Inside the Beltway

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By Jennifer Harper INSIDE THE BELTWAY

VETTING DHS

A Washington Times reader and a veteran steps forward, reluctantly, on Veterans Day, with a distinct concern, a warning and lots of acronyms.

"There is problem within the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) that is directly affecting veterans employed as civilian personnel. We cant get the Chief, Human Capital Office (CHCO) to properly implement Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidelines regarding accrual of benefits," the veteran says.

"For example, OPM has adopted a Justice Dept. opinion regarding application of military service while individuals are serving in civilian full time positions while on terminal military leave. The OPM policy is that an individual in terminal leave is not yet retired - and therefore their full service must be credited when setting their leave accumulation rate during their terminal leave period. Yet, CHCO wont even answer employees when asked to correct leave balances for such periods."

The office is "similarly non-responsive" when asked to credit military service for newly appointed employees, the vet says.

"Given that military personnel are frequently recruited by DHS specifically because their former duties directly relate to their new civilian position, it should be readily apparent that this lack of action or policy serves as a disincentive to veterans, and a morale killer to those who choose to continue serving the nation as civilians within DHS ... Such a disincentive is going to be a serious challenge to DHS achieving its goal of employing 50,000 Veterans by 2012."

BUMPER PATROL

"Hey Barack. I'm Ba-roke." - spotted in Alexandria, Va.

CZARCASM

The 32 Obama administration "czars" continue to hold court in and around the Beltway. Frank Schell, a contributor to the American Spectator who is also on the editorial board of the Chicago-based National Strategy Forum, wonders why there are no "czarinas" in the mix, and whether the weapons czar may get competition from the weapons of mass destruction czar.