September 10, 2008 by admin.

Continue to Serve Your NationYour prior military service could qualify you to continue to serve your nation at the Internal Revenue Service. Opportunities for qualified applicants are available throughout the United States.What to ExpectWhen you transition from the military to a career at the IRS, our benefits package will look very familiar. Let’s take a look at a few of the things you are probably interested in:Annual LeaveIf you are separated (but not retired) military, you receive full annual leave credit for service performed under honorable conditions. If you are retired military, you are generally not eligible for annual leave accrual credit.Sick LeaveFull-time employees earn four hours of sick-leave per two-week pay period. That adds up to 13 sick-leave days per year!RetirementIf you had a Thrift Savings Plan account while serving in the military, you may be able to merge most of your account balance after you establish a civilian account. Tax-exempt balances (contributions from combat zone pay) cannot be transferred to your civilian account. After you have served your new employee waiting period, you become eligible to receive Agency Automatic (1 percent) contributions and Agency Matching contributions (up to 5 percent).If you are separated (but not retired) military, you can use your uniformed service for credit toward civilian retirement by making a deposit to the retirement fund of 7 percent (for Civil Service Retirement System - CSRS) or 3 percent (for Federal Employees Retirement System - FERS) of basic military pay.If you are retired military, you can use your uniformed service towards civilian retirement by making a deposit to the retirement fund and waiving your military retirement pay at your civilian retirement. If you want to keep your military retirement pay, you cannot use the military service towards civilian retirement.Dual CompensationRetired military personnel no longer receive reductions to their retired or retainer pay when employed in a civilian office or position of the U.S. Government.Military LeaveIRS employees who serve in the National Guard or Reserves for either active duty or training receive military leave benefits. Your type of deployment will determine how much leave you can accrue.

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July 16, 2008 by admin.

By Brittany Ballenstedt bballenstedt@govexec.com July 15, 2008

A recent decision from the Merit Systems Protection Board could open hundreds of law enforcement and other jobs to veterans who previously bumped up against age restrictions during the application process.

MSPB ruled on July 2 that the State Department must waive maximum entry age requirements for veterans applying to become special agents at the Diplomatic Security Service.

The case, Isabella v. Department of State, stems from a claim filed by Robert Isabella, a preference-eligible veteran who applied for a special agent position at the department. The job description called for someone 37 or younger; Isabella was 36 when he applied and when he turned 37, the agency stopped processing his application. The reasoning was that he was too close to the cutoff age.

But MSPB found that this violated Isabella’s rights under the 1944 Veterans Preference Act, the 1998 Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, and the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The ruling pointed to a section of the Veterans Preference Act that requires federal agencies to waive maximum age rules for preference-eligible applicants unless the age requirement is essential to the performance of the work.

The board determined that in this case the sole purpose of the age restriction was to allow agents to enjoy a full career before reaching the mandatory retirement age, which is normally 57, but can be extended three years to 60 if the agency has a particular need.

“Being 37 is not critical to the job,” said Mathew Tully, the attorney who represented Isabella, on Tuesday. “[State] has special agents up to age 60, and if you could be 60 and a special agent, it’s not a critical element of the job.”

MSPB ordered State to waive the age requirement for Isabella and finish processing his application.

Tully said the ruling opens up to veterans 280 federal law enforcement and firefighter jobs that used to have age restrictions. The only other field that is not covered by the ruling is air traffic control, which has a maximum entry age of 30. But Tully said the ruling for law enforcement positions would make winning a second case for air traffic control “relatively easy.”

“It’s crucial that veterans are knowledgeable about the laws that can help them get an edge in federal employment,” Tully said. “The more who know, the more who will become federal employees.”

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March 14, 2008 by admin.

Veteran Business Network Announces Public Launch of Online Community for Veteran Matters

Monday March 10, 2:30 pm ET

VetBizNetwork Exposes Veterans to Online Community Resources

PENNSYLVANIA – Veteran TALK (www.w3VetNet.net), a Veteran web site that connects users seeking regarding veteran matters to valuable online community resources, today announced its public launch. Veteran TALK is a portal providing a  wealth of information within the veteran online community that is easily accessible to average web users. With Veteran TALK, veterans quickly ask and receive answers and support for important veteran matters — including business health, legal, and money.

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