Not So Fast on DoD System

After initially saying that the changeover to their new personnel system would begin in June, Defense Department officials now are saying that conversion will occur sometime in early fiscal 2005, which would mean in October at the earliest. Given the notice requirements in the law authorizing the “national security personnel system” for DoD, a June start-up would have required having all the needed regulations in place on a faster schedule than it now appears DoD will be able to achieve. In addition to the rule-writing efforts already underway, DoD now also must deal with opposition from federal unions and some members of Congress to the draft labor-management relations and employee appeal rights provisions of the new system. Under the schedule set in the law, it will be at least three months before that part can be finalized. The next set of expected rules from DoD will involve authority to rehire federal annuitants without an offset between their salaries and their annuities. Rules on a revised job classification and pay for performance system would come later.