DOD dangling more cash buyouts

The Pentagon is about to dangle a larger cash buyout to its workers in an incentive to get them to resign or retire as part of an FY 2017 budget proposal before the U.S. Senate - and up for a vote this week. The bill would grant the Defense Department’s request to increase by $15,000 a “voluntary separation incentive payment” (VSIP) to $40,000. A Senate Armed Services Committee report indicates that the “increased maximum amount would adjust for inflation” from when it was first authorized in 1993. The increase apparently applies only to DOD, which has permanent authority to offer buyouts. The U.S. House passed its own version of the defense budget without a similar increase. Both bills contain changes in personnel policies. Many are designed to aid hiring into hard-to-fill positions or incentives for potentially dangerous temporary assignments. (Source: Washington Post 05/24/16)