BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE Issue Date: Online ExclusiveOnline Exclusive The essential health benefit: Will essential become minimal? “Nearsighted” IOM recommendations fail to consider long-term value of behavioral health benefits by Ron Manderscheid, PhD While every element of health reform in the United States is important to the future of mental health and substance use treatment, several ofRead… Read more »
Confession time: I owe North Dakota an apology. About six months ago, in light of the economic pressures on government employees, budget cuts and downsizings, further calls for their jobs or at least slashing their pensions, I wrote a satirical “Shrink Rap” ditty called “The Reorg Rag.” It started: It can’t happen here, I haveRead… Read more »
According to an article over at The Washington Post, a bill that seeks to extend benefits to the same-sex partners of Federal employees was reintroduced last week. The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act was reintroduced by Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). If passed, the act would make same-sex partners ofRead… Read more »
American Federation of Government Employees National President John Gage issued the following statement in response to the “Best Places to Work” survey released today by the Partnership for Public Service: “Fewer federal employees are satisfied in their jobs than they were last year, and that should come as no surprise to anyone who’s paying attention.Read… Read more »
I’ve been meeting Business 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Government 2.0, and in each case partisans explain that their particular function is driving the transformation. Business 2.0 is Finance! Enterprise 2.0 is Architecture! And Government 2.0 is Information Technology! came from a moneychanger, a sheetrocker, and some guy from a hobby shop. This 2.0 thing is aboutRead… Read more »
This week the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) moved to join federal litigation challenging an Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) policy on the removal of vegetation on flood control levees. Streams and river banks are riparian areas. Riparian vegetation serves many functions including bank stabilization and water quality protection, food chain support, thermalRead… Read more »
Today the House is examining whether OPM is “properly equipped to handle an increasing number of federal job applications and the timely payment of retirement benefits.” This is the result of several issues surrounding the USAJOBS website; Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) points out that “taxpayers are now paying for a system that doesn’t work, costsRead… Read more »
Today’s guest blogger is Teresa Zell. She is an Army veteran and an intern in the IRS Veteran Employment Office. Sometimes life has a way of knocking you down and stopping you in your tracks. It’s at those moments when you have to make a decision to either stay down and give up, or shakeRead… Read more »
Ever taken a pen from the post office? Well, how about tape guns, letter trays or large pallets? According to the Fed page over at The Washington Post, the United States Postal Service is asking customers to return any stolen USPS property in an effort to minimize losses for the fiscal year. The program providesRead… Read more »
The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown sponsored a job fair, which attracted 1,500 people. While politicians have very little to do with creating jobs, they are all feeling the heat from an angry public seeking employment. While I applaud the Mayor for trying to help, the truth is that job fairs areRead… Read more »