National Guard troops told to pay back reenlistment bonuses

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

In today’s Top Federal Headlines, members of the California National Guard are told they should have never received their reenlistment bonuses and they now need to pay the money back…or else.

• Nearly 10,000 former and current members of the California National Guard are facing collection notices for reenlistment bonuses the Army paid to fill its ranks during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The scope of the problem was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. It comes after auditors determined — years after the fact — that thousands of soldiers were technically ineligible for the payments the Guard offered them. Some of the bonuses were for tens of thousands of dollars each, and the National Guard Bureau said they must be repaid. In a statement this weekend, the California Guard said it would like to waive the debts, but doesn’t have the legal authority to do so. (Los Angeles Times)

• The Defense Department Inspector General has found nearly 4,000 safety deficiencies in the past three years in DoD facilities and military housing. In 24 of those buildings, the IG issued notices of concern detailing 319 critical problems in electrical and fire protection systems, as well as environmental safety and health. (Department of Defense Office of Inspector General)

• Drone pilots in the Air Force have the chance to make some extra cash. The branch is offering remotely piloted aircraft pilots $35,000 a year in bonuses if they make a five-year commitment or in exchange for an additional year of commitment if they’re already getting a retention pay bonus. Eligible pilots have until the end of January 2017 to apply. (Air Force)

• The head of U.S. Cyber Command said it will begin to experiment with its own acquisition authorities at the beginning of fiscal year 2017. Adm. Mike Rogers said Cyber Command does not currently buy, design, or generate capability. He said last year’s Defense Authorization Act granted it both acquisition authority along with money for the first time ever. (Federal News Radio)

• Most participants in the Federal Long Term Care Program are moving ahead with higher premiums or picked a benefit reduction option to keep their premiums the same. 96 percent of enrollees picked one of those options during the Office of Personnel Management’s summer enrollee decision period. OPM announced in July premiums could rise substantially for some people. Estimates say anywhere from 1 -126 percent. About 65 percent of affected enrollees responded and made some sort of selection. (Federal News Radio)

• One of the Veterans Affairs Department’s major spending programs gets an update. Its Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor program keeps the same title with Next Generation added to it. VA said it will help streamline its purchases by getting doctors more involved with finding products they need and also getting supplies at nationally negotiated rates. (Department of Veterans Affairs)

• Congress wants the General Services Administration to stop selling death traps. Four members of the House tell GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth to end the practice of auctioning off federal cars with unrepaired recall defects. The request follows a report on the Circa News site that GSA regularly sells defective cars to the public after the government is done with them. The practice is legal, but Rep. Jan Shakowsky (D-Ill.) promised a bill to change that. (Rep. Jan Schakowsky)

• Another hiring event is on the docket for the Homeland Security Department. This time for students and recent grads. It wants prospective candidates to apply online. Eligible applicants will get an invitation from DHS to interview at the department’s Pathfinder Hiring Event in December. DHS made about 400 job offers at its last one in July. 120 cyber and tech candidates became DHS employees within 60 days. (Department of Homeland Security)

• Agencies get new goals around data center closings. Agencies are on the hook to save a total of $3.9 billion by closing more than 4,400 data centers by the end of 2018. The Office of Management and Budget recently released the latest data center savings targets. OMB siad DHS, SSA and the Commerce Department are expected to account for a large portion of those savings on the civilian side of government. The Defense Department is expected to save more than $2 billion alone from closing hundreds of data centers. (Data Center Optimization Initiative)

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