European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday november 16,1 994 the stars and stripes 3 Gay 0 and 10v. Into or a is ily Tat litter recur Villant Chuld Ovi to restudy by Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon is about to Survey an untold number of its civil service employees who worked in no appropriated fund jobs Between 1966 and 1986 and lost various forms of work credit when they switched Between the two systems. Congress directed the defense depart ment to Survey former morale welfare and recreation employees in the so-called"20-year Naf Apas part of the fiscal 1995 defense authorization act workers caught in the Gap were affected in several ways when they moved Between the Naf and civil service personnel systems for example an employee in Aua-11, step 5 Naf Job whose position was converted to civil service Between 1966 and 1986 would have had to Start Over As a gs-11, step 1 a healthy pay Cut that Naf service would not have counted toward retirement and the employee also would have lost any sick or annual leave accumulated while in the Naf  upcoming questionnaire Aims to document How Many current defens department workers Are interested in receiving credit for their prior Naf employment and to give lawmakers some idea of How much it would Cost the government to extend that credit. Pentagon officials expect to have the questionnaire available at local servicing civilian personnel offices by dec. 31. Lawmakers want to see the results by feb. 1, but Pentagon officials said they Are unlikely to meet that deadline. One official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Pentagon probably would provide an interim response to Congress by feb. 1 and a full report by Early . Sam Nunn d-ga., departing chairman of the Senate armed services committee asked the Pentagon last year to address the Naf benefits Issue which he called a matter of  but the Pentagon s initial response was not what he had hoped for. The department does not recommend expansion of benefits to an unknown number of employees at an unknown Cost during this time of budget constraints and rims Edwin Dora undersecretary of defense for personnel arid readiness wrote in a letter last april. Refusing to drop the Issue Nunn had language inserted in the fiscal 1995 de sense authorization act calling for the new  department of defense has not made a Good Faith Effort to rectify an Uve Quity largely caused by the department s past personnel policies said the report accompanying the act in his april letter Dorn said giving work credit to employees in the Naf Gap would turn them into double dippers by crediting service already covered under the Naf retirement system. That would Force the Pentagon to set up costly and complicated procedures to make retroactive adjustments he  new legislative Effort also would probably conflict with benefits offered under two other Laws that cover Naf employees before 1966 and after 1987, he  Ann Parham an army librarian in Washington said the existence of those two Laws is not sufficient reason to continue leaving another sizable group of employees out in the cold. Parham is one of several volunteers who have set up a task Force to help Pentagon officials gather information on employees affected by the Naf Gap. -.c-,"-. 8&3  the Parrot perches on the Arm of second grader Jacob Grahn on Hobby Day at the Darmstadt elementary school on nov. 9. Showing pupils the pet Bird s bag of tricks is its owner Pam West is Christopher Allbright third grader Justin Clark finds cookie decorating an appetizing Hobby under the direction of Kim , third Grade Pupil Saman tha Easly put her heart into a More strenuous pastime while fellow golfers await their turn. Pupils parents find pecks of fun on Hobby Day Darmstadt Germany enraptured by a dancing Parrot children at Darmstadt elementary school watch As  pecks at the hand of owner Pam West during the school s Hobby Day earlier this month. In its third year this event let parents share hobbies such As scuba diving cake decorating and sketch drawing with elementary school children. Pupils putted on a golfer s Green and talked on an Amateur radio operator s radio. The biggest Star of the Day  who entertained children by talking and dancing As Well As climbing on the arms of children. The Bird disowned by West who has two sons Carl and Jason at the school. The event s purpose was to Foster a interest in hobbies that children could be involved with their entire lives said organizer Suzanne Allen the school s enrichment specialist. They could see that it was a worthwhile experience for the students to see and hear about their hobbies Allen said. Children will present their own hobbies to the school at a similar event in the Spring