Scrutiny of Social Media Also to Be Examined
Meanwhile, the oversight panel has set a hearing Friday on expanding the scrutiny of social media postings by applicants for …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersDrive to Restrict Employee Rights Advances
Chances have increased that a law will be enacted this year restricting disciplinary appeal rights of all VA employees–which could …More
Measure Seeks Tighter Deadlines, Limits on Pay
The Senate bill would affect the appeal rights of employees below the executive ranks who are under the Title 5 …More
Several Provisions Target Senior Executives
The bill also reflects many of the proposals regarding senior executives at the VA, including several recently proposed by the …More
Whistleblower Protections Also a Focus
The measure meanwhile emphasizes strengthened protections for whistleblowers against retaliation. It would create an Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection …More
Changes to DoD Bill Advance
The House Armed Services Committee made only relatively minor changes regarding personnel policies to the annual DoD budget bill in …More
Disciplinary, Hiring Provisions Also Added
The Armed Services Committee meanwhile accepted language reflecting two bills recently passed by the House, further improving chances of those …More
April Showers TSP Investors with Gains
Every TSP investment fund posted a gain in April, led by the international stock I fund, up 1.89 percent and …More
Administrative Leave, Rehiring Bills Pass
The House has passed two bills to tighten federal employee disciplinary policies, one focusing on extensive use of paid leave …More
Senate Panel Seeks Greater Protection for VA Whistleblowers
The VA would have to strengthen whistleblower protections for its employees, including by setting up a new office to receive …More
Mandatory Discipline for Retaliation Sought
The Senate VA spending measure also would make those who retaliate against whistleblowers subject to mandatory discipline. They would be …More
Pay Issue Starts to Stir Up for 2017
The issue of the January 2017 federal employee raise, which has been largely dormant for several months, could gain new …More
Spending Bills Could Decide the Issue
In recent years Congress has determined a federal raise by not determining one, allowing the White House proposal to take …More
Only Minor Provisions in DoD Bill So Far
The House Armed Services Committee plans to finish work this week on the annual DoD authorization bill, a measure that …More
Higher Buyout Maximum Proposed
The Obama administration has proposed boosting the maximum buyout payment for federal employees to $40,000, saying that the $25,000 maximum …More
DoD Signals Expectations of Downsizing
Buyout payments–also called voluntary separation incentive payments (VSIPs), especially in DoD–are used to lure employees to separate, either for retirement …More
Paid Parental Leave Also Proposed
The proposal also would provide all federal employees with a new entitlement to six weeks of paid leave each 12 …More
Changes Sought to Hiring, Other Policies
Other government-wide provisions in the DoD proposal would: eliminate the “rule of three”–in which hiring managers must choose from the …More
Advance Pay for DoD Relocations Also Sought
DoD meanwhile asked Congress to allow it to grant up to six pay periods worth of advance pay for its …More
Bills Targeting IRS, VA Employees Set to Advance
The House plans to vote this week on several bills targeting the IRS that have implications for its employees including: …More
Possible Changes to FECA Program Examined
The CRS report also examined possible changes to FECA, including a long-running proposal to require beneficiaries to switch to disability …More
OPM Projects Cost Increase for FLTCIP
OPM projects that premiums for most enrollees in the FLTCIP long-term care insurance program will increase in the fall under …More
Premium Cost Increase Not Specified
OPM has not specified how much premiums will increase, nor exactly when. Those and other details could be announced in …More
Past Hike Stirred Controversy
The last time a contract expired to be replaced by a new one, in 2009, there was substantial controversy that …More
TSP Sees Some Positive, Negative Trends in Investing
While the overall percentage of employees who save in the TSP is increasing, the average percentage of salary being saved …More
Family Leave Policy Change Finalized
OPM has finalized rules making federal employees with same-sex spouses eligible to use Family and Emergency Medical Leave Act leave …More
Special Pay, Hiring Bills Set to Advance
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee plans to advance bills to be offered later this week to: expand law …More
IRS Warns of Scams Referencing Data Breaches
The IRS is warning about an email scam that appears to be targeting federal employees, including references to cyber breaches …More
DoD Begins Rollout of New Appraisal System, but Who’s Next?
Defense Department employees will be moved into the department’s new performance appraisal system in six-month phases, although exactly who and …More
OPM Explains Expansion of Autism Coverage
OPM has put out a fuller explanation of a recent directive to expand FEHB coverage of “applied behavior analysis” for …More
