House Democrats Skeptical of Budget Proposals
Democrats running the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have expressed skepticism about many of the Bush administration’s initiatives for …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersFEHB, Credit Card Measures offered
Among the bills introduced in Congress recently are: HR-1256, by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., to increase the average government contribution …More
Correction
An item in last week’s FEDweek mischaracterized one aspect of the Bush administration’s proposal to limit the government’s FEHB premium …More
Student Employment Program Explained
With the summer job season for students approaching, OPM has issued updated questions and answers regarding the Student Educational Employment …More
Expert’s View: Disputed Health Benefit Claims
If you or one of your loved ones has had health problems and a request for coverage or payment was …More
DoD Launches Next Phase of NSPS
DoD has started phasing in the third group of employees covered by its national security personnel system, the so-called “spiral …More
More Maneuvering May Be Ahead
As it considered the bill, the Senate worked through several alternatives on TSA employee rights that showed a range of …More
TSA Screener Rights Vote a Test Case
In what amounts to a test case of how federal personnel issues will be handled in the remaining time of …More
Some Initiatives Included
Among the more significant elements of the call letter are: relieving HMO plans from a requirement to offer benefits packages …More
FEHB Call Letter Issued
OPM has issued its annual “call letter,” in which it outlines the coverage features it wants in the FEHB program …More
Timeframe Unsettled, Though
It’s unclear how soon it could be “practicable” for DHS to apply revised personnel policies more widely, given that a …More
DHS Signals Intent to Move on Personnel Changes
Just weeks after announcing that it was renaming and scaling back its personnel reform program in favor of a pilot …More
Health Policy Changes Finalized
OPM has published final rules providing extended FEHB coverage, including authority for agencies to pay both the employer and enrollee …More
F Fund Leads TSP Returns
The bond F fund led the TSP’s funds in returns during February, gaining 1.53 percent, while the government securities G …More
CRS Reviews Ethics Policies
The Congressional Research Service has issued a summary of key ethics provisions applying in government. For a closer look at …More
Other Provisions Outlined
In yet another budget-related document, covering OPM’s spending, the administration highlighted a long-running initiative to allow individuals to work on …More
Non-Foreign Area COLAs Also Targeted
In a separate document, the administration offered a justification for its proposal to end the “non-foreign area” cost-of-living allowance program …More
FEHB Provisions Also Outlined
The document further makes the administration’s argument for cutting back on the subsidy paid for FEHB premiums for those who …More
Retirement Provision a Sore Point
Management officials of federal agencies—in particular the U.S. Postal Service—have argued for many years that once a FECA beneficiary reaches …More
Budgetary Proposals Detailed
The Bush administration has sent to Congress a document laying out the case for several proposals relating to federal personnel …More
COLA Count Still Underwater
Through four months of the count toward the January 2008 retiree COLA, the inflation adjustment used to set that COLA …More
Guidance on Official Work Stations
OPM has put out updated guidance on what is considered an employee’s official duty station—which is important for certain purposes, …More
Premium Conversion Bill Reintroduced
Legislation (HR-1110) has been reintroduced in Congress to allow federal retirees to pay their FEHB premiums with pre-tax money, the …More
Health Insurance Benefits also at Issue
On health insurance, CBO said that the government’s contribution toward retirement health insurance benefits could be reduced for retirees with …More
Less Money In, More Out?
The report also said that the formula for employer matching contributions for FERS employees could be revised so that the …More
Retirement Changes Raised
On retirement, CBO raised the possibility of changing the benefit formula for future retirees to base their annuities on their …More
Budget-Cutting Options on Benefits Outlined
The Congressional Budget Office has released the latest in a series of reports outlining possible savings in government programs, including …More
Change Could Have Repercussions
The change in plans at DHS could have an effect on the administration’s other efforts to apply similar principles elsewhere. …More
DHS Scales Back Personnel Reform Plans
DHS has said it will scale back its efforts to overhaul many of its personnel policies, effectively putting the program …More
Differences Between Military, Civilians Cited
Said CRS, “If the purpose of extending the combat zone exclusion to civilians is to make civilian benefits equal to …More
