President Obama's State of the Union speech contained only passing references to plans for the federal workforce in the year ahead, beyond repeating themes calling for cutting waste and having a "smarter, more effective government." Part of that initiative involves the previously stated request for authority to reorganize agencies and functions, starting with a consolidation of trade-related activities; Obama also mentioned consolidation of job training programs, which has been suggested many times in the past. More

The first legislative action affecting federal employees this year is coming in the form of House subcommittee hearings this week on the retirement program, an examination that could help justify increases in employee contributions and/or changes in the benefits formulas to make them less generous. More

With prospects of legislative action on many issues questionable during this election year, there's a general expectation that the administration will move in the upcoming months to finalize several policy initiatives it has underway. More

The administration meanwhile could soon move to more firmly establish a labor-management cooperation initiative that largely mirrors a program installed by President Clinton but then abandoned by President Bush. More

Administration officials for several years have advocated changes in the way employees are evaluated, and recently announced a revised system for senior execs that features a common set of performance expectations, although agencies can weight the value of performance in each of those areas differently, within limits, according to the job. More

OPM's other main priorities for the year include improving the two ends of the federal employment pipeline, hiring and retirement processing, both of which have been roundly criticized for years for slowness, unresponsiveness and complexity – problems that have persisted despite prior reform efforts. More

The federal cybersecurity workforce has received substantial attention in recent years as the government tries to protect its information against theft and intrusion, but a GAO report has found that issues remain ranging from the effectiveness of training to consistency in even deciding which jobs fall in that category. More

If you are married and die while still on the payroll, your surviving spouse will be entitled to certain benefits, writes benefits expert Reg Jones. More

Those receiving benefits under the FECA injury compensation program will receive a 3.2 percent COLA with their April benefit payments, the result of an inflation count covering calendar year 2011. More

The U.S. More