More Under FERS Must Watch Dollar Cap
As the percentage of salary cap rises for FERS employees, more of them must be careful to structure their withholdings …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersTSP Open Season to Begin
Starting October 15 and running through the end of the calendar year the Thrift Savings Plan will conduct an open …More
Contracting-Out Plans Tallied
Federal agencies have compiled “competition plans” that could put around 103,000 jobs up for possible conversion to contractor performance, according …More
Options for DHS System Outlined
A series of hearings will be held starting October 20 to sort through an extensive set of options prepared by …More
Locality Pay Questions to Be Addressed
The Federal Salary Council, a group that makes recommendations on the boundaries for general schedule locality pay zones, will meet …More
Increases Due to Higher Claims
The increases in FEGLI rates for 2004 and 2005 follow increases in many age ranges that took effect in January …More
FEGLI Rates Rising for Some
Federal Employees Group Life Insurance premiums for FEGLI enrollees at older ages will increase slightly in January 2004-and again in …More
‘Premium Conversion’ Bill Clears Panel
Meanwhile, another measure of keen interest to retirees, HR-1231, which would allow retirees to participate in the health insurance “premium …More
GPO, WEP Bills Get Another Airing
Opponents of two provisions primarily affecting Civil Service Retirement System retirees-the “government pension offset” and the “windfall elimination provision”-have gotten …More
COLA Count Jumps
The inflation measure used to set the January 2004 federal retiree cost-of-living adjustment jumped 0.4 percent in August, bringing the …More
Contracting Restriction Advances
Both the House and Senate have given their final approval to an appropriations bill (HR-2658) that would guarantee Defense Department …More
DoD Personnel Policies in Flux
Meanwhile, heavy lobbying continues on the DoD authorization bill, with the administration pushing for the House version (HR-1588) that largely …More
Key Bills Cool Their Heels
Fiscal year 2004 begins today (October 1) with several key spending measures still idling in Congress, including the Transportation-Treasury appropriations …More
Deadline for Action Approaching
The deadline for either accepting or challenging the payments calculated for an individual under the special rate settlement is October …More
Special Rate Case Processing Speeds Up
A backlog that developed in the processing of claims and other correspondence in the special rate back pay suit settlement …More
Disability, Postmasters Bills Cleared
The House has approved and sent to the President legislation (HR-978) designed to address a problem arising for some FERS …More
The Interviewing Process, By John Grobe
Employment interviews in the private sector are significantly different from those in the federal sector. In the federal sector you …More
Contracting-Out Initiatives Also Reviewed
The President’s Management Agenda report also addresses another initiative of direct interest to many employee, the “competitive sourcing” program of …More
Report on Management Agenda Issued
The Office of Management and Budget recently published the latest in a series of reports on agency progress in carrying …More
Rebalancing Is an Issue
One reason for the growth of lifestyle funds in the private sector is that numerous studies have shown that relatively …More
TSP Considers Fund, Loan Policies
The Thrift Savings Plan is considering changing some its loan policies and adding a new fund, tentatively to be called …More
Little Change in Benefits, Structure
Apart from the new offerings, changes in benefits for the 2004 FEHB plan year will be relatively minor. However, officials …More
Choice Widening a Bit
The choices available in the FEHB in 2004 will widen somewhat, even though eight plans, with a total of about …More
FEHB Rates Rising Again
Enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program will experience an average premium increase of 10.6 percent in 2004, marking …More
Overtime Vote the First of Many Steps
A Senate vote to reject planned rules overhauling private sector overtime practices could eventually have significance in the federal sector, …More
GAO’s Review of Veterans’ Preference Practices
Meanwhile, General Accounting Office has issued a report sampling agency compliance with veterans’ preference practices. It found, for example, that …More
Vet Hiring Issue Arises
An audit by the Office of Personnel Management of Department of Housing and Urban Development has found instances of veterans …More
Another Bid to Spur Telecommuting
A member of Congress who has been a major force in pushing for federal employees to telecommute, Rep. Frank Wolf, …More
Senate Bill Continues Several Policies
The Senate version of the Transportation-Treasury bill, like the House-passed bill, continues several long-standing provisions of similar bills. These include: …More
Pay-for-Performance Issues Also Raised
In addition, the White House has objected to a provision in the House bill that would guarantee employees of the …More
