Opinion | Terry Kahn was a model federal servant
There is another significant note to his story. I met Kahn in 1996, at the beginning of a monster project to update and streamline some 3,000 pages of human resources policy, program and operating instructions covering the two major Department of Veterans Affairs personnel systems, Title 5 and Title 38 of the U.S. Code. Kahn didn’t have to be involved in the project at all, as he was the personnel officer directing operating programs at the Indianapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, a challenging job in itself. However, knowing the need to modernize the content and format of — and access to — the human resource documents, he not only volunteered; he also assumed a central role in achieving its complete modernization. He reduced the amount of written material by one-third. He persuaded expert volunteers from the field units throughout our system to contribute their time and effort. Along with central office human resources staff and representation from the five VA-recognized national unions, Kahn helped keep costs under control and served as an advocate for both the project and the practical interests of managers throughout VA’s field structure.
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