# SUMMARY

**1. Welcome -** [Terry Young](mailto:terry.young@mail.va.gov),
Moderator (202-273-9821)

> **2. HRMO Activity**
>
> Thomas R. Heysek, Ph.D., was selected as the VA Southeast Network
> (VISN 7) HR Officer.
>
> Christine Garrett is now the new Chief, HR at Bay Pines, effective
> 6/13.
>
> Neil J. Falkner, HR Officer, Mpls, MN, VISN 23 - was selected as the
> Human Resources Officer for the VA Midwest Health Care Network (VISN
> 23), effective July 11, 2004
>
> **[CURRENT VACANCIES:]{.underline}**
>
> GS-13 Grand Junction, CO
>
> Opening Date: 06/17/04 Closing Date: Open Until Filled
>
> GS-13 or GS-14 Indianapolis, IN
>
> Opening Date: 07/02/04 Closing Date: 07/23/04
>
> GS-14 Tampa, FL
>
> Opening Date: 07/03/04 Closing Date: 07/16/04
>
> VA Togus also has a Chief HR opening, GS-201-13 that closes 7/30/04.
>
> San Diego, GLA and Long Beach also have current openings and are in
> process of interviews for the position (technically this means that
> the announcement is closed).
>
> **NOTE**: If facilities don\'t report their selections, VACO (Angela
> Missouri) has no way of knowing who has been selected.  Please share
> your selectee\'s name with CO once confirmation has been made.
>
>  
>
> **3. HR Management Programs and Policies - Items of Interest:**
>
> **Retroactive Pay** -- [Bob
> Baratta](mailto:robert.baratta@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9752)
>
> The anticipated date to notify employees of the amount of the
> retroactive pay overpayment they received in April is the week of July
> 26. This date is tentative and subject to change.
>
>  
>
> The plan is provide each employee concerned a packet of information
> that will include:
>
> a.       A Letter from The Secretary
>
> b.       A Notice of Indebtedness (includes employees rights and
> option choices)
>
> c.       A report breaking out the overpayment by pay type and pay
> period
>
>  
>
> The distribution of this packet will be the same one used for Earnings
> and Leave (E&L) Statements.  

**Workplace Recruitment Plan for College students With Disabilities** --

[Noemi Pizarro-Hyman](mailto:noemi.hyman@mail.va.gov) (202-501-2031)

 

> **What Is the Workforce Recruitment Program?**
>
> The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with
> Disabilities (WRP) is a resource to connect public and private sector
> employers nationwide with highly motivated postsecondary students and
> recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their
> abilities in the workforce. Employers seek to fill both temporary and
> permanent positions in a variety of fields. Myths, stereotypes, and
> misconceptions about people with disabilities often stand in the way
> when people with disabilities look for jobs, resulting in a high rate
> of unemployment. Statistics show that people with disabilities from
> minority backgrounds encounter even greater difficulty in obtaining
> work. The WRP aims to eliminate this workplace discrimination one
> student, one employer, and one job at a time.
>
> **Who Is Eligible to Participate in the WRP?**
>
> An applicant for the program must:

-   Have a substantial disability

-   Be a United States citizen

-   Be enrolled in an accredited two-year or four-year college or
    university, or a graduate or professional school, as a
    degree-seeking student taking at least a half-time course load OR

-   Be enrolled in such an institution as a degree-seeking student
    taking less than a half-time course load in the enrollment period
    immediately prior to graduation OR

-   Have graduated from such an institution within the past year

> **What Does the WRP Offer to Colleges and Universities?**
>
> The WRP provides a unique opportunity for colleges and universities
> to:

-   Tap into a system that has been successfully placing students with
    disabilities in summer and permanent jobs in the public and private
    sectors for several years, at no cost to the school, the student, or
    the employer;

-   Bring together the resources of their disability services and career
    services offices to promote more effectively the job seeking skills
    and career readiness of their students with disabilities;

-   Provide their students with disabilities a chance to grow personally
    and professionally through participation in this nationwide program.

**What Does the WRP Offer to Eligible Students?**

> The WRP is an excellent way for students with disabilities in all
> fields of study to:

-   Market their abilities to a wide variety of potential employers
    across the United States;

-   Sharpen their interviewing skills during a required one-on-one
    meeting with a WRP recruiter; and

-   Gain valuable skills, experience, and contacts on the job prove that
    people with disabilities can be excellent employees.

> **How Does the Program Work?**
>
> The WRP operates on the following timeline:

-   By mid-September, the schedule of recruitment visits to schools is
    confirmed.

-   From late January through the end of February, recruitment visits,
    which include 30-minute personal interviews with individual
    students, are conducted.

-   By late March, a database composed of student information gathered
    during recruitment visits is made available to employers in the
    public and private sectors.

-   Once the database is released, interested employers make direct
    contact with students about temporary and permanent job offers. The
    database is active for one year.

-   The WRP is co-sponsored by the Office of Disability Employment
    Policy and the Department of Defense, with support from other
    federal agencies.

> **How Can You Participate?**
>
> If you are an eligible student, share this information with your
> school\'s disability services or career services coordinator, and ask
> him or her to contact the WRP Coordinator. Please understand that we
> work directly with college coordinators, and cannot respond to
> inquiries from individual students.
>
> **Additional info on WRP**:

-   Locations to obtain complete student application packets:

    -   USDA -- Samantha Schmucker -- 202-720-3263

    -   HHS -- Melanie Lott -- 202-690-8253

    -   DOL -- Mary Kaye Rubin -- 202-693-7724

-   Guidelines to GS Grade Level Equivalency

    -   GS-2 = Up to 29 semester hours OR 44 quarter hours

    -   GS-3 = 30-59 semester hours OR 45-89 quarter hours

    -   GS-4 = 60+ semester hours OR 90+ quarter hours

    -   GS-5 = Completed 4 year degree

    -   GS-7 = One year graduate level completed

    -   Grades higher than 7 are determined based on advance schooling
        and/or work experience.

> Department of Veterans Affairs WRP Coordinator:

Noemi Pizarro-Hyman

> National Program Manager
>
> People with Disabilities Program
>
> Office of Diversity Management and EEO (06)
>
> 202-501-2031
>
> **2004 Locality Pay System Annual Report on Staffing** -- [Deborah
> Allen](mailto:deborah.allen@mail.va.gov)\
> (202-273-9700)
>
> We would like to remind you the LPS Annual Report on Staffing is due
> from field facilities by July 31.
>
> This year you will access the report through an internet link that has
> been e-mailed to you rather than the icon that has been used in past
> years. The information you enter will be directly linked to our
> database. The e-mail that has been sent included a blank Word version
> of the report and updated instructions for completing the report.
> Because the Facility Director cannot sign an on-line report and since
> there is no local printing capability, we suggest that you manually
> complete the Word Version and have the Director sign as a record the
> data that was input.
>
> This report is automatically submitted to our database as soon as you
> exit the application or if you begin a new report so you must be
> prepared to answer all questions before you begin. One suggestion is
> that you enter the facility number last so that the report cannot be
> accidentally transmitted before you are ready.
>
> Also remember that you are required to complete a separate report for
> each LPS pay schedule at your facility.
>
> It is imperative that stations adhere to the July 31 deadline. We have
> a quick turnaround time to consolidate and analyze a tremendous amount
> of data and then to prepare the final report for Congress.**\
> **
>
> **New Accountability Web Site** -- [Gary
> King](mailto:gary.king@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9807)**\
> **
>
> On June 30, a link was established on the OHRM Web page for Oversight
> & Effectiveness. If you go to the OHRM Web page and scroll down on the
> left side of the page, you will see Oversight & Effectiveness. Simply
> click on it and it will take you to our portion of the Web site which
> contains a HRM Accountability Toolkit, information about our office,
> and on-site review documents that you will want to look at prior to an
> on-site visit by representatives of our office.
>
> **HRM Self-evaluation Questionnaire Undergoing Pilot Testing** --
> [Gary King](mailto:gary.king@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9807)**\
> **
>
> We are currently pilot testing the on-line application of the HR
> Management Self-evaluation questionnaire that facility managers can
> use to evaluate their HR programs. Our thanks to Joe Pomorski, Ray
> Kent and Ted Gabriel for agreeing to pilot test the on-line
> application. We are very interested in their comments and suggestions
> for improvement. We will have the on-line self-evaluation application
> available in time for facilities to complete their first annual HR
> self-evaluations in accordance with the policy in VA Directive 5024,
> Human Resources Management Program Evaluations.
>
> **[Telework]{.underline} -** [Julie
> Mosteller](mailto:julie.mosteller@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9575)
>
> There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about the status of
> telework in the Federal government. In an effort to increase interest
> and participation in VA's program, we have:
>
> \-\--revised the OHRM policy; it is currently with AFGE
>
> \-\--updated the Telework website to include online training course
> for employees and managers
>
> \-\-- started the preliminary process of setting aside \$50,000 to
> support the GSA telecenters. Presently, it is only coded for use by
> central office employees.
>
> \-\--solicitations for telework success stories.
>
> \-\--established a new PAID data element, (Telework Indicator), to
> provide information on employees who are currently telecommuting. A
> telework indicator must be entered for any employee currently
> performing telecommuting, for any part of a work week, from home or
> another remote location.
>
> INSTRUCTIONS: After a manager agrees on a telework proposal, a
> telework indicator of "Y" must be entered into the PAID master record.
> The indicator will be entered regardless of the frequency of
> telecommuting. Leave the field blank if the employee does not
> telecommute.
>
> \--we are not certain how many facilities have telework coordinators.
> If you do not have one, we are asking you to give some thought to
> possibly assigning someone that can field questions as it relates to
> Telework.
>
> **[SMARTGUIDE]{.underline} -** [Julie
> Mosteller](mailto:julie.mosteller@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9575)
>
> We have just completed a new guide for mobilized reservists. The guide
> which will give you information on key actions in the pre, mid and
> post mobilization phases. It is intended to cover the full realm of
> issues and concerns of our military personnel. While the target
> audience is the mobilized reservist, HR specialists may also find the
> guide beneficial because it contains forms, checklist and reference
> materials that can assist you in streamlining the mobilization
> process. This guide will be included on the OHRM Reservists page:
> <http://www1.va.gov/ohrm/Reservist/> and will be released next week by
> the WIST team.
>
> We believe it will be very beneficial to managers and employees. We
> welcome your feedback.
>
> If you have questions or comments, please contact me at
> <Julie.mosteller@mail.va.gov> or (202) 273-9575.
>
> **Drug-Free Workplace Annual Report** -- [John
> Murray](mailto:john.murray@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9835)
>
> By now you should have been notified by your Administrations of
> reporting requirements in support of the Annual DFWP Survey, covering
> the period of October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. 
>
>  
>
> To facilitate the collection of this data, a worksheet should have
> been forwarded by your organizations around the end of June.  On July
> 8, a back-up copy of the worksheet was electronically mailed by
> Catherine Baranek of my office to Employee Relations Specialists and
> Drug Program Coordinators VA-wide. 
>
>  
>
> Catherine sent a Word version of the worksheet to enable you to fill
> in the data and return it electronically to the following email
> address: <vadrug.freework@mail.va.gov>
>
>  
>
> Or you could fax a hard copy of the worksheet to Latoya Smith at (202)
> 273-9776. 
>
>  
>
> This announcement is to remind you that [we must have your worksheet
> inputs no later than July 16]{.underline}.  The one exception to the
> reporting requirements is that NCA organizations aren't required to
> submit worksheets.  This is because VHA facilities responsible for
> administering NCA drug testing programs should include NCA data in
> with their own.  Please note that we have no flexibility in receiving
> these worksheets late because the overall report is due to HHS by July
> 30.  If you have not yet begun working on these worksheets, please do
> so with utmost urgency.
>
>  
>
> If you have any questions, contact me or Catherine Baranek, or call
> our general number at (202) 273 9827---and someone will be assigned to
> assist you.
>
>  
>
> **VA Guidance on Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights
> Act (USERRA) for Employees Called to Active Duty** -- [Chuck
> McClellan](mailto:chuck.mcclellan@mail.va.gov) (202-273-8262)
>
> With the activation and mobilization of VA employees who are members
> of the National Guard or reserve components of the Armed Forces, there
> is a need to re-emphasize what employment rights these employees have
> for restoration after military separation. The following are brief
> excerpts from the Law that HR officials should become familiar to
> advise managers when their employees return back to work from active
> duty.
>
> ● Reporting Back to Work. Employees must apply for reemployment or
> return to work within certain time frames. Employees who served:
>
> \- Less that 31 days (or who leave to take a fitness exam for service)
> must report back to civilian duty at the beginning of the next
> regularly scheduled work day following their release from service and
> the expiration of 8 hours to travel back to their residence.
>
> \- More than 30 days but less than 181 days, must apply for
> restoration/reemployment within 14 calendar days of release of
> service.
>
> \- More than 180 days have 90 days after completion of service to
> apply for restoration.
>
> ● Documentation Upon Return to Duty. An employer has the right to
> request that a person who has been absent for a period of service of
> 31 days or more provide documentation showing that:
>
> \- The employee's application for reemployment is timely;
>
> \- The employee has not exceed the five-year service limitations; and
>
> \- The employee's separation from the service was other than
> disqualifying under the Law.
>
> ● To What Position Will the Employee Return? There are two guidelines
> depending on the number of days of service. The first guideline is the
> 1-90 day range of absence and the second is 91 or more days. Each
> guideline has specific characteristics and entitlement for the
> employee.
>
> The following information is to update HR officials about VA's current
> policy and Web links to other resources for employees and mangers
> regarding re-employment rights.
>
> Staffing: VA policy on this subject can be found at VA Handbook 5005,
> Part III, Chapter 6. Until such time that it will be revised, however,
> you should be aware of the following:
>
> ● Employees who enter active military duty (whether voluntarily or
> involuntarily) are [not]{.underline} to be separated. Rather, they are
> to be placed in leave without pay (LWOP) status for a period of up to
> five years unless they specifically request separation. Existing VA
> policy, as set forth in VA Handbook 5005, Part III, Chapter 6, which
> calls for separation if it is expected that such employees will be
> away from their positions for more than one year is not current. In
> the event an employee does not return to duty or request separation
> within the five-year period allowed by law, OPM advised that the
> Department could initiate removal. If such a situation presents
> itself, please call the Recruitment and Placement Policy Service at
> (202) 273-9827 for further guidance.
>
> ● Employees who enter active military duty (whether voluntarily or
> involuntarily) [from any position]{.underline} are eligible for
> restoration/reemployment after military service. Existing VA policy
> that implies that employees serving in time-limited appointments are
> not eligible for restoration/reemployment is not current. According to
> OPM, an employee who was serving under a time-limited, temporary
> appointment is eligible to complete the remaining time, if any, left
> on the original appointment.
>
> ● To be entitled to restoration rights, cumulative service in the
> uniformed services while employed by the Federal Government may not
> exceed [five]{.underline} years.
>
> Hours of Duty and Leave: VA Handbook 5011, Part III, Chapter 2,
> paragraph 9, provides guidance on military leave.
>
> References:
>
> ● Location of VA Directive and Handbooks 5005 and 5011 for HR
> guidance- <http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/>
>
> ● Information for Employees Called for Active Duty-
> <http://www1.va.gov/ohrm/Reservist>/
>
> ● Access to the USERRA law codified in Title 38, Chapter 43-
> <http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/38/pIIIch43.html>
>
> ● OPM's Uniformed Services Reemployment Rights Act- Job Rights of
> Federal Employees Who Enter the Uniformed Services-
> <http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ei54.asp>
>
> Questions on this subject can be referred via Outlook to the
> Recruitment and Placement Policy Service (059) mailbox at Staffing
> Policy 059/VACO.
>
> **[Employment Application Revised to Include the Chiropractor
> Occupation]{.underline}** -- [Chuck
> McClellan](mailto:chuck.mcclellan@mail.va.gov) (202-273-8262)
>
>  
>
> The Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement
> Act (Public Law 107-135) mandated the establishment of a permanent
> chiropractic benefit within the VA health care system.  This Act
> permits VA to appoint licensed chiropractors at VA health care
> facilities under 38 United States Code, chapters 73, 74 or 75.  VA HR
> Directives and Handbooks are now updated to reflect this new
> occupation and available on Office of Human Resources Management &
> Labor Relations' Web site under Chiropractor.
>
>  
>
> That Web site also lists the specific VA field facilities which have
> been identified to initiate the provision of the chiropractic
> benefit.  Since an employment application form was needed for
> chiropractors applying for positions at those selected facilities, the
> existing VA Form (VAF) 10-2850 has been modified to include the
> chiropractor occupation.
>
>  
>
> A PDF version of the revised form is loaded in Adobe Reader software
> and available on the Internet at
> <http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/10-2850.pdf> or the Intranet at
> <http://vaww.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/10-2850.pdf>.  If you do not
> have access to Adobe Reader, here is a Web link to enroll at no cost
> <http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html>.
>
>  
>
> This version of the modified form cannot be filled on line.  An
> electronically fill able form will become available in a couple of
> months.  We will notify you when the fill able form is available for
> use.
>
>  
>
> A printed version of the form will be published in a couple of months
> with a limited one-time-only distribution to each medical center. 
> There are no plans to stock and maintain additional forms at the
> Depot, so you will need to use the Web sites we are giving you to
> print extras beyond the one-time hard copy distribution.
>
>  
>
> Please discontinue using all previous editions of this form

4.  **\"A little bit of this...a little bit of that..." -** Terry Young

> ● **OPM Regulations Finalize: Elimination of Outside-the Register
> Examining & TAPER Hiring; Approach to Direct-Hire Authority & Category
> Rating Authority** -- [Elodie
> Murray](mailto:elodie.murray@mail.va.gov) (202-273-9823)
>
> Effective June 15, 2004, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
> finalized without significant change its interim regulations that in
> June 2003 eliminated the authority in 5 CFR Part 333 which had
> previously allowed Human Resources offices to use outside-the-register
> examining procedures for temporary appointments to Title 5 competitive
> service positions. Those appointments must be made
> [either]{.underline} through a DEU or OPM certificate [or]{.underline}
> under a special appointment authority like VRA, 30% service-connected
> disabled veteran, 30-day critical needs, etc., which are appropriate
> for the vacancy and for which the applicant/s are eligible.
>
> The final regulations also confirmed the June 2003 elimination of the
> authority to make Temporary Appointments Pending Establishment of a
> Register (TAPERs).
>
> These final regulations did clarify that department/agency requests
> for additional Direct Hire Authorities (DHAs) must be submitted from
> its headquarters level, i.e., VA Central Office for VA. OPM also noted
> that an operating HR office does not need to have its own Delegated
> Examining Unit (DEU) in place in order to use one of the Direct Hire
> Authorities.
>
> Now that Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist has been added to VHA's
> Title 38 Hybrid occupations, the only Governmentwide Direct Hire
> Authority that is currently of widespread value to VA is the one for
> GS-2210 Information Technology Management jobs at GS-9 & up that have
> Information Security parenthetically in their titles to reflect their
> major InfoSec duties. VA employs no Pharmacists and very few Medical
> Officers or Nurses under Title 5, and has no employees involved in the
> Iraqi reconstruction efforts that require fluency in Middle Eastern
> languages. OPM information on the InfoSec DHA can be found at Web
> link: <http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/sroa2.asp>
>
> On Category Rating, nothing significant has changed in the final
> regulations. So far, VA has not adopted the Category Rating method.
> Unless and until the Department chooses to institute Category Rating,
> VA DEUs may not issue Category Rating-based certificates. Though it is
> not clear in a review of the\
> \
> regulations, we have asked OPM if a VA facility can now request a
> Category Rating-based certificate from an OPM examining services
> office. OPM advised that this can be done, but cautioned that the
> facility would have to work with the OPM office to develop the
> Category Rating-based criteria, which the regulations require.
>
> On June 23, 2004, OPM issued a correction to show June 15, 2004, as
> the effective date of the final regulations. Web link:
>
> <http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-14299.pdf>
>
> The June15, 2004, final regulations are available at this Web link:
>
> <http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-13426.pdf>
>
> ● Ann Williams - The Title 38 Hybrid Qualification (HQ) Work Group is
> continuing to review qualification standards submitted by the
> Subject-Matter Expert (SME) work groups. The HQ Work Group is
> following up with each occupational group to review the status of the
> submitted draft qualification standards and provide the SMEs with an
> action plan to finalize the qualification standard. We have some
> aggressive time frames in place in order to finalize the qualification
> standards and routed through the formal concurrence and approval
> process. If you are working with any of the SME work groups, we ask
> that you continue to do as much as possible to assist them in this
> process. We will continue to have weekly conference calls with the HR
> Advisors working with the occupational groups to obtain progress
> reports and provide assistance.
>
> ● **Suitability and Adjudication --** [Caren
> Eirckson](mailto:caren.eirckson@mail.va.gov) (202-273-5237)
>
> 1\) Suitability and adjudication remain an important issue and will be
> addressed on each call.
>
> 2\) It is important to provide you with an update of VA status
> regarding investigation adjudication and it is important to continue
> to impress upon those responsible to maintain focus on this program
> and to ensure that efforts are make to adjudicate investigations in a
> timely manner.
>
> 3\) Responsible VA employees deserve applause. The completion rate for
> investigation adjudication for VA in mid June was 84%. This is
> outstanding! Particularly considering OPM's requirement is 85%!
>
> 4\) Of course, HR officials should be aware that if VA begins to lose
> focus and the number begins to fall, then VA will again be under OPM's
> microscope. Continued diligence is required!
>
> 5\) Adjudication Coordinators have been identified for each VISN and
> VBA and the IG. Although first identified in relation to the backlog
> of investigation adjudication, they will continue with on-going
> responsibility to the timeliness of adjudication.
>
> 6\) e-QIP -- A team consisting of VHA, VBA, NCA, and IG members is
> working to identify where the roles and responsibilities relating to
> e-QIP will reside. VHA officials should expect something relating to
> this from Brian McViegh within a couple of weeks.
>
> ● **USA Staffing** -- The second and final week of validation testing
> will occur next week. This is expected to provide the last stages of
> OPM's one-year revamping process, i.e., converting the program over to
> a web-based application and thereby making it much easier to use. The
> new changes are expected to be presented to the heads of the
> administrations in early August. Our timetable calls for training and
> re-training to begin late in the calendar year. At the moment, this
> seems still possible.