Pay Raise Still to Be Decided
The annual appropriations process also is the vehicle for setting a federal employee pay raise for the following January—or, in …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersOPM Nomination Also Awaits
Another unfinished piece of business involves confirming a new director of OPM; that post has been filled on only an …More
Postal Reform May Get another Try
Congress also may try during the upcoming weeks to make progress on long-stalled postal reform legislation. Senate and House civil …More
Patience Needed on Phased Retirement
Many federal employees are asking how to go about applying for the new phased retirement arrangement; the answer is that …More
Premium Pay Waiver Extended
The administration has extended into next May a special pay authority affecting federal employees working in Iraq, waiving normal limits …More
GAO Cites Problems with Clearance Determinations
At a recent Senate hearing, GAO identified several flaws in the government’s issuance of security clearances, which are needed for …More
DoD Furloughs Set to Start
Next week DoD generally will begin its furloughs, involving the most workers of any agency imposing them, 650,000, and one …More
Many Appeals Could Be Filed
Unions have been urging their DoD members to file appeals internally and at MSPB arguing that the furloughs are unnecessary …More
OPM Issues Guidance on High Court Decision
OPM has issued preliminary guidance on the implications for federal employee benefits of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in …More
Health Insurance Impact Starts Immediately
One immediate impact of the DOMA decision is that all "legally married" – that is, persons married in a state …More
Other Benefits Also Affected
Newly retiring employees will be allowed to elect spousal survivor CSRS or FERS benefits under standard policies, and those already …More
TSP Funds Suffer June Swoon
All of the TSP’s funds except the never-losing government securities G fund suffered a drop in June, with the international …More
Expert’s View: OPM’s Retirement Case Processing
Those of you who are considering retiring have heard horror stories about OPM’s processing of retirement claims, writes benefits expert …More
High Court Case Leaves Questions
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Defense of Marriage Act case likely will have repercussions for federal employment benefits, …More
Reports Show Small Percentages Affected
Analyses done for Congress have projected that only small percentages of federal workers would be directly affected by a change …More
Some Benefits Apply Already
Same-sex domestic partners who meet certain standards (including having been married in a state that allows such marriages) already are …More
Another Furlough Friday Coming for Many
Next Friday (July 5) three large agencies will be virtually closing again in sequestration-triggered furloughs in which certain dates were …More
Recent Furloughs Have Been Lower Visibility
In the Memorial Day weekend closing there was little public attention, in part because many private sector workers take time …More
Policies Remain a Mixed Bag
Customs and Border Protection, an agency that initially warned of one of the higher numbers of potential furlough days, 14, …More
Expert’s View: Special Considerations of Phased Retirement
If you qualify for phased retirement, there will be several special benefit considerations involving retirement crediting, writes benefits expert Reg …More
MSPB Warns against Eliminating Training
A recent article in an MSPB publication warns that eliminating training of federal employees as a short-run cost saving step …More
Army Cutbacks Could Cost Civilian Jobs
Army officials have said that a recently announced cutback in uniformed personnel would have a spillover effect on its civilian …More
White House Continues Pitch for Base Closings
The House has passed its version of the annual DoD authorization bill (HR-1960) that would reject the administration’s request for …More
Pay Raise Situation Still Unsettled
The administration also opposes language—now in both the House authorization and appropriations measures for DoD—to boost the January military raise …More
Key Budget Decisions Could be Far Off
A new estimate for Congress says it will be late in the year, possibly even December, before political leaders will …More
Expert’s View: Qualifying for Phased Retirement
To be eligible for phased retirement, you have to have been employed on a full-time basis for the preceding three …More
Opportunities May Open in SES
Federal senior executives on average are getting older and with more experience, creating opportunities ahead to advance up into the …More
Rank Awards to Be Cashless
Meanwhile, the administration has said that there will be no cash component to the next set of Presidential Rank Awards, …More
Contractor Workforce Still Difficult to Track
GAO recently examined progress in tracking the DoD contractor workforce, in particular efforts to determine if contractors are performing duties …More
Postal Proposal Drops Separate Health Plan Idea
A postal reform proposal being circulated in the House does not include authority the Postal Service has requested to …More
