Archive for January 2009

VA faces shortage of employment counselors for veterans

January 30, 2009 by admin.


By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com January 29, 2009The Veterans Affairs Department needs to use more sophisticated workforce planning tools to ensure its Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program has staff with the skills to address the increasingly complicated needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a new report from the Government Accountability Office concluded.”Many [wounded service members] are surviving with multiple serious injuries and illnesses, including amputations, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” the GAO report said. “While some service members will be able to remain on active duty, others will need comprehensive services as they transition into civilian life and work.” VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration runs the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program.Fifty-four percent of the 57 VR&E offices nationwide told GAO that they didn’t have enough counselors to meet demand, and 40 percent said they needed more employment coordinators. Thirty percent of the offices reported that counselors’ skills only moderately met the needs of the veterans they served, while 30 percent said the same skills gap existed with respect to their employment coordinators.Caseloads have become more complex as veterans’ needs become more challenging, reported 90 percent of the VR&E offices. Eighty percent noted that the agency was only somewhat prepared to meet future demands, while 12 percent said the agency was not prepared to meet rising needs.GAO reported that those estimates could actually understate the magnitude of the difficulties facing the program. A 2004 task force recommended that VA study how long it takes counselors to complete their major duties. The report is planned for 2009, and VA will publish its results in 2010.Without those numbers it is difficult for VR&E to establish an appropriate ratio between caseloads and counselors and employment coordinators. The agency based its current target of 125 veterans to one counselor on a study of state vocational rehabilitation programs. But the VR&E workforce rehabilitation system, unlike those administered at the state level, is a more complicated five-step process. And VR&E is not even meeting its caseload target. GAO said the regional offices estimated that the average counselor handles cases for 136 veterans.VR&E has increased headquarters staff in recent years, from 33 in fiscal 2004 to 55 in fiscal 2008. The number of regional workers has grown from 917 in fiscal 2004 to 1,101 in fiscal 2008. The program can also refer veterans to counselors who work with VR&E on a contract basis.But GAO said it was unclear whether those staff increases were sufficient or whether existing workers were being used appropriately.”Staff time may not be used efficiently, as many regional office staff we interviewed and surveyed said much of their time was spent on redundant paperwork and data entry requirements that reduced the amount of time they spent with veterans,” said the report.Former Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, who responded to the report in a Dec. 29 letter, said the agency would award a contract for a workforce survey by September 2009.But he disagreed with GAO’s assessment that counselors and employment coordinators might not have the requisite skills to assist returning veterans.”The Veterans Benefits Administration has clearly defined critical skills and competencies needed by vocational rehabilitation counselor positions,” Peake wrote. “Entry-level counselors are required to possess specific master’s level educational credentials in the field of rehabilitation to be eligible for hire.”

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Defense, VA plan to have interoperable health records by September

January 23, 2009 by admin.


By Bob Brewin 01/20/2009A high-level management committee from the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments said they plan to have interoperable health records by September as part of a program between the two departments to streamline information sharing, according to a report released last week.Defense and VA launched a health information sharing project in 2000 and now share exchange a vast amount of medical data, including lab results and medication history through its their Bi-Directional Health Information Exchange.The two departments will continue to share more inpatient electronic data, including clinical notes from physicians, according to the 2009-2011 strategic plan issued by the VA/Defense Joint Executive Council. Gordon Mansfield, deputy secretary at VA who chairs the council, and David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of Defense personnel and readiness, issued the report last week.The two departments plan to exchange clinical notes, which doctors write to report patients’ conditions, in a test environment this June and to complete deploying the inpatient clinical note system by Sept. 30. VA and Defense’s Military Health System expect to begin operating a secure, redundant network to support health data exchange by June 30.VA and Defense also plan to begin sharing chemistry and hematology information in real time at all their medical facilities by Oct. 31, according to the strategic plan. In addition, Defense will start deploying a system to automatically capture and display neuropsychological assessment data essential in identification and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder by Jan. 31, 2010.The report recommended that Defense exchange health care information with private sector managed care contractors that provide medical care for active-duty personnel and their families and veterans, as well. Defense is slated to begin in-depth analysis to identify data sharing requirements in March.Eric Shinseki, expected to be confirmed as the VA secretary in the Obama administration on Tuesday, told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Jan. 14 that he would work with the Joint Executive Council and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ensure exchange of health information between the two departments, and he viewed any obstacles to data sharing as a managerial rather than a technical problem.The strategic plan also revealed that the Veterans Tracking Application, originally developed by Defense to follow wounded personnel evacuated from Afghanistan and Iraq, will be enhanced to maintain a common database of severely injured service members for a new version of the Defense Disability Evaluation System, which is used to evaluate wounded service members.The plan also called for development of a My eBenefits Web site, which will serve as a single information source for service members and veterans as directed in an August 2007 report issued by the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors. The commission said a portal should have been be in operation by August 2008.

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National Defense Week

January 20, 2009 by admin.


    

    Defense procurement case cited in delay of women’s contracting programBy Elizabeth Newell

  1. The Small Business Administration has become one of the first agencies to explore whether a recent court ruling striking down the legality of the Defense Department’s small disadvantaged business program has broader ramifications.SBA announced on Monday that it was reopening the comment period for the long-delayed women’s contracting program and extending it for 60 days, partially in light of the ruling. The extension will allow stakeholders additional time to submit formal comments on a September 2008 revised plan to declare women-owned small businesses under-represented in 31 industries and allow set-aside contracts for women-owned firms in those industries.SBA said that by granting the extension it was acquiescing to requests from Congress and members of the public, and noted that agency officials were assessing the November U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s Rothe Development Corp. v. Department of Defense decision and its potential relevance to the women’s program.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41788&dcn=e_ndw 


 
  1. Defense official urges new military construction in EuropeBy Otto Kreisher, CongressDailyThe U.S. commander in Europe Friday said he needs additional military construction funding, particularly for Defense Department schools and family housing, and warned that the poor condition of the schools could become a readiness issue.Army Gen. Bantz Craddock, the Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, also endorsed recommendations by a special Pentagon commission on the need to retain nuclear weapons there, and said the NATO allies are awaiting the Obama administration with “expectation and anxiousness.”Funding for facilities in Europe has been constrained for years because of the deep reduction in U.S. forces since the end of the Cold War.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41767&dcn=e_ndw 
  2. Shinseki to seek transformation of Veterans AffairsFrom CongressDailyRetired Gen. Eric Shinseki told senators Wednesday that, if confirmed as Veterans Affairs secretary, he will work to transform the department into a “21st century organization.”Shinseki, who helped begin a massive Army transformation effort when he served as the service’s chief of staff between 1999 and 2003, said he expects to face similar challenges modernizing the VA. “Leadership, commitment and teamwork enable the challenges of transformation to become opportunities to innovate and better serve our veterans,” Shinseki told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee during a confirmation hearing.In the near term, Shinseki said he would work to craft a “credible and accurate” fiscal 2010 budget during his first 90 days in office. Shinseki said he would focus on the backlog of medical claims at the department, adding there is no reason it should take six months for veterans’ claims to be processed.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41795&dcn=e_ndw 

 

  1. Admiral sees difficulty meeting goals for fleet expansionFrom CongressDailyThe Navy’s top resources official Wednesday said the nation and the service were facing “the most challenging fiscal environment” in decades and it cannot afford to buy the ships and aircraft it wants.Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, the deputy chief of naval operations for integrating capabilities and resources, gave that grim assessment to a Navy and industry audience while acknowledging he did not know what level of procurement funding the service would receive in the fiscal 2010 defense budget.McCullough reiterated that Navy leadership regards a 313-ship fleet and a certain number of aircraft as minimum requirements to meet the increasing demand for naval forces. But, he continued, “when you look at the budget, you can’t buy them all. There’s not enough in the top line to buy them all.”Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41802&dcn=e_ndw

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National Defense Week 1/8/2009

January 8, 2009 by admin.

  1. Report finds OMB did not pressure Pentagon on competitive sourcingBy Robert BrodskyThe Army was under “extreme pressure” to conduct public-private job competitions in 2008, but not from the Office of Management and Budget, according to a report released on Monday by the Defense Department inspector general.Officials with the Army, Navy and Air Force told investigators that “they were not directed by and did not feel pressure from OMB” to hold job competitions, the report stated.But top Army officials told the IG that they had difficulties implementing the competitive sourcing program, which has since been renamed commercial services management, and that the Office of the Secretary of Defense rejected requests for relief.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41735&dcn=e_ndw
  2. Court rules veterans’ preference applies to excepted service jobsBy Alyssa RosenbergA federal court has ruled that veterans’ preference rights must be applied in the same way for both competitive and excepted service positions, but declined to address larger questions about the constitutionality of the Federal Career Intern Program and the president’s power to decide which jobs are competitive.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on Dec. 24, 2008, in Gingery v. Department of Defense that the Merit Systems Protection Board incorrectly ruled that Defense did not violate the veterans’ preference rights of Stephen Gingery, a disabled veteran, when it filled two auditor positions with FCIP candidates without requesting permission from the Office of Personnel Management, or notifying Gingery that he had been passed over and had a right to appeal the hiring decision.The Bush administration had argued that veterans’ preference requirements did not apply in this case because using the FCIP to fill the jobs made them excepted service positions. Judge Kimberly Moore, writing for herself and Judge Pauline Newman, rejected that argument.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41739&dcn=e_ndw 
  3. Gates: Defense needs another $70 billion in 2009By Megan Scully , CongressDailyDefense Secretary Robert Gates has alerted lawmakers that he believes the U.S. military will need an additional $69.7 billion to continue operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this fiscal year.In a three-page letter dated Dec. 31, Gates told House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha, D-Pa., that the dollar figure is his “personal assessment and does not reflect the position of the Bush administration or the incoming Obama administration.”Combined with $65.9 billion in fiscal 2009 war funding already approved by Congress, Gates’ estimate, accompanied by a detailed list showing how the added funds would be spent, would bring the Defense Department’s share of war spending this year to $135.6 billion — significantly less than the roughly $170 billion appropriated for war costs bills last year.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41725&dcn=e_ndw 
  4. State official: Obama will step up fight against terrorismBy Otto Kreisher, CongressDailyThe State Department’s top counterterrorism official on Tuesday predicted that President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming team would in some ways be more aggressive in fighting terrorism around the world than the Bush administration. Counterterrorism coordinator Dell Dailey said he did not mean the Obama administration would do more to try to kill terrorists, but would be more aggressive in building partnerships with other nations. Based on his meetings with the transition team and Obama’s own statements, Dailey said he would expect the new administration to engage “with more countries and more in depth with countries” than has the current government. The Bush administration has been “very aggressive in bilaterals [one-on-one relationships with foreign governments]. But the United States probably has not been as aggressive as we should be in multilateral efforts,” Dailey said. There are counterterrorism efforts in Africa and Asia where “there are no U.S. fingerprints at all,” he said. “We should be involved.” American engagement in those multinational activities would not require troops, but should have U.S. financial and other support, he added.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41732&dcn=e_ndw


  • From Nextgov.com: Army announces winners of $497 million biometrics contractBy Gautham NageshThe Army has awarded a massive biometric technology and support services contract to 12 companies.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41734&dcn=e_ndw
  • The Obama team: a guideWith a little less than three weeks to go to Inauguration Day, President-elect Barack Obama has nearly rounded out his team of Cabinet members and other top advisers.The Lost in Transition blog, a joint project of Government Executive and National Journal, has compiled a comprehensive guide to Obama’s appointees. It includes brief biographies and links to further coverage of each nominee:Lost in Transition Guide to Obama’s AppointeesFull story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41696&dcn=e_ndw Quote of the Week:

  • “I hope to see someone who understands the complexity of federal government programs … someone with significant experience in federal programs and an understanding of how they operate and how to navigate the bureaucracy.”– Adam Hughes, director of federal fiscal policy at OMB Watch, on President-elect Barack Obama’s expected appointment of a chief performance officer. 

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    Today’s Acquisition News - Monday, December 29, 2008

    January 6, 2009 by admin.


    Brought to you byAcquisition Solutions’ Virtual Acquisition Office™
    Department of the Navy12-29-08: Navy energy projects reduce consumption and costs. The Navy has developed an ambitious slate of projects designed to help the service meet federal and Department of Defense (DoD) energy efficiency and consumption reduction goals, according to an article published December 24 in Federal Times. In addition to federal mandates to reduce consumption and increase the use of alternative energy sources, DoD has set a goal for its agencies to generate 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. “We’re going to experiment with just about everything we can to try to lower our energy,” noted Joseph Gott, chief engineer and director of capital improvements at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. One of the service’s long-term projects is a new Marine base on Guam, which will be comprised of buildings constructed to achieve a silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. That base is expected to be ready for occupation in 2013. The Navy also has increased its use of share-in-savings contracts, under which contractors provide funding for energy efficiency projects upfront and are paid over time through cost savings, and encourages personnel to look for ways to reduce energy consumption at work and in their homes. “We’re trying to motivate our folks to the point that if we save money in this area, we can use it in another area,” remarked B.J. Penn, assistant Navy secretary for installations and environment. The Navy already has reduced its energy use by 12 percent as of this year, and it estimates its energy management projects have helped it saved more than $600 million between 2000 and 2007. Additional projects under way or soon to be completed include:
    • Wind energy generation. In January, a large-scale wind turbine capable of generating 1.5 megawatts of energy annually will begin operating at Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, CA.
    • Solar photovoltaic systems. The Navy generates 3.2 megawatts of solar-powered energy annually via photovoltaic systems at 12 locations.
    • Geothermal systems. The Navy powers the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, CA, by drawing on heat generated in the Earth, and also provides 1.4 million megawatts of excess energy annually to the state power grid.
    • Ocean thermal energy conversion. The Navy is experimenting with a new method for generating electricity that harnesses the temperature difference in the warm surface water in the ocean and the cold water below. The Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean uses this process to generate electricity, drinking water, and air conditioning.

    hID-14233 Navy slashes energy use through variety of projects (Federal Times, December 24, 2008 ) newsID-19628

    Construction Contracting12-29-08: DoD plans new contracts to support U.S. commitment in Afghanistan. According to last Thursday’sWashington Post, the Department of Defense (DoD) has a number of new construction contracts planned for Afghanistan that seem to indicate a sustained commitment in the region. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued three solicitations for military housing, each valued at up to $100 million. The most recent, for design and construction of barracks to house 2,000 Army troops, as well as for guard stations, towers, vehicle inspection areas, office and warehouse space, and perimeter fencing, calls for completion one year after award, meaning the barracks would be occupied no earlier than the end of 2009. The solicitation later was updated to add an optional proposal for a third barracks for 1,000 personnel. Another request seeks construction of housing at Kandahar Air Field for a corps support battalion of up to 1,640 troops. And a contract award expected in February calls for construction of a power plant for the Kandahar base, as well as electrical and water distribution systems and communications lines. That proposal indicates a completion target of late 2009, as well. The Army Corps of Engineers also has issued a presolicitation notice for operation and maintenance services for Afghan National Army installations under a $500 million, five-year contract slated to begin in October 2009. Qualified firms would supply all public works functions, possibly including keeping utilities and other infrastructure fully operational.[Please note that first-time viewers of the Washington Post may be asked to register (it’s free) before viewing this article.] hID-14232 Contracts Point to Significant U.S. Commitment in Afghanistan (Washington Post, December 25, 2008 ) newsID-19627
    National Security Personnel System12-29-08: DoD publishes NSPS salary adjustment fact sheet. The Department of Defense (DoD) has published a fact sheet to provide information on expected pay increases for the approximately 187,000 DoD employees covered by the National Security Personnel System (NSPS). According to the document, the January 2009 pay adjustments consist of performance-based payouts in the form of base salary increases, bonuses, or a combination; an NSPS general salary increase of 1.74 percent, which is equal to 60 percent of the General Schedule (GS) increase; and an increase in locality pay equal to increases to GS rates. Payouts are effective the first pay period in January. hID-14228 Also in the News: DOD explains performance-based pay (FCW, December 24, 2008 ) newsID-19621 NSPS pay raise cheat sheet (Federal Times, December 23, 2008 ) newsID-19622
    Mergers and Acquisitions12-29-08: Lockheed Martin acquires technology services firm. Lockheed Martin announced last week that it is acquiring Universal Systems and Technology, an information technology firm that provides interactive training and simulation, homeland security, and technical solutions to the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, the military services, and other U.S. agencies. The new business will be managed by Lockheed Martin’s simulation, training, and support division. The acquisition is expected to close in 2009, subject to government approval.[Please note that first-time viewers of the Washington Post may be asked to register (it’s free) before viewing this article.] hID-14227 Lockheed Martin buys Unitech (Washington Technology, December 24, 2008 ) newsID-19619 Lockheed Martin to Buy Universal Systems(Washington Post, December 25, 2008 ) newsID-19620

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