Houston in February, and teams from Fort Hood and the Air Force's Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, are slated for later classes. Calloway has recommended DoD supplement the clinical training with field exercises at the Army's Fort Polk training center in Louisiana. The entire program, he said, will cost about $240,000 a year.

Ben Taub helped reduce costs for the pilot session by paying for housing (a local college dormitory) and food for the military trauma team. The Army spent just $4,700 to train 20 military medics for one month. Future costs will include housing and per diem and will vary from location to location, Calloway said, but they'll still be manageable. He said the Army plans to place its own instructors in the participating hospitals and also will seek some reimbursement for services rendered.

"Two and a half years from now," Calloway said, "we could finish training every trauma team in DoD."

The training will enable DoD to deliver better medical care to wounded soldiers and provide a better medical response to natural disasters and terrorist events, he said. And the civilian communities will benefit from the increased trauma care. "It's a win-win situation for civilians and soldiers," he concluded.

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DoD Honors Productivity

Douglas J. Gillert — Wed, 04 Jun 1997 00:00:00 -0400

A computer training device has saved the Air Force $18 million so far; a critical, new signal processor linking helicopters and ships cut Navy costs $5 million; and a better way to heat field rations saved DoD $2 million.

These were among the achievements recognized when DoD honored 46 civilian employees and eight service members whose ideas and innovations saved the government more than $143 million. Honored with productivity excellence awards at a Pentagon ceremony May 21, were:

James Lin, Henry Kelly, Richard Ruhlman and Netia Mayton, Army Logistics Support Activity, Huntsville, Ala., developed an automated system to improve tracking of fuel usage rates for off- road vehicles. Using this system, the Army has recouped more than $5.1 million in previously paid, unnecessary excise taxes.

Robert Bernazzani, Jimmy Hodges Army Soldier Systems Command, Natick, Mass.; and Larry Hasty, Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, Ky., applied acquisition reform initiatives to procure, field and integrate a new heater for meals, ready to eat and water on board armored infantry and artillery vehicles. Their innovation addressed a deficiency noted during Desert Storm and saved the Army more than $2 million.

Chief Warrant Officer John Zimmerman, Fort Eustis, Va., and Sgt. Thomas Tompkins, Fort Campbell, Ky., developed a way to better manage maintenance of all Army OH-58D helicopters that gives commanders more time to perform tactical missions. By reducing administrative records and reproduction costs, the new process saved more than $1 million.

David Bullock and Donald Bowen of the Army's Watervliet Arsenal, N.Y., developed a cost-effective, simplified process to convert an integral part of the M-185 howitzer for use on the M- 284 howitzer. Their idea eliminated the need to buy the entire M- 284 assembly. By using existing inventory, the Army saved more than $4.2 million in procurement costs.

John Bly, Army Garrison, Hawaii, developed a lighting retrofit plan for barracks, housing and administrative offices that reduced annual garrison utility costs by more than $2 million.

Louise Green, Debra Watson and Mazie Angus, Industrial Operations Command, Rock Island, Ill.; Deborah Chance, Tooele Army Depot, Utah; and Jannette Brassfield, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., improved management of ammunition inventories. The program reconciles inventories more accurately and provides information at lower costs and has saved the Army more than $8.2 million.

Robert Farr, Pedro Chavera, James Lee, Daniel Leal, Charles Myers, Hilario Villareal, Jack Hammons, Herbert Peters, Maria Aquilar-Gallegos and Paul Mosley, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas, streamlined repair and overhaul of the T-53 aircraft engine. More accurate work requirements and time estimates and improved material usage increased engine production, improved operations and reduced engine overhaul turnaround time from 120 days to an average of 44 days, saving more than $7.5 million the first year.

Dominic Fraioli, Joseph Hala, Barry Thorp, Richard Funk, David Sistare, Beth McColl, Judy LeBlanc, Donald Kluberdanz, Robert Kosman, Richard Ferchen, Ambrose Godwin, Douglas Hembdt, Donald Manteuffel, Mary Ann Solodiuk and Frank Panzo, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, R.I., identified a method to restore and improve the signal processing capability between DDG- 993 class ships and Mk-III helicopters. Using in-house resources, they developed a new signal processor for at least $5 million less than it would have cost for commercial development.

Chief Petty Officer Ernest Childs, Naval Air Maintenance Training Detachment, Naval Air Station Miramar, Calif., suggested that obsolete engine assemblies could easily be modified for updated assemblies. His idea provided critically needed equipment for a new training facility, saving $2.3 million in material and manpower costs.

Thomas Andrews, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, identified low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf architecture that a contractor could use to construct automatic test systems used for F-22 aircraft armament testing. Using this architecture cut contract costs by more than $8.9 million.

Jerome Keeney, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, led a complex implementation effort to restructure all commercial satellite communications for the North Warning System. His idea to combine Alaskan and Canadian radar sites on a single communications satellite created a precedent-setting international capability and saved more than $1.1 million.

Maj. Lauren Johnson-Naumann, Air Force Communications Agency, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., led a cross-service team that convinced a local telephone company to overturn its decision to discontinue service to military installations on Oahu, Hawaii. Had the team not been successful, all military bases on the island would have shouldered installation, maintenance and repair costs of more than $6 million.

Master Sgt. Jerry Sutton, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., developed a design concept for operational air crew trainers and simulators that incorporates multi-skill levels for different types of weapons systems within a single, computer-based system. Developed in-house, Sutton's idea saved the Air Force more than $18 million.

Capt. Peter Ellis, Capt. Jodine Tooke and Master Sgt. Terry Pringle, Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, expanded the comprehensive enhanced follow-on/home basing program for service members returning from unaccompanied overseas short-term assignments. Their innovation produced more voluntary assignments and reduced family moving costs by $6.6 million.

John Fitzgerald, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright- Patterson, recommended using existing inventory to retrofit an existing aircraft engine to meet specifications of new engines the Air Force planned to purchase. By recycling equipment the Air Force already owned, Fitzgerald's idea saved the Air Force more than $60 million.

Lewis Britten and Diana Serpa, Defense Contract Management District West, Sunnyvale, Calif., developed an automated and fully integrated system to improve forecasting, scheduling and tracking of employee training and certification. This one-stop system reduced administrative costs by more than $1.1 million.

Paul Amato, Defense Personnel Support Center, Philadelphia, reduced by more than $3 million the cost of buying and delivering fresh produce to commissaries and military dining facilities. By broadening his customer base, he also was able to leverage his buying practices and pass on savings of up to 25 percent to his customers.

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DoD Simplifies Job Applications

Douglas J. Gillert — Wed, 26 Mar 1997 00:00:00 -0500

Sometimes finding a job in the federal government is like climbing an endless flight of stairs. Postings are limited and difficult to find, application forms are lengthy and confusing, and you may wait months for a response. You cross your fingers, hoping for an objective review of your qualifications.

The picture should brighten with the advent of a new, integrated civilian personnel data system shared by all DoD agencies and service components. The first phase of this upgrade: a new and much easier set of "STAIRS" to climb -- the Standard Automated Inventory and Referral System.

"STAIRS will simplify the process and save us vast amounts of money," said Diane Disney, deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy. She said the system will cost about $8.5 million to deploy, but it will save an estimated $30 million a year in operating costs.

"STAIRS will be technologically sophisticated," Disney added. The automated system replaces the manual review of job applications. It extracts skills and matches them with position criteria. People looking for work at a DoD installation will dial an interactive voice response telephone service to hear job announcements and make menu selections. Or they will enter the Internet, view job listings and follow on-screen instructions to apply.

They'll apply for jobs using an interactive, electronic process called Resumix, a commercial data base system that allows people to apply for jobs by e-mail or other electronic means.

Developing STAIRS has been a collaborative effort between DoD and the service components and agencies. Currently, 11 military installations and two DoD agencies have implemented STAIRS and are testing various ways to enhance the system's capabilities.

Bangor Naval Submarine Base, Wash., first tested Resumix March 1995-September 1996, and currently uses it to fill almost all job openings there.

Other test sites include the regional service center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, which provides the service to Altus Air Force Base, Okla.; Brooks and Laughlin Air Force bases, Texas; Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.; Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.

The Army installed Resumix at the northeast regional service center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., in September 1996 and soon will establish a referral list throughout the service area.

At the agency level, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Kansas City Customer Support Unit began posting job announcements with Resumix in September 1996. Based on results of the pilot project, the service will further implement Resumix into its Indianapolis-based regional service center, Disney said.

In addition, the Washington Headquarters Services, Human Resources Center installed Resumix in late summer 1996 and plans to implement the software in April after training its staff and briefing the Washington, D.C., area work force.

Meanwhile, DoD's Civilian Personnel Management Service is integrating Resumix with the modern system. After testing the entire system, DoD will deploy STAIRS worldwide in late 1998 or early 1999.

"STAIRS should make it easier to apply for jobs and make the review of credentials more consistent," Disney said. "It will simplify employees' lives."

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Pentagon Reports on Cuts

Douglas J. Gillert — Wed, 26 Mar 1997 00:00:00 -0500

DoD found new jobs for more than 9,000 civilian employees facing layoffs last year.

Current and future employees will be governed by a smaller manual and automated systems that slash regulations and streamline personnel management.

These are among accomplishments recorded in an upcoming annual report by DoD's Office of Civilian Personnel Policy. The report lists the achievements of the policy office and its field agency, the Civilian Personnel Management Service.

"By any measure, [fiscal] 1996 was a banner year for [the policy/management team]," Diane Disney, deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy, said in the report's introduction. "This report summarizes some of their noteworthy accomplishments."

In fiscal 1996, the policy/management team sought to humanely manage downsizing, streamline personnel management, improve services and enhance labor-management relations, Disney said. According to the report:

The DoD civilian work force dropped to 813,000 by Sept. 30, 1996; that's 36,000 less than a year before and 304,000 fewer than at the beginning of the drawdown in 1990. DoD must cut another 85,000 positions by the end of fiscal 2001. Buyouts accounted for 17,332 cuts, and more than 1,500 employees voluntarily retired early.
A nonfederal hiring incentive begun last year encourages private employers and local governments to hire surplus DoD workers. The incentive provides up to $10,000 for retraining and relocating an employee from an installation affected by base realignment and closure after the individual has been on the new payroll at least a year.
DoD also received authority to allow surplus employees -- as well as employees separated by reductions in force -- to continue health insurance coverage 18 months. Employees at RIF sites could receive severance pay if they volunteered to take the place of another employee facing RIF separation. The fiscal 1997 authorization extended voluntary RIFs through fiscal 2001.
To better manage remaining and future DoD employees, a new civilian personnel manual under development reduces regulations 77 percent. Meanwhile, the policy/management team cut information systems from 10 to two (Defense Civilian Personnel Data System and Defense Business Management System). The new systems will help improve the ratio of personnel specialists to total civilian employees from 1:61 to 1:100.

Regionalizing civilian personnel offices will save DoD $182 million a year. Twenty-three regional service centers will manage actions that don't require face-to-face meetings between employees and personnel specialists. More than 300 customer support units and installation satellite offices will provide all other customer services.

By the end of fiscal 1996, locations were selected for all but one regional service center and 12 centers were open for business.

Leadership training opportunities expanded with establishment of the Defense Leadership and Management Program. The Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces recommended DoD prepare senior civilians for greater roles in national security policies and programs. When training begins in fiscal 1998, the program will be open to 3,000 GS-14s and above responsible for "people, policy, programs and other resources of broad significance" or that primarily support joint warfighting capability. The program authorizes positions temporarily vacated for the training to be backfilled.

The policy/management team also sought to make life easier for its civilians, developing a telecommuting initiative and simplifying overseas health care.

A pilot project launched in May 1996 encourages all DoD components to test telecommuting. A central fund helps underwrite costs associated with using General Service Administration telecommuting centers.

Employees based overseas gained access to the Foreign Service Health Benefit Plan as an alternative source for health insurance. In addition, Blue Cross and Blue Shield will provide clearer instructions on how and where to obtain care overseas, issue identification cards in four languages that certify Blue Cross/Blue Shield membership, and set up a 24-hour, multilanguage hot line to answer questions and verify coverage.

Negotiations with the Office of Personnel Management established military medical treatment facilities as preferred provider organizations. This measure will reduce out-of-pocket and co-payment costs for those who get their health care from the military. Also, DoD will reimburse employees for expenses incurred traveling from a remote location to get health care.

Employees injured on the job aren't costing DoD as much as they used to. For the second straight year, DoD reduced its injury compensation bill while improving the way it handled field inquiries. DoD's bill for injury compensation fell $6.1 million in fiscal 1996.

The department avoided an estimated $8 million in costs by mediating or otherwise resolving more than 700 discrimination complaints. The Office of Complaint Investigations developed a course to train all investigators in mediation.

The Defense Partnership Council published three source documents for developing labor-management partnerships at military installations in the United States. The council also established a mentor bank of 80 teams to assist partnerships and trained more than 25,000 supervisors, employees and union officials in on-site facilitation and dispute resolution.

Internationally, the policy/management team negotiated labor agreements with Portugal, Germany and Korea and addressed labor problems in Turkey, Italy and Japan.

For more information about the report, call (703) 695-2012 or DSN 225-2012.

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