DoD Seeks to Continue, Add Downsizing Authorities
The Defense Department has asked Congress to approve several changes in law that would continue and in some cases expand …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersCOLA Count Up to 1.9 Percent
Halfway through the counting period toward the January 2006 retiree cost-of-living adjustment, retirees have banked 1.9 percent, following an increase …More
New Policy on Acquisition Employees
The Office of Management and Budget has released a new policy letter, No. 05-01, setting a new body of policies …More
GAO Not as Enthusiastic
Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office, a major player in the civil service reform debate, testified at a separate hearing that …More
OPM Repeats Pitch for Government-Wide Reforms
The Office of Personnel Management has repeated the administration’s call for a government-wide civil service reform modeled along the lines …More
Options for Future Left Open
TSP officials left the door open for broadening the TSP fund offerings in the future, however, saying they were opposing …More
TSP Cool to REIT Fund Idea
Thrift Savings Plan officials as expected have resisted a congressional proposal to add a real estate investment trust index fund …More
Closer Look at Call Letter
The call letter also: encouraged carriers to work toward meeting an administration goal of having electronic health records available for …More
Vision and Dental Benefits Still a Year Off
The OPM call letter also said that OPM plans to begin in July 2006 the enhanced dental and vision benefits …More
Guidance Coming on Medicare Drug Benefits
The call letter also said that the government will not be participating in a subsidy program, designed mainly for private …More
FEHB Stability Planned for 2006
The Office of Personnel Management has indicated that the Federal Employees Health Benefits program coverage will undergo relatively little change …More
Effect of Existing Flexibilities to Be Examined
Meanwhile, the Senate federal workforce subcommittee plans hearings this week on the topic of government-wide personnel flexibilities—in particular focusing on …More
‘Meet and Confer’ Period Underway
The Pentagon this week started a “meet and confer” period with national union representatives, with the assistance of the Federal …More
DoD Gets an Earful on NSPS
The Defense Department says it received more than 56,000 comments during the comment period that recently ended on proposed rules …More
Senate Whistleblower Bill Advances
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has passed legislation that would broaden the types of disclosures of information …More
Explanation of Locality Pay Changes
The President’s Pay Agent recently released a report on the general schedule locality pay system for 2006 that, as announced …More
Proposal Raises Issues
TSP officials traditionally have been cool to the idea of adding funds that focus on particular markets—for example, a bill …More
Expanded TSP Options Considered
The House federal workforce subcommittee is holding hearings this week on a newly introduced bill (HR-1578) to authorize the Thrift …More
FSA Use or Lose Deadline Coming Up
Employees who participated in the flexible spending account program in 2004 have until April 30 to submit qualified health care …More
New Pay Policies also On Tap
That same law also set changes, also effective May 1, designed to correct various pay administration anomalies resulting from the …More
Changes in Bonus Policy Coming
Several changes in the government’s policies on paying recruitment, relocation and retention payments are due to kick in May 1 …More
TSP Open Season Reminder
A new Thrift Savings Plan open season starts Friday (April 15) and runs through June 30, offering employees eligible for …More
Transit, FEHB Bills Offered
Among bills recently introduced in Congress are: HR-1283, which would put into law an executive order requiring that transit subsidies …More
VA Issues Guidance on Doctor Pay
The Veterans Affairs department has issued preliminary guidance on a law enacted late in 2004 revamping the way it pays …More
Report Highlights Employee Concerns
The CRS report, in focusing on the data—or lack of it—on the contracting-out program addressed one of the concerns that …More
CRS Sees ‘Dearth’ of Contracting-Out Information
The Congressional Research Service has said there is a “longstanding problem” in the government’s contracting-out program arising from the “dearth …More
OPM Reports on Veterans Employment
The Office of Personnel Management recently issued its latest annual report on the employment of veterans in the federal government, …More
Expert’s View: FERS 2, CSRS 1
FERS employees now outnumber CSRS employees by two to one and by 2014, nearly all federal employees will be covered …More
Interchange Agreement Reached on TSA Employees
The Office of Personnel Management and Department of Homeland Security recently concluded an “interchange agreement” authorizing the excepted service employees …More
Program Review Bill Advances
The House Government Reform Committee has passed legislation (HR-185) to require the Office of Management and Budget to review, “to …More
