Friday federal headlines – June 19, 2015

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows each day. Our headlines are updated twice per day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — with the latest news affecting federal employees and contractors.

• Federal employees gave the Office of Personnel Management failing grades for communication over the data breach. Personal information of up to 14 million current and retired feds was stolen in a hacking incident. In an online Federal News Radio poll, more than three out of four respondents rated OPM communications as poor. Only 10 percent said they know exactly what happened and what they should do about it. Jessica Klement is legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees, or NARFE. She said communications were excellent after notification of the first breach on June 4. But after OPM announced a second hack days later, Klement said communications essentially ceased. (Federal News Radio)
• The Senate passed a $612 billion Defense authorization bill, but failed to move on the spending bill. The White House has threatened to veto the authorization bill, which passed by a veto-proof 71 to 25. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said reconciliation with the House bill could take place until next month. The bill would give service members a 2.3 percent raise. It would let them collect partial pensions after service for less than 20 years. After helping pass the policy bill, Senate Democrats balked at the money counterpart. They don’t like the fact that Defense spending increases are packed into the Overseas Contingency Operations accounts. Those are exempt from sequestration. (Federal News Radio )
• The Veterans Affairs inspector general absolved the staff at a Wisconsin facility for the death of a 74-year-old veteran. It found staff at the Tomah, Wisconsin VA hospital were not responsible when Thomas Baer died two days after experiencing a stroke in January. His family alleged he waited too long for care, and that the staff dismissed his symptoms. The IG said it found no evidence to support those allegations. It made several recommendations for the Tomah hospital, but said none of the shortfalls contributed to Baer’s death. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) had requested the investigation. (VA )
• File this under “good to know.” Health and Human Services is requesting information to update its mandatory guidelines for federal workplace drug testing programs. Specifically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration wants to know details on the collection of hair specimens. What are the acceptable body locations from which to collect hair? What should be done if head hair is not available for collection? What hair treatments — shampoo, conditioning, perm, relaxers, coloring, bleaching, straightening, hair transplant — influence drug concentration in hair and to what degree? This notice showed up in the Federal Register yesterday. Comment period ends July 29. (Federal Register)
• The Department of Defense is kicking off the 2015 Warrior Games today at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. During the 10-day competition, about 250 wounded, ill or injured athletes from across DoD compete in eight team and individual adaptive sports. Athletes face off in wheelchair basketball, archery, track and field, sitting volleyball, cycling, shooting and even wheelchair rugby. The Marines are looking to reclaim the Warrior Games title. Last year’s title went to the Army. (DoD)
• The Veterans Affairs Department planned to outsource care nationwide for up to 180,000 veterans with hepatitis C, the treatment of which costs the government billions of dollars. The Arizona Republic reports the VA has spent weeks developing the outsourcing plan that will transition the sickest veterans for priority treatment. The plan also recommended patients who have less than a year to live should not be eligible for treatment. This provision has both veterans and medical professionals within the Veterans Health Administration calling the plan unacceptable. (Arizona Republic)
• Nearly a half century since it was last used, Agent Orange’s final chapter is closing. Veterans Affairs and the White House agreed to compensate veterans who flew airplanes they claimed were contaminated with the defoliant chemical. The Air Force stopped using Agent Orange in 1971. But the aircraft that delivered it were used for another 15 years. Some 2,000 vets flew in or maintained the planes. They said the residue inside the planes made them sick. The new rule allowing disability claims for those vets takes effect today. VA Secretary Bob McDonald said it’s the right thing to do. The VA estimates the price tag will be $47 million. (Federal News Radio)

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