Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersOverview of Purchase Card Program
The following Congressional Research Service report examines the history and issues involved in the government’s purchase card program. For a …More
Card Crackdown Would Come at a Cost
Legislation pending a full Senate vote (S-789) to tighten restrictions on use of purchase cards by federal employees would itself …More
Veto Threatened on Contracting Moratorium
The White House has threatened to veto the fiscal 2009 DoD authorization bill (S-3001) over several provisions including language that …More
Budgetary Uncertainty Continues
Congress still hopes to work only about two more weeks before leaving for the campaign season, meaning that numerous proposals …More
Plans to Address Concerns Also Lacking
The report further said that DoD does not have an action plan to "address the generally negative employee perceptions of …More
NSPS Ratings System Questioned
GAO has issued a mixed assessment of DoD’s national security personnel system, saying that while the department has put in …More
All But One TSP Fund Positive in August
All TSP funds except the international stock I fund posted gains in August, with the small U.S. company stock fund …More
Special Rules for ALJs Described
The Congressional Research Service has issued a report describing the special hiring, performance evaluation and other rules applying to administrative …More
Expert’s View: When FEHB Claims are Disputed
While most health plan decisions about what is covered are correct, there are times when they may not be, writes …More
Comparability Another Issue
CBO said that "providing a more generous benefit to employees may enhance the federal government’s ability to retain employees after …More
Cost One Issue on Parental Leave Benefit
Also pending in the Senate is a House-passed bill to provide employees with four weeks of paid leave for parental …More
End of Fiscal Year Concerns Raised
In what has become something of an annual ritual, some employees are expressing concerns about potential agency shutdowns with the …More
DHS, DoD Bills also Pending
Also pending final action–and also a candidate to be included in a catchall bill–is the appropriations measure covering DHS, which …More
Raise Likely Would Be Divided
Although the appropriations bills are silent on the issue, a 3.9 percent raise likely would be divided between across-the-board and …More
Congress Returns to Plate of Leftovers
Congress has returned to work from a month-long break with a goal of working only until around the end of …More
Critical Position, Pay Setting Regs Published
OPM in the August 26 Federal Register issued final regulations to govern the use of the critical position pay authority. …More
Expert’s View: Behind the Scenes at FEHB
The announcement of new coverages and rates in the FEHB program precede the annual open season for making enrollment changes, …More
MSPB Looks at Hiring Practices
MSPB recently examined how federal agencies use various hiring practices and found an increasing reliance on alternative authorities that are …More
FEDVIP Rules Finalized
Meanwhile, OPM published in the August 26 Federal Register the final version of operating rules for the FEDVIP program that …More
FEDVIP Enrollment Policy Clarified
OPM recently sent a memo to agencies clarifying the policy on enrollments in the FEDVIP vision and dental insurance program …More
Open Season Also Affects FSAs, FEDVIP
During the same open season period, employees will be able to sign up for flexible spending accounts for the 2009 …More
FEHB ‘Underserved’ Areas Expanded
OPM has expanded the list of “medically underserved” areas for FEHB program purposes by adding Illinois; no states were dropped. …More
No Major Changes in Coverage Expected
In its annual "call letter" to carriers earlier this year, OPM did not mandate major changes in benefits in the …More
FEHB Announcement Likely in Near Future
The annual announcement of premiums and plan offerings in FEHB for the upcoming plan year—that is, calendar year—is likely to …More
Postal Early Out Offers Being Made
The U.S. Postal Service has started sending out offers of early retirement, starting with about 3,000 employees in headquarters, and …More
Rates Vary Among Agencies
Of large agencies, those with more than 15,000 employees, the highest rates of complaints were filed at Education, HUD and …More
EEO Complaints Down a Bit
Federal employees and job applicants filed somewhat fewer equal employment opportunity complaints in fiscal 2007, 16,363 compared with 16,723 in …More
Funding, Pay Caps Also Important
CRS said that the size of the funding pool available for payouts is a primary consideration, since "if employees do …More
