Two more agencies offer child care subsidies

Child care subsidy programs continue to gain popularity in the federal government, with two more agencies adding the family-friendly measure to their benefits rosters.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Food and Drug Administration have announced that some of their employees will be eligible for subsidies to help cover child care expenses under pilot programs.

More than five years ago, the Clinton administration pushed agencies to establish programs to make it easier for workers to balance their home and work lives. In September 1999, Congress approved legislation allowing agencies to use appropriated funds to help lower-income employees cover the costs of child care in licensed centers.

The FDA worked with the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents many of its employees, to implement its program. NTEU President Colleen Kelley described the plan as "the kind of family-friendly program that is so important to both employees and agencies alike."

To be eligible, VA employees' annual family incomes can't be more than $45,000. Employees can enroll in the program immediately. The total annual family income for employees to be eligible for the VA pilot program is $52,000. Both full-time and part-time VA employees are eligible for the program, which begins Jan. 1. Both the FDA and VA programs provide benefits on a sliding-scale basis, with employees at lower salary levels eligible for higher benefits.

Other agencies offering child-care subsidies include the Labor Department, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. The Defense Department has had authority to subsidize child care expenses since 1989.

More information about implementing child care subsidy programs is available at the Office of Personnel Management Web site.