FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud
Dr. Mikhail L. Presman, a licensed psychiatrist employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), pleaded guilty today to health care fraud for falsely billing Medicare for home medical treatment to Medicare beneficiaries and agreed to forfeit more than $1.2 million in illegal profits.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, and Special Agent in Charge Thomas O’Donnell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
According to court documents, from Jan. 1, 2006, through May 10, 2013, Presman submitted approximately $4 million in Medicare claims for home treatment of Medicare beneficiaries notwithstanding his full-time, salaried position as a psychiatrist at the VA hospital in Brooklyn. Contrary to his representations, Presman did not provide any treatment to a substantial number of the beneficiaries he claimed to have treated. For example, Presman submitted claims to Medicare for home medical visits at locations within New York City even though he was physically located in China at the time of these purported home visits. Additionally, Presman submitted claims to Medicare for 55 home medical visits to beneficiaries who were hospitalized on the date of the purported visits.
Presman is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser of the Eastern District of New York on Feb. 13, 2014, and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, with assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Bryan D. Fields of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia E. Notopoulos of the Eastern District of New York.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
U.S. DOD CONTRACTS FOR NOVEMBER 1, 2013
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES
Institute for Defense Analysis, Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a maximum $888,757,811 five year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and analysis to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the joint staff, combatant commands, defense agencies, joint program offices, and other users as specified in the sponsoring agreement between OSD and IDA under the Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contract. Work will be performed primarily in Alexandria, Va. This contract was not competitively processed because it was obtained under the FFRDC program. The estimated completion date is Sept. 30, 2018. Washington Headquarters Services, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (HQ0034-14-D-0001).
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
AAR Airlift Group Inc., Palm Bay, Fla., is being awarded modification 32 to task order 0001, and modification 23 to task order 0002 totaling $151,582,265 to previously awarded contract HTC711-10-D-R026 to exercise option year four for rotary wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger and cargo air transportation services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. Funds are being obligated on monthly task order modifications. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Columbia Helicopters Inc., Aurora, Ore., is being awarded modification 23 to task order 0002, and modification 18 to task order 0003 totaling $87,697,701 to previously awarded contract HTC711-11-D-R021 to exercise option year three for rotary wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger and cargo air transportation services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. Funds are being obligated on monthly task order modifications. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Construction Helicopters Inc., Howell, Mich., is being awarded a $33,602,864 modification 18 to previously awarded task order 0002 under contract HTC711-11-D-R022 to exercise option year three for rotary wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger and cargo air transportation services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, andis expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. Funds are being obligated on monthly task order modifications. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., has been awarded a not-to-exceed $27,607,349 undefinitized contract action delivery order (0113) for an existing basic ordering agreement (FA8620-10-G-3038) for France’s MQ-9 UAS Contractor Logistics Support Phase I program. Work will be performed in Poway, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. This requirement is 100 percent foreign military sales for the Government of France. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WIIK, Medium Altitude Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Cubic Defense Applications Inc., San Diego, Calif., has been awarded a 24,999,949 firm-fixed-price contract for foreign military sales P5Combat Training System (P5CTS), combined hardware buy. Contractor will provide (P5CTS) hardware to provide an instrumented training capability that increases, maintains, and assesses combat proficiency in the following mission areas: counter air, close air support, strategic attack, air interdiction, and electronic combat. Work will be performed at San Diego, Calif., and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and is expected to be complete by July 20, 2015. This award is a result of a sole-source acquisition. This award is for the governments of Singapore, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia under the FMS program. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBYK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8678-14-C-0046).
L3 Communications Corp., Systems Field Support, Madison Miss., has been awarded an estimated $22,049,546 modification (P00025) to exercise option year three of the firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursement contract (FA8106-11-D-0002) for C-12 contractor logistics support. Work will be performed worldwide at 19 sites to support C-12 aircraft for Pacific Air Forces, Air Force Material Command, Defense Intelligence Agency and Defense Security Cooperation Agency, consisting of maintenance, repair and support functions. The work is expected to be performed for one year, until Oct. 31, 2014. Funding is 85% fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, aircraft procurement and research and development funds, and 15% foreign military sales funds. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WLKLC, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Truetech, Inc., Riverhead, N.Y., was awarded a $17,912,955 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multi-year contract for the procurement of M8 chemical paper and M9 chemical paper. The M8 chemical paper is used to detect the presence of liquid chemical agents while M9 chemical paper is used by ground forces and is placed on personnel and equipment to identify the presence of liquid chemical agent aerosols. Work location and funding will be determined by each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 1, 2018. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting agency (W56HZV-14-D-0011).
Nauset Construction Corp., Needham, Mass., was awarded a $20,521,858 firm-fixed-price contract to construct a new Unit Training Equipment Site and demolish the old facility and controlled humidity shelter in two separate phases for the Massachusetts National Guard. Work location is Buzzards’ Bay, Mass., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 17, 2015. Fiscal 2013 military construction funds in the amount of $20,521,858 are being obligated on award. Bids were solicited via the Internet with seven received. The National Guard Bureau Milford, Mass., is the contracting agency (W912SV-13-C-0007).
Leo Daly, Atlanta, Ga., (W912DY-14-D-0009); HDR, Charlotte, N.C., (W912DY-14-D-0010); and Ewing Cole, Philadelphia, Pa., (W912DY-14-D-0011) were awarded a $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contract to provide continued architect-engineer design services in support of the Medical Repair and Renewal program. Work location and funding will be determined by each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2014. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with 36 received. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Ala. is the contracting agency.
NAVY
PAE Applied Technologies LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $23,246,532 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee level of effort contract (N00421-13-C-0007) to exercise an option for range engineering, operations and maintenance services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Divisions’ Atlantic Test Range and Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations Division. The estimated level of effort is 270,215 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in February 2014. Navy working capital funds in the amount of $5,984,310 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Labatt Food Service, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $18,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for prime vendor full line food distribution. This is a one-year base contract. This contract is a sole-source acquisition. Location of performance is Texas with a Nov. 8, 2014 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Air Force, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-14-D-3715).
WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES
Institute for Defense Analysis, Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a maximum $888,757,811 five year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and analysis to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the joint staff, combatant commands, defense agencies, joint program offices, and other users as specified in the sponsoring agreement between OSD and IDA under the Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contract. Work will be performed primarily in Alexandria, Va. This contract was not competitively processed because it was obtained under the FFRDC program. The estimated completion date is Sept. 30, 2018. Washington Headquarters Services, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (HQ0034-14-D-0001).
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
AAR Airlift Group Inc., Palm Bay, Fla., is being awarded modification 32 to task order 0001, and modification 23 to task order 0002 totaling $151,582,265 to previously awarded contract HTC711-10-D-R026 to exercise option year four for rotary wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger and cargo air transportation services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. Funds are being obligated on monthly task order modifications. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Columbia Helicopters Inc., Aurora, Ore., is being awarded modification 23 to task order 0002, and modification 18 to task order 0003 totaling $87,697,701 to previously awarded contract HTC711-11-D-R021 to exercise option year three for rotary wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger and cargo air transportation services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. Funds are being obligated on monthly task order modifications. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Construction Helicopters Inc., Howell, Mich., is being awarded a $33,602,864 modification 18 to previously awarded task order 0002 under contract HTC711-11-D-R022 to exercise option year three for rotary wing aircraft, personnel, equipment, tools, material, maintenance and supervision necessary to perform passenger and cargo air transportation services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, andis expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. Funds are being obligated on monthly task order modifications. The U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., has been awarded a not-to-exceed $27,607,349 undefinitized contract action delivery order (0113) for an existing basic ordering agreement (FA8620-10-G-3038) for France’s MQ-9 UAS Contractor Logistics Support Phase I program. Work will be performed in Poway, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2014. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. This requirement is 100 percent foreign military sales for the Government of France. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WIIK, Medium Altitude Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Cubic Defense Applications Inc., San Diego, Calif., has been awarded a 24,999,949 firm-fixed-price contract for foreign military sales P5Combat Training System (P5CTS), combined hardware buy. Contractor will provide (P5CTS) hardware to provide an instrumented training capability that increases, maintains, and assesses combat proficiency in the following mission areas: counter air, close air support, strategic attack, air interdiction, and electronic combat. Work will be performed at San Diego, Calif., and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and is expected to be complete by July 20, 2015. This award is a result of a sole-source acquisition. This award is for the governments of Singapore, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia under the FMS program. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBYK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8678-14-C-0046).
L3 Communications Corp., Systems Field Support, Madison Miss., has been awarded an estimated $22,049,546 modification (P00025) to exercise option year three of the firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursement contract (FA8106-11-D-0002) for C-12 contractor logistics support. Work will be performed worldwide at 19 sites to support C-12 aircraft for Pacific Air Forces, Air Force Material Command, Defense Intelligence Agency and Defense Security Cooperation Agency, consisting of maintenance, repair and support functions. The work is expected to be performed for one year, until Oct. 31, 2014. Funding is 85% fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, aircraft procurement and research and development funds, and 15% foreign military sales funds. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WLKLC, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Truetech, Inc., Riverhead, N.Y., was awarded a $17,912,955 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multi-year contract for the procurement of M8 chemical paper and M9 chemical paper. The M8 chemical paper is used to detect the presence of liquid chemical agents while M9 chemical paper is used by ground forces and is placed on personnel and equipment to identify the presence of liquid chemical agent aerosols. Work location and funding will be determined by each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 1, 2018. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting agency (W56HZV-14-D-0011).
Nauset Construction Corp., Needham, Mass., was awarded a $20,521,858 firm-fixed-price contract to construct a new Unit Training Equipment Site and demolish the old facility and controlled humidity shelter in two separate phases for the Massachusetts National Guard. Work location is Buzzards’ Bay, Mass., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 17, 2015. Fiscal 2013 military construction funds in the amount of $20,521,858 are being obligated on award. Bids were solicited via the Internet with seven received. The National Guard Bureau Milford, Mass., is the contracting agency (W912SV-13-C-0007).
Leo Daly, Atlanta, Ga., (W912DY-14-D-0009); HDR, Charlotte, N.C., (W912DY-14-D-0010); and Ewing Cole, Philadelphia, Pa., (W912DY-14-D-0011) were awarded a $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contract to provide continued architect-engineer design services in support of the Medical Repair and Renewal program. Work location and funding will be determined by each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2014. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with 36 received. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Ala. is the contracting agency.
NAVY
PAE Applied Technologies LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $23,246,532 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee level of effort contract (N00421-13-C-0007) to exercise an option for range engineering, operations and maintenance services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Divisions’ Atlantic Test Range and Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations Division. The estimated level of effort is 270,215 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in February 2014. Navy working capital funds in the amount of $5,984,310 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Labatt Food Service, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $18,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for prime vendor full line food distribution. This is a one-year base contract. This contract is a sole-source acquisition. Location of performance is Texas with a Nov. 8, 2014 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Air Force, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-14-D-3715).
HHS SAYS HALF OF ELIGIBLE ADULTS COULD GET HEALTH INSURANCE FOR $50 OR LESS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Half of single young adults eligible for the Health Insurance Marketplace could get coverage for $50 or less
A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that nearly half (46 percent) of single young adults who are uninsured and may be eligible for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace could get coverage for $50 or less per month.
“The health care law is making health insurance more affordable for young adults,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “With nearly half of single, Marketplace-eligible uninsured young adults able to get coverage at $50 or less per month, the health care law is delivering the quality, affordable coverage people are looking for.”
Young adults are the age group most likely to be without health insurance. But through the Health Insurance Marketplace, young adults can purchase quality, affordable coverage and get lower costs on monthly premiums through tax credits. Young adults may also be eligible for Medicaid. The amount an individual can save depends on his or her family income and size.
Today’s report examines data from the 34 Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces and finds that out of 2.9 million single young adults ages 18 to 34 who may be eligible for coverage in the Marketplace, 1.3 million (46 percent) could purchase a bronze plan for $50 per month or less after tax credits. In the 34 states, a total of 1.9 million young adults, representing nearly 7 in 10 (66 percent) of the potentially Marketplace-eligible uninsured ages 18 to 34, may be able to pay $100 or less for coverage in 2014.
According to the report, an additional 1 million eligible uninsured single young adults may qualify for Medicaid in the states that have opted to expand the program in 2014. Today’s report also shows that if each of the 34 states expanded its Medicaid program, the proportion of young adults who could obtain low-cost coverage would be even greater. If each of the 34 states expanded its Medicaid program, 4.9 million uninsured single young adults would be eligible for Medicaid.
While some states are expanding their Medicaid programs in 2014, other states are not doing so. Under the health care law, states can receive 100 percent federal funding in 2014 to expand their Medicaid programs to cover people with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. That’s about $15,800 a year for an individual, or about $32,500 for a family of four.
Half of single young adults eligible for the Health Insurance Marketplace could get coverage for $50 or less
A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that nearly half (46 percent) of single young adults who are uninsured and may be eligible for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace could get coverage for $50 or less per month.
“The health care law is making health insurance more affordable for young adults,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “With nearly half of single, Marketplace-eligible uninsured young adults able to get coverage at $50 or less per month, the health care law is delivering the quality, affordable coverage people are looking for.”
Young adults are the age group most likely to be without health insurance. But through the Health Insurance Marketplace, young adults can purchase quality, affordable coverage and get lower costs on monthly premiums through tax credits. Young adults may also be eligible for Medicaid. The amount an individual can save depends on his or her family income and size.
Today’s report examines data from the 34 Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces and finds that out of 2.9 million single young adults ages 18 to 34 who may be eligible for coverage in the Marketplace, 1.3 million (46 percent) could purchase a bronze plan for $50 per month or less after tax credits. In the 34 states, a total of 1.9 million young adults, representing nearly 7 in 10 (66 percent) of the potentially Marketplace-eligible uninsured ages 18 to 34, may be able to pay $100 or less for coverage in 2014.
According to the report, an additional 1 million eligible uninsured single young adults may qualify for Medicaid in the states that have opted to expand the program in 2014. Today’s report also shows that if each of the 34 states expanded its Medicaid program, the proportion of young adults who could obtain low-cost coverage would be even greater. If each of the 34 states expanded its Medicaid program, 4.9 million uninsured single young adults would be eligible for Medicaid.
While some states are expanding their Medicaid programs in 2014, other states are not doing so. Under the health care law, states can receive 100 percent federal funding in 2014 to expand their Medicaid programs to cover people with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. That’s about $15,800 a year for an individual, or about $32,500 for a family of four.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT NATIONAL WORK AND FAMILY MONTH EVENT
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Opening Remarks at National Work and Family Month Event
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Marshall Center East Auditorium
Washington, DC
October 30, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, thank you. Marcia, thank you very, very much. Thanks for your generous introduction and thanks for your leadership and everything that you’re doing around here. We appreciate it enormously. And I’m very, very grateful to you and to Judy, Judy Ikels, and to the Work Life Division team for the terrific work that everybody is doing. And a big thank you to the Balancing Act Employee Organization and the senior advocates therein for helping us to advance this issue and get it on the front burner.
I’m looking out, and I see a few empty seats here, and I’m thinking we’re not – got some people here who aren’t getting the balance right. (Laughter.) We’re going to have to work on that. Or maybe a few managers who aren’t getting the balance right. But my sense is that we’re going to find a way to practice what we preach here, and it’s really, really important. And I’m not here to give it lip service. I am not here to check a box today, because they asked me to come here and do this.
I really believe this is important. It’s important not only to the functioning of this great behemoth institution, the State Department – and I say that writ large in all of the places that it is – but it’s important to our productivity. It’s important to the quality of life. It’s important to the type of people we can attract. It’s important to our longevity and our loyalty to the Department and to the happiness and good feelings that people have about being here.
So I want to personally congratulate the winner of this year’s Balancing Act Reward for Excellence in the Work-Life Leadership, Laura Dogu. Where is Laura? Is she here somewhere? Laura?
PARTICIPANT: Mexico City.
SECRETARY KERRY: She’s still in Mexico City. All right. (Laughter.) Well, a huge – if you’re watching through the net, a huge congratulations to you. And I want to recognize Ambassador Blake and Ambassador Pyatt and Michelle Bernier-Toth, and Diane Crow for their exceptional leadership. Thank you, very, very much for what you’ve been doing to advance this.
And you’ll be hearing a little more from the balancing act group shortly in the course of this. And I’m particularly grateful to Stew Friedman for coming down from Wharton to be here with us today. He just gave me a book. I will not be able to stay here to hear his presentation, but I now have a book, and I have a little time on an airplane occasionally. (Laughter.) So I’ll put it to good use, I promise you.
But let me just share with you. I’ve – in the 29 years I was in the United States Senate, I prided myself in running an office that was always ahead of the curve and always thoughtful about flexible hours and generous maternity leave and paternity leave and generous opportunity for people to try to have flextime, work their schedules. And it’s far more productive and it created a huge amount, I think, more loyalty and ultimately, productivity. And there’s no reason that we can’t do that.
I also watch a younger generation coming up, particularly talking about two daughters that I have and three stepsons. And I see them very conscious about and thinking about how do you balance these things more effectively. I think parenting today is different than it was in my early years of parenting, and vastly, night and day, different from my parents’ days of parenting. And so we think about these things differently, which is good, and we also think about ourselves differently.
All of this really started, I think, probably in the 1970s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, so forth. And there’s a growing awareness in people about health issues, the balance of health and life and all these kinds of things. I don’t take any of them for granted. I really believe in them, and my wife who believes in them very deeply.
And so I see this tension all the time. I have a young daughter who is a doctor in Boston at Mass General Hospital, whose husband is also a doctor at Mass General Hospital. He’s a brain surgeon and she’s in critical care. And they’re raising a child, and she’s pregnant now with her second child to come. And so she’s probably doing three jobs, if not four at the same time. And it’s hard, tough.
So how the workplace responds to this makes all the difference in the world as to whether or not people are driven to the brink. It has a profound impact on home life and attitudes and so forth. And if you come to work with a really tough situation going on at home, it’s hard to be as productive and as friendly and as collegiate and efficient as we would like people to be.
So this is not just a building. And I want to make sure that we’re investing in the efforts to guarantee that those of you who are on the frontlines of diplomacy here – we have a tough job here, everybody. This is 24/7/365. Crises don’t stop for anybody here. And I’m amazed by how hard people work around here – late hours, long hours, crisis hours, weekends, whenever it is, we have to respond because there are a lot of people out there in the world depending on us, so it’s even more important for us to try to find the ways to get it right.
So job shares program, alternative work schedules, getting the ability to be able to spend more time with family, these are really important things. And to prove to you how important they are, I am leaving this afternoon at 5:30 to go watch the Red Sox beat the Cardinals this evening. (Laughter.) That’s how important it is. (Applause.)
So let me just make it clear to everybody here that whether you’re a single officer or one with a family, whether you’re caring for aging parents or a newborn child, whether you’re a tandem couple or you’re serving on an unaccompanied tour, the Department is committed to making sure that this concept of balance is something that enters into everybody’s consciousness around here.
Now, I want to just quickly mention several new projects – four new projects that we are engaged in here to try to put this into practice. The first is a pilot project on backup care. It’s common sense, not groundbreaking or – but it’s not there, and it’s going to be there. And that’s contracting with an online service that will allow you to access quality backup care from a vetted pool of candidates so that if your babysitter is sick or if the person caring for an elderly parent or somebody in your household is not available suddenly and you have an emergency, you want to get to work, we have an ability to be able to get you connected quickly to find someone to fill in on a moment’s notice.
We’re also going to do more to support job shares. Until about a month ago, a full-time position was – when it was converted to two people to share, our bureau had to carry the cost of that on a direct basis. And today, I’m pleased to say that we’re able to support job shares from the central personnel funds. That may not sound like the biggest thing in the world to you, but – (applause) – okay, I’m wrong. It’s one of the biggest things in the world to you. (Laughter.) But that obviously means it’s going to be a lot easier for bureaus to be able to create job share opportunities, and that gives you a lot more flexibility in what you’re doing.
I also know that this is critical to being able to attract talent as well, as we try to recruit and build this place. So here’s my message today, which will be reinforced, because a lot of you think, “Uh-oh, my supervisor isn’t empowered to do this,” or “My supervisor won’t be creative enough and feel free enough to go do this,” wrong. And my message to assistant secretaries and senior leaders today is: Make it happen. We all have a stake in creating more flexible work arrangements. They can work for us. Every survey shows how important this is in order to keep talent and attract the next generation of talent, so I want to make this workplace a model in the United States Government for success. (Applause.)
Another way that we can help to do this, obviously, is with our third initiative, which is a new childcare initiative. And it’ll be right next door in the Consular Affairs building, and we already have the one childcare center, as you know, in Columbia Plaza and another at the Foreign Service Institute. But this center will be the third available to State Department employees and it’ll add an additional capacity for easy, accessible childcare in the new year, and I know how important that is.
Now, I know that nobody here joined the Foreign Service in order to get rich. If you did, the new IG is going to catch you fast. (Laughter.) As I’ve said before though, we have to make certain that as we go forward, even if we don’t make people rich here financially, the rewarding experience can be about as rich as it gets, and that’s because we have a climate, an environment, a workplace within which everybody really feels comfortable, that it’s serving their needs, it’s a good place to work, it’s a fun place to work, even if you’re working your tails off, and that I want you to do.
So we’re going to stay at this. I look forward to hearing from all of you sort of what comes out of this. We’ll continue to find creative ways that will make this place both stronger and more effective. The old adage – and I used to talk a lot, particularly when I was running nationally – that you can’t be strong abroad if you’re not strong at home. Well, that works right down into the family-work relationship between the Department and everybody’s personal lives.
So I think you get a sense this is for real. I hope you do. We’re going to stay at it. Keep your suggestions coming. Help us to understand the things we can do more effectively, better to do this. And I hope this will sink in deep into the ethics of the Department in a broad-based way in everybody’s relationship, wherever you work.
Thank you all. Good to be with you. Thank you. Thanks
Opening Remarks at National Work and Family Month Event
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Marshall Center East Auditorium
Washington, DC
October 30, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, thank you. Marcia, thank you very, very much. Thanks for your generous introduction and thanks for your leadership and everything that you’re doing around here. We appreciate it enormously. And I’m very, very grateful to you and to Judy, Judy Ikels, and to the Work Life Division team for the terrific work that everybody is doing. And a big thank you to the Balancing Act Employee Organization and the senior advocates therein for helping us to advance this issue and get it on the front burner.
I’m looking out, and I see a few empty seats here, and I’m thinking we’re not – got some people here who aren’t getting the balance right. (Laughter.) We’re going to have to work on that. Or maybe a few managers who aren’t getting the balance right. But my sense is that we’re going to find a way to practice what we preach here, and it’s really, really important. And I’m not here to give it lip service. I am not here to check a box today, because they asked me to come here and do this.
I really believe this is important. It’s important not only to the functioning of this great behemoth institution, the State Department – and I say that writ large in all of the places that it is – but it’s important to our productivity. It’s important to the quality of life. It’s important to the type of people we can attract. It’s important to our longevity and our loyalty to the Department and to the happiness and good feelings that people have about being here.
So I want to personally congratulate the winner of this year’s Balancing Act Reward for Excellence in the Work-Life Leadership, Laura Dogu. Where is Laura? Is she here somewhere? Laura?
PARTICIPANT: Mexico City.
SECRETARY KERRY: She’s still in Mexico City. All right. (Laughter.) Well, a huge – if you’re watching through the net, a huge congratulations to you. And I want to recognize Ambassador Blake and Ambassador Pyatt and Michelle Bernier-Toth, and Diane Crow for their exceptional leadership. Thank you, very, very much for what you’ve been doing to advance this.
And you’ll be hearing a little more from the balancing act group shortly in the course of this. And I’m particularly grateful to Stew Friedman for coming down from Wharton to be here with us today. He just gave me a book. I will not be able to stay here to hear his presentation, but I now have a book, and I have a little time on an airplane occasionally. (Laughter.) So I’ll put it to good use, I promise you.
But let me just share with you. I’ve – in the 29 years I was in the United States Senate, I prided myself in running an office that was always ahead of the curve and always thoughtful about flexible hours and generous maternity leave and paternity leave and generous opportunity for people to try to have flextime, work their schedules. And it’s far more productive and it created a huge amount, I think, more loyalty and ultimately, productivity. And there’s no reason that we can’t do that.
I also watch a younger generation coming up, particularly talking about two daughters that I have and three stepsons. And I see them very conscious about and thinking about how do you balance these things more effectively. I think parenting today is different than it was in my early years of parenting, and vastly, night and day, different from my parents’ days of parenting. And so we think about these things differently, which is good, and we also think about ourselves differently.
All of this really started, I think, probably in the 1970s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, so forth. And there’s a growing awareness in people about health issues, the balance of health and life and all these kinds of things. I don’t take any of them for granted. I really believe in them, and my wife who believes in them very deeply.
And so I see this tension all the time. I have a young daughter who is a doctor in Boston at Mass General Hospital, whose husband is also a doctor at Mass General Hospital. He’s a brain surgeon and she’s in critical care. And they’re raising a child, and she’s pregnant now with her second child to come. And so she’s probably doing three jobs, if not four at the same time. And it’s hard, tough.
So how the workplace responds to this makes all the difference in the world as to whether or not people are driven to the brink. It has a profound impact on home life and attitudes and so forth. And if you come to work with a really tough situation going on at home, it’s hard to be as productive and as friendly and as collegiate and efficient as we would like people to be.
So this is not just a building. And I want to make sure that we’re investing in the efforts to guarantee that those of you who are on the frontlines of diplomacy here – we have a tough job here, everybody. This is 24/7/365. Crises don’t stop for anybody here. And I’m amazed by how hard people work around here – late hours, long hours, crisis hours, weekends, whenever it is, we have to respond because there are a lot of people out there in the world depending on us, so it’s even more important for us to try to find the ways to get it right.
So job shares program, alternative work schedules, getting the ability to be able to spend more time with family, these are really important things. And to prove to you how important they are, I am leaving this afternoon at 5:30 to go watch the Red Sox beat the Cardinals this evening. (Laughter.) That’s how important it is. (Applause.)
So let me just make it clear to everybody here that whether you’re a single officer or one with a family, whether you’re caring for aging parents or a newborn child, whether you’re a tandem couple or you’re serving on an unaccompanied tour, the Department is committed to making sure that this concept of balance is something that enters into everybody’s consciousness around here.
Now, I want to just quickly mention several new projects – four new projects that we are engaged in here to try to put this into practice. The first is a pilot project on backup care. It’s common sense, not groundbreaking or – but it’s not there, and it’s going to be there. And that’s contracting with an online service that will allow you to access quality backup care from a vetted pool of candidates so that if your babysitter is sick or if the person caring for an elderly parent or somebody in your household is not available suddenly and you have an emergency, you want to get to work, we have an ability to be able to get you connected quickly to find someone to fill in on a moment’s notice.
We’re also going to do more to support job shares. Until about a month ago, a full-time position was – when it was converted to two people to share, our bureau had to carry the cost of that on a direct basis. And today, I’m pleased to say that we’re able to support job shares from the central personnel funds. That may not sound like the biggest thing in the world to you, but – (applause) – okay, I’m wrong. It’s one of the biggest things in the world to you. (Laughter.) But that obviously means it’s going to be a lot easier for bureaus to be able to create job share opportunities, and that gives you a lot more flexibility in what you’re doing.
I also know that this is critical to being able to attract talent as well, as we try to recruit and build this place. So here’s my message today, which will be reinforced, because a lot of you think, “Uh-oh, my supervisor isn’t empowered to do this,” or “My supervisor won’t be creative enough and feel free enough to go do this,” wrong. And my message to assistant secretaries and senior leaders today is: Make it happen. We all have a stake in creating more flexible work arrangements. They can work for us. Every survey shows how important this is in order to keep talent and attract the next generation of talent, so I want to make this workplace a model in the United States Government for success. (Applause.)
Another way that we can help to do this, obviously, is with our third initiative, which is a new childcare initiative. And it’ll be right next door in the Consular Affairs building, and we already have the one childcare center, as you know, in Columbia Plaza and another at the Foreign Service Institute. But this center will be the third available to State Department employees and it’ll add an additional capacity for easy, accessible childcare in the new year, and I know how important that is.
Now, I know that nobody here joined the Foreign Service in order to get rich. If you did, the new IG is going to catch you fast. (Laughter.) As I’ve said before though, we have to make certain that as we go forward, even if we don’t make people rich here financially, the rewarding experience can be about as rich as it gets, and that’s because we have a climate, an environment, a workplace within which everybody really feels comfortable, that it’s serving their needs, it’s a good place to work, it’s a fun place to work, even if you’re working your tails off, and that I want you to do.
So we’re going to stay at this. I look forward to hearing from all of you sort of what comes out of this. We’ll continue to find creative ways that will make this place both stronger and more effective. The old adage – and I used to talk a lot, particularly when I was running nationally – that you can’t be strong abroad if you’re not strong at home. Well, that works right down into the family-work relationship between the Department and everybody’s personal lives.
So I think you get a sense this is for real. I hope you do. We’re going to stay at it. Keep your suggestions coming. Help us to understand the things we can do more effectively, better to do this. And I hope this will sink in deep into the ethics of the Department in a broad-based way in everybody’s relationship, wherever you work.
Thank you all. Good to be with you. Thank you. Thanks
JOHN KERRY'S STATEMENT ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS ELIMINATION PROGRESS IN SYRIA
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Progress Eliminating Syria's Chemical Weapons Program
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 31, 2013
International inspectors have worked with unprecedented speed to accomplish the first milestone in eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons and reducing the possibility that they will ever be used again. Now we must make sure the job is finished and that every one of these banned weapons is removed and destroyed. This is meaningful progress which many believed would be impossible. The progress must continue.
We must also be crystal clear that eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons is not a substitute for ending the civil war nor does it end the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold. If weapons inspectors can carry out their critical mission, then I refuse to believe we can’t find a way for aid workers to carry out their equally critical mission delivering food and medical treatment to Syrians in need.
But where chemical weapons are concerned, we cannot lose sight of what has been accomplished thus far and what continues every day. Backed by the full weight of the United Nations and the international community, OPCW inspectors have responded to an unspeakable atrocity with unparalleled action. Nothing less would be acceptable after events that shocked the conscience of the world and left 1,400 innocent Syrians dead. Under the U.S.-Russia Framework, Syria must provide all UN and OPCW personnel unfettered access to any and all sites in order to fulfill their critical mission of verifying the full extent, and the eventual elimination, of Syria’s chemical weapons program. Syria’s obligations are clear, and it will need to fully comply with the requirements established by UNSCR 2118 and the OPCW Executive Council’s decision. To borrow from President Reagan’s maxim, where the Assad regime is concerned, there is no ‘trust,’ only ‘verify.’
To date, the United States has provided approximately $6 million in financial and in-kind assistance to support the efforts of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program, including armored vehicles, training, protective equipment, and medical CW countermeasures for the inspection team. We intend to continue to provide available assistance to help the Joint Mission fulfill its mandate.
Progress Eliminating Syria's Chemical Weapons Program
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 31, 2013
International inspectors have worked with unprecedented speed to accomplish the first milestone in eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons and reducing the possibility that they will ever be used again. Now we must make sure the job is finished and that every one of these banned weapons is removed and destroyed. This is meaningful progress which many believed would be impossible. The progress must continue.
We must also be crystal clear that eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons is not a substitute for ending the civil war nor does it end the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold. If weapons inspectors can carry out their critical mission, then I refuse to believe we can’t find a way for aid workers to carry out their equally critical mission delivering food and medical treatment to Syrians in need.
But where chemical weapons are concerned, we cannot lose sight of what has been accomplished thus far and what continues every day. Backed by the full weight of the United Nations and the international community, OPCW inspectors have responded to an unspeakable atrocity with unparalleled action. Nothing less would be acceptable after events that shocked the conscience of the world and left 1,400 innocent Syrians dead. Under the U.S.-Russia Framework, Syria must provide all UN and OPCW personnel unfettered access to any and all sites in order to fulfill their critical mission of verifying the full extent, and the eventual elimination, of Syria’s chemical weapons program. Syria’s obligations are clear, and it will need to fully comply with the requirements established by UNSCR 2118 and the OPCW Executive Council’s decision. To borrow from President Reagan’s maxim, where the Assad regime is concerned, there is no ‘trust,’ only ‘verify.’
To date, the United States has provided approximately $6 million in financial and in-kind assistance to support the efforts of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program, including armored vehicles, training, protective equipment, and medical CW countermeasures for the inspection team. We intend to continue to provide available assistance to help the Joint Mission fulfill its mandate.
COURT ORDERS CALIFORNIA MAN TO PAY MORE THAN $1.6 MILLION IN COMMODITY POOL FRAUD CASE
FROM: COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
Federal Court Orders California Man Jeffrey Gustaveson to Pay over $1.6 Million for Fraud, Misappropriation, and False Account Statements in Commodity Pool Scheme
Washington, DC –The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) obtained a federal court Order awarding restitution for defrauded commodity customers and a civil monetary penalty against Defendant Jeffrey Gustaveson of Morgan Hill, California, in connection with a commodity pool investment scheme. The Order requires Gustaveson to pay a civil monetary penalty of $1,230,000 and $410,000 in restitution. The Order also imposes permanent trading and registration bans against Gustaveson and prohibits him from violating the Commodity Exchange Act, as charged.
The Order resolves the CFTC’s Complaint, filed on August 29, 2012, charging Gustaveson with fraud, misappropriation, and issuing false account statements in a multi-million dollar commodity pool scheme (see CFTC Press Release 6341-12).
Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a Report and Recommendation for default judgment and permanent injunction on August 19, 2013, and District Judge Lucy Koh entered an Order adopting Judge Lloyd’s Report and Recommendation on October 23, 2013.
The Order finds that Gustaveson received $2,495,000 from customers to trade commodity futures in a pool. But, rather than trade the pool participants’ funds as promised, Gustaveson used only approximately $400,000 of the funds to trade commodity futures, and he kept at least $400,000 the remaining funds to pay his personal expenses, the Order finds. To conceal his misappropriation, Gustaveson distributed false trading account statements to the pool participants that misrepresented the value of the pool, reported false profits, and failed to disclose his misappropriation of pool participants’ funds. When his fraud was exposed, Gustaveson returned a significant portion of the pool participants’ funds, leaving $410,000 of the customers’ funds unpaid, the Order finds. As to the amount still owed, Gustaveson admitted that he spent the money on personal expenses, past-due taxes, and repaying a previous investor, according to the Order.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Lindsey Evans, Mary Beth Spear, Diane Romaniuk, Ava M. Gould, Scott R. Williamson, Rosemary Hollinger, and Richard B. Wagner
Federal Court Orders California Man Jeffrey Gustaveson to Pay over $1.6 Million for Fraud, Misappropriation, and False Account Statements in Commodity Pool Scheme
Washington, DC –The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) obtained a federal court Order awarding restitution for defrauded commodity customers and a civil monetary penalty against Defendant Jeffrey Gustaveson of Morgan Hill, California, in connection with a commodity pool investment scheme. The Order requires Gustaveson to pay a civil monetary penalty of $1,230,000 and $410,000 in restitution. The Order also imposes permanent trading and registration bans against Gustaveson and prohibits him from violating the Commodity Exchange Act, as charged.
The Order resolves the CFTC’s Complaint, filed on August 29, 2012, charging Gustaveson with fraud, misappropriation, and issuing false account statements in a multi-million dollar commodity pool scheme (see CFTC Press Release 6341-12).
Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a Report and Recommendation for default judgment and permanent injunction on August 19, 2013, and District Judge Lucy Koh entered an Order adopting Judge Lloyd’s Report and Recommendation on October 23, 2013.
The Order finds that Gustaveson received $2,495,000 from customers to trade commodity futures in a pool. But, rather than trade the pool participants’ funds as promised, Gustaveson used only approximately $400,000 of the funds to trade commodity futures, and he kept at least $400,000 the remaining funds to pay his personal expenses, the Order finds. To conceal his misappropriation, Gustaveson distributed false trading account statements to the pool participants that misrepresented the value of the pool, reported false profits, and failed to disclose his misappropriation of pool participants’ funds. When his fraud was exposed, Gustaveson returned a significant portion of the pool participants’ funds, leaving $410,000 of the customers’ funds unpaid, the Order finds. As to the amount still owed, Gustaveson admitted that he spent the money on personal expenses, past-due taxes, and repaying a previous investor, according to the Order.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Lindsey Evans, Mary Beth Spear, Diane Romaniuk, Ava M. Gould, Scott R. Williamson, Rosemary Hollinger, and Richard B. Wagner
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