EPA union calls for temporary situational telework option

• A federal union is calling for temporary work-from-home options for staff at the Environmental Protection Agency. The push from the American Federation of Government Employees comes after reports of Legionella outbreaks at several EPA facilities across the country. The affected EPA buildings are located in D.C., Boston, Houston and Chicago. The union called it “completely unacceptable” to continue letting EPA employees into the buildings in those areas. Using situational telework would let EPA staff continue their work safely, AFGE said, until the Legionella outbreak is under control.
  (EPA union calls for temporary situational telework option - AFGE)
• Whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs say medical center leaders in Tennessee aren't doing enough to address allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment. According to members of the House VA Committee, VA employees said officials at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center are not adequately addressing their complaints. Lawmakers are calling on VA to shed more light on what it’s doing to investigate these claims. A VA investigation earlier this year substantiated claims of sexual harassment within its Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, and recommend firing and recouping bonuses from senior leaders in that office.
  (Committee probes VA on disturbing Mountain Home VA sexual harassment and assault allegations - House Veterans Affairs Committee)
• The Space Force plans to deploy satellites that can track moving targets on the ground and in the air by 2030. The service’s project to develop radar satellites capable of tracking moving targets on the ground in near-real time entered the development phase last month. But the service’s effort to track targets in the air is still in its early stages. Gen. Michael Guetlein, the service’s vice chief of space operations, said the Space Force will continue prioritizing both capabilities, but the programs might face challenges in future budget cycles.
  (Space Force to deploy ground tracking satellites by 2030 - Defense News)
• The Space Force kicks off its inaugural officer training course. All newly commissioned officers entering the Space Force will be required to attend this 12-month training course. The program will equip officers with fundamental skills in areas of intelligence, space and cyber, ensuring that all new officers “learn to be a Guardian first and specialist second.” Upon graduation, officers will receive an initial specialty based on their performance, preferences and the needs of the Space Force. Guardians will receive their first assignments before the program ends.
  (News Space Force officer training program will teach how to be Guardian first, specialist second - Federal News Network)

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• The National Labor Relations Board is getting a 23 million dollar boost to modernize its case management system. The Technology Modernization Fund board awarded the agency the funding to move off its 17-year-old system that has several issues, including delays in case processing, reduced data reliability and increased cyber risks. With the additional funding, NLRB will prioritize e-filing capabilities that will let users file labor documents faster and more efficiently. NLRB said the system upgrade will also lead to better data analytics, which will help them identify trends, make data-driven decisions and allocate resources more effectively.
  (TMF board announces investment in labor protection infrastructure - GSA)
• Federal employees will soon have to visit a new website to get details on their health benefits. The website for feds to review their vision and dental benefits, BENEFEDS.com, will soon transition to BENEFEDS.gov. Similarly, the site for federal long-term care insurance will soon make the move from LTCFEDS.com, to LTCFEDS.gov. The updates are meant to better protect against fraud and cyber-attacks, like those recently seen in the FSAFEDS program. The domain name changes are expected to take place in October, ahead of this fall’s Open Season. Once updated, anyone who enters a “dot-com” address will be automatically redirected to the “dot-gov” website. Feds who previously set up a security key in their My BENEFEDS online account will also have to set it up again after the BENEFEDS.gov domain change.
  (Benefeds.com is moving to Benefeds.gov - Benefeds website)
• Former President Donald Trump begins shaping his plans to make agencies more efficient if re-elected. Former President Trump promises to team up with Elon Musk to find ways to reduce government waste and improve service delivery. "I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms." During a speech yesterday to the Economic Club of New York, Trump said Musk volunteered to lead this commission. Trump also promised to a plan to eliminate fraud and improper payments within six months. He also said his administration would eliminate 10 old regulations for every new one proposed.
  (Trump says he'd create a government efficiency commission led by Elon Musk - Federal News Network)
• The Postal Service is bringing back a holiday surcharge in a bid to boost its package revenue. USPS is adding a holiday surcharge to some of its package services. Prices will go up between about 5 and 6-and-a-half percent starting Oct. 6. USPS waived the surcharge last year in the hopes that in that lower prices would help the agency capture a bigger share of the lucrative holiday package business from private-sector competitors like UPS, FedEx and Amazon. USPS expects these temporary price increases will help it bring in $77 million in additional package revenue in fiscal 2025.
  (USPS brings back holiday surcharge in bid to boost package revenue in pending - Federal News Network)

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