Connect - November 2022

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Resolution Management sent this bulletin at 11/09/2022 09:24 AM EST

November 2022

Commemorate

National American Indian Heritage Month

VA joins the Nation in commemorating National American Indian Heritage Month this November. The 2022 theme is: “Celebrating Respect, Culture, and Education.”

The observance recognizes American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) for their immeasurable contributions to the United States including their courageous service in our Nation’s armed forces such as that of U.S. Army Technician 5th Grade, and the last Crow War Chief, Joseph Medicine Crow who served in the 103rd Infantry Division during World War II and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, entered the U.S. Army in 1966 and served with Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division. The father of Director Stephanie Birdwell, VA Office of Tribal Government Relations, Specialist Five Birdwell recently received the Medal of Honor at the White House on July 5, 2022, for, “acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty...in the Republic of Vietnam on Jan. 31, 1968” (U.S. Department of Army).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Nation’s AI/AN population (alone or in combination with other race groups) is projected to grow to 10.1 million by July 2060. At the end of the fiscal year 2022, AI/ANs represented 1.01% of the Relevant Civilian Labor Force and 1.55% of VA’s permanent and temporary workforce. This is an increase of 0.03 percentage points from the previous fiscal year. Of the 122,900Veterans employed by VA, 1,938 are AI/AN (1.58%). For more information, visit VA’s AI/AN Special Emphasis Program (SEP) webpage.

Commemorate

Transgender Day of Remembrance and Transgender Awareness Month

November 20 marks Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). This annual observance honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Over the years, this observance expanded to “Transgender Awareness Week” and then later evolved into “Transgender Awareness Month” which is now commemorated each year in November as a time to recognize and uplift the voices and experiences of the transgender and gender non-conforming (GNC) community through education and action.

The best way to show support of transgender or GNC Veterans and co-workers is through validation and education. VA employees can begin by respecting an individual’s name and pronouns. In meetings and trainings, share your pronouns and invite others to do the same. You can also share your pronouns on your business cards and in your signature block. In support, VA has implemented the best practice of including personal pronouns in employees’ email profiles. To date, over 25,000 VA employees have updated their profiles to reflect their preferred pronouns. VA employees can visit the yourIT Service Portal and complete the personal pronouns request form to add their personal pronouns.

Another example of showing support is to call out “Veteran Smith” instead of “Mr.” or “Ms.” Visit Patient Care Services for VA LGBTQ+ Policies relating to Veterans, including VHA Directive 1341: Providing Health Care for Transgender and Intersex Veterans or to locate your facility’s LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator for questions pertaining to transgender or GNC Veterans. Visit the ORMDI LGBTQ+ Program webpage for VA policies and resources for employees, including VA Handbook 5975.4, Transgender Employee Transition Guidance. For questions pertaining to transgender or GNC employees, contact your facility’s LGBTQ+ Special Emphasis Program Manager or EEO Manager.

Family Caregivers Month

November is National Family Caregivers Month. During National Family Caregivers Month, the VA recognizes the 5.5 million caregivers who make Veteran’s lives better. Visit the VA Caregiver Support Program website for more information about services, peer networks, and educational materials or call 1-855-260-3274 to learn more about the support that is available to you and for assistance connecting with the Caregiver Support Coordinator at your local VA Medical Center.

Open Season

The Open Season for federal benefits is being held from Monday, November 14, 2022, through Monday, December 12, 2022 to make election changes that are effective January 1, 2023.

FEHB changes can be made in the employee’s Defense Finance and Accounting Service MyPay account or by providing a Standard Form (SF) 2809 to the ORMDI HR Team. If employees have questions regarding Open Season, they should reference the Federal Benefits Open Season Toolbox or visit the Office of Personnel Management’s 2022 Federal Benefits Open Season website

Timekeeping

The ORMDI Timekeeping Team would like to remind all Employees, Timekeepers and Supervisors to check VATAS and ensure they can see your timecards and timecards under your purview at the end of the Pay Period. On rare occasions, employees will fall out of VATAS to no fault of their own. Our timekeeping team does its best to ensure this doesn’t happen, but it is up to you to ensure they are validated and certified and you get paid!

Lets Talk About It!

Succeeding as an LGBT Professional

Even in places where discrimination is illegal, there are still nuances and complexities involved in being openly LGBT at work. In this course, best-selling business author, consultant, and educator Dorie Clark shows you how to navigate them with aplomb and build a successful and thriving career. Dorie discusses how to harness the benefits of your identity and identify and overcome any limiting beliefs you may hold. She goes over pros and cons of coming out in your job search or on the job. Dorie covers ways to handle well-meaning coworkers with grace and how to connect with other LGBT professionals. She shares strategies to overcome challenges such as a very conservative company or industry, hostile coworkers, or the complexities of coming out as transgender.

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Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Diversity is having a culture that values uniqueness: people of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, and races. Inclusion means inviting diverse groups to take part in company life. If you're tuned into conversations about HR, you've probably heard these terms before. But there's a third critical piece: belonging. It's belonging that makes each individual feel accepted for who they are. Explore the diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) approach, and discover how to activate it in your organization. Join HR luminary Pat Wadors as she explains how to drive the conversation on DIBs, hire and retain diverse talent, listen to employees, and integrate DIBs into your employee life cycle. Managers and executives should tune in for special tips on embedding DIBs in the employee experience.

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Office of Resolution Management Diversity & Inclusion (ORMDI)

1575 I Street NW Washington DC 20005
202-461-4064 / https://www.va.gov/ormdi/

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