Capitol Hill Watch |
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Marilyn Park has served as NVAC's legislative representative since 2005. Previously, she handled health insurance and health care consumer protection issues as the AFL-CIO's Senior Health Policy Analyst and as a staff member of President Clinton's Commission on Managed Care. Ms. Park's legal experience includes Counsel to the Vice Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board, Labor Department Employee Benefits Specialist, Director of Legal Assistance for the Pension Rights Center, Assistant DC Corporation Counsel, Antioch Law School Instructor and Atlanta Legal Aid attorney. Ms. Park graduated from George Washington University Law School and Barnard College.
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 Marilyn Park |
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
March 2, 2011
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
This year, NVAC’s legislative activities will focus on greater accountability for VA spending practices. As we confront hiring freezes for employees providing direct services, along with pay freezes and furlough threats, we see huge SES bonuses awarded to low performing managers, new managers being hired at medical centers, VISNs, benefit offices, diversion of earmarked patient care dollars to cover other spending gaps, and the increased use of hidden spending on contract services that lower quality of services an deprive veterans of jobs.
We are also working with Congress to address delays in implementation of personnel provisions in the Caregiver Act (Public Law 111-163), including employment rights for P/T nurses, limits on mandatory overtime, nurse alternative work schedules and pay increases for CRNAs. In addition, we will continue to push for implementation of critical VBA provisions in 2008 legislation (PL 110-369) for supervisor skills certification tests and an overhaul of work credit system.
We must continue to fight for equal rights and fair treatment for all VA employees, even in the face of attacks on the basic rights of all employees. We have commitments to have 7422 compensation bargaining rights legislation reintroduced in the House and Senate this year. We are working with Local 2107 in North Chicago on the two year full bargaining rights pilot project for DOD health care professionals who were recently converted to VA personnel status. NVAC – VA discussions over the 7422 workgroup recommendations continue as well.
We will also educate lawmakers about the lack of basic appeal rights for terminated Canteen employees and the need to extend VEOA veterans’ preference appeal rights to VHA employee appointed under Title 38.
Lawmakers and the veterans’ community will also be kept apprised of attempts to downgrade VHA support personnel by different VISNs and facilities around the country, as NVAC addresses this new attack on the VA workforce through other channels.
Our campaign to end outsourcing of jobs that have traditionally been filled by disabled veterans, including cemetery caretaker, VHA laundry and food service, housekeeping and maintenance, will include a new component this year: Ensuring that the VA complies with the White House mandate to insource work that is inherently governmental or more appropriately performed in-house.
Congressional staff and veterans’ groups are also supporting our other efforts to improve federal employment opportunities for veterans, including securing an updated list of set aside jobs for disabled veterans, expanded veterans preference rights to cover reassignments and promotions and improved data collection.
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Alma L. Lee
