The problems with Peace Corps exist because there is no way to complain and have issues resolved. There is the Office of Inspector General, but this is a federal government agency; OIG are lawyers who work for the agency, not the Peace Corps Volunteer Employees. The original legislation creating the Office of Safety and Security calls for an Ombudsman.

The advocacy work that has been done by the OIG is usually focused on the Peace Corps Staff Employees. The five year 'opportunity' law. It should be ended because it affects the agencies ability to function. No historical reference. Most reports by the OIG and meetings with Congress mention the five year 'opportunity' law. The two PCVs who were fired for contracting AIDs while in service were another excuse for ending the five year 'opportunity' law. NPCA responded by hiring writers.

Office of Medical Services is the one office at Peace Corps that has a waiver for the five year 'opportunity' law for doctors. The issue was the need to be classified and an historical memory. They were classified and this led to Peace Corps Staff Employees having waivers for the same reason. Peace Corps Tanzania, Peace Corps ME (anonymous OIG report) and Peace Corps Bolivia are examples of Peace Corps Volunteer Employees and Staff being promoted, the five year 'opportunity' law waived, clearances waived or ended and firing. It is obvious OIG was told to 'back off,' probably by Congress, in Tanzania and the opposite in the ME. Bolivia was an existing Congressional Investigation(third) into the Walter Poirier III disappearance. It is obvious the OIG would not advocate for the Peace Corps Volunteer Employee who was threatened with 15 years for spying and, of course, dealt with the Bolivian Foreign Ministry intelligence.

All these issues involving Peace Corps Volunteer Employees and Peace Corps Staff could have been solved by an Ombudsman.

The OIG and Peace Corps Staff Employees want the five year 'opportunity' law ended by Congress and this is all we hear when there are issues. Congress won't do this because the law is there for opportunity, making PC unique. An Ombudsman would be the proper way to handle these issues. Of course, changing the agency on this level would also involve the Peace Corps Volunteer Employees. The two year law should also be ended, opening up real, sustainable five year budgets and employment. This is Peace Corps argument for it's new five year doubled budget and mirroring of the PEPFAR program in it's second five year budget cycle; PEPFAR is now a Peace Corps Volunteer Employee 'hiring' agency.

'Peace Corps has changed with the times.' Yup, sure did. We now work closely with military dictators, put in place by military coups that have ended the democratic government, courts and are causing exodus' of native people: Fiji. The Philippines is the same problem. They also allow non US nationals to be tortured there by the CIA. Peace Corps has become more dangerous. Foreign Service Employees get hazard pay for these jobs. They are also classified. The Director has said we don't work with the State Department and are an independent agency. Peace Corp is staying in dangerous countries and there is no way not to be involved with other agencies like the State Department and be involved with classified issues. Allot of countries are running around saying spy now and that is usually because they find out the PCV has been classified above the original classification and this can happen for allot of reasons. It's not safe for the Peace Corps Volunteer Employee, but we stay in country to keep the numbers up.

It's ironic the Director won't explain Tanzania, the new ambassador and the way Peace Corps Staff Employees rely on being classified and those issues regarding Peace Corps Volunteer Employees' Safety and Security that gets the five year 'opportunity' law waived and promotions to DC for the Peace corps Staff Employees. These patterns are fifteen years old and usually how they blame a Peace Corps Volunteer Employee for looking for federal work. Congress usually has to settle these issues. Lateley, it's been the OIG and he is a lawyer, working for the government and definitely not for the Peace Corps Volunteer Employee. Maybe we should change the two year law?

Peace Corps Volunteer Employees need an advocate and that should be an Ombudsman. He should also be able to get legal representation for the Peace Corps Volunteer Employees; that is all the OIG is and it's difficult to win unless you can hire a lawyer and take the agency to court.

RPCV