Panel Backs Pay Parity
The House Government Reform Committee, the main panel in the House dealing with civil service issues, has said it continues …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersCPI Count Rises in February
The inflation index used to adjust federal retirement cost-of-living benefits rose 0.1 percentage points in February, meaning that through five …More
Electronic FEHB Records Pushed
Legislation introduced in the House (HR-4859) would require all Federal Employees Health Benefits carriers to create an electronic health record …More
Watch Out for TSP Scam
The Thrift Savings Plan has put out a warning to investors about a scam email that purports to be from …More
Employee Group Opposes New TSP Plan
An advisory group of representatives from employee organizations has come out in opposition to a proposal to add a real …More
Expert’s View: Keeping FEHB after a Buyout or Early Out
Considering how few benefits specialists are left in most agencies, it’s not surprising how often incorrect information is given to …More
Most Would Be in ‘Standard’ Career Group
DoD’s intent is to create four “career groups” in NSPS to replace the general schedule—and eventually the wage grade—classification systems. …More
NSPS Revisions Summarized
The Pentagon has released a revised summary of how the national security personnel system will operate, stating among its “lessons …More
Greater Whistleblower Protections Sought
Protections of federal whistleblowers in security-related areas, would be expanded under legislation (S-2285) introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. The …More
CRS Summary of Base Closings’ Effect on Civilian Employees
The CRS report also summarizes policies involved in base closings as they relate to civilian employees of affected facilities. For …More
Labor’s Role Still Unsettled
The CRS report noted that “although the Secretary of Defense has broad authority to take appropriate action to provide for …More
Base Closings Job Loss Pegged at 16,000
The Defense Department base closings list approved last year will result in the loss of nearly 16,000 federal civilian jobs, …More
Policy on Excess Contributions Explained
Meanwhile, the TSP has said that it will disburse back to participants during this month “excess deferrals” they made into …More
No Roth (401)k for TSP
The Thrift Savings Plan has said it is not offering a “Roth” 401(k) option and that it will not seek …More
Veterans Preference Expanded
The Office of Personnel Management has issued guidance on two provisions of the fiscal 2006 Defense Department authorization law that …More
Guidance Issued on Leave Restoration
The Defense Department has issued guidance on a special provision involving restoration of forfeited annual leave for employees of facilities …More
Expert’s View: The Worst Retirement Planning Mistake
There are many mistakes a federal employee can make when preparing to retire, writes benefits expert Reg Jones. “The worst …More
OPM Sets Strategic Goals
The Office of Personnel Management has produced a new strategic plan for the next five years, indicating that it will …More
FEHB Rules for Emergencies Proposed
The Office of Personnel Management has issued proposed rules that would govern situations in which, due to natural or other …More
One More Deadline on Special Rates Case
March 16 is the deadline for those who have been issued a check in the settlement in the long-running special …More
DoD Tabulates Contracting Results
The Defense Department says it completed 35 contracting-out competitions in fiscal 2005, involving nine full-fledged cost comparisons and 26 streamlined …More
Sign of Intent on Raise Possible
Congress has started work on the first draft of the fiscal 2007 budget called the budget resolution, a document that …More
More Coordination on Disability Benefits Sought
The Bush administration has said, in a report on management improvements, that it plans to seek better coordination between FERS …More
Grandfathered Allowances Being Retired
The Office of Personnel Management has sent out a reminder that “grandfathered” retention allowances approved before last May 1 will …More
G Fund Wins in February Returns
The government securities (G) fund produced the highest Thrift Savings Plan return in February, gaining 0.36 percent, compared with 0.28 …More
Expert’s View: What Can a Good Pre-retirement Seminar Do for You?
There was a time when agencies had adequate numbers of well-trained benefits specialists with whom you could go over the …More
Prospects for Government-Wide Action Dim
The court decision involving the national security personnel system, following a similar decision against similar plans at the Department of …More
Overview of DoD Personnel Plans
Meanwhile, in congressional testimony a top DoD personnel official has outlined the department’s plans regarding NSPS and other issues involving …More
Five-Level Rating System Envisioned
As previously indicated, the NSPS system would feature a standard five-level rating system that would be, from the bottom up, …More
Elements of Job Objectives Outlined
The key provision for many employees in the NSPS pay-for-performance system is the job objectives, since that is what will …More
