If you're planning on dropping Daniel Werfel a note about the Internal Revenue Services' recent troubles, be sure to address him correctly.
Werfel is no longer IRS Acting Commissioner.
No, he hasn't been fired or suspended. He's got a new title.
Werfel is now IRS Principal Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement.
But regardless of what you call him, IRS employees will still call him boss. Despite the title change, Werfel will continue to run the agency.
Ch-ch-changes: Werfel's new, longer official job designation was bestowed by Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, who sent Senate and House tax-writing committee leaders a letter explaining the change.
The new moniker isn't just cosmetic. It's mandated by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which details how certain presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed offices may be filled.
IRS commissioner is one of the positions under the Act's purview. It states that an acting commissioner can serve for only 210 days after the vacancy is created.
Former Commissioner Doug Shulman's last day in his IRS office was Nov. 9, 2012. The 210th day since then was Monday, June 10.
So Lew got proactive and made Werfel's job change effective June 7.
"Mr. Werfel will continue to lead the IRS," Lew wrote to Democratic and Republican leaders on the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees. "He will
serve as the senior most IRS official and, pursuant to existing IRS
Delegation Orders, will have the authority to perform all the delegable
duties and responsibilities of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue."
When President Obama nominates a new IRS Commissioner, Werfel will again become the agency's Acting Commissioner until the new candidate is confirmed.
Please update your Outlook address book and/or Rolodex accordingly.
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