Senate Provisions Differ
The Senate version: extends DoD’s authority to pay buyouts by three years, through fiscal 2006; extends the Energy Department’s buyout …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersConference on DoD Bill Upcoming
When Congress returns to work from its August recess, one of the orders of business will be a conference between …More
Another Retirement Wave Warning Issued
Many air traffic controllers hired in the early 1980s as replacements for those fired in the 1981 strike are getting …More
Mixed Message on Stock Funds
While investment losses in the stock funds are contributing to the shrinking share of those funds in overall investment allocations, …More
TSP Investors Getting More Conservative
The losses in the stock markets from 2000 to the present have brought a significant shift in TSP investor behavior. …More
Political Activity Restrictions on Federal Employees
With the campaigning season just ahead, it’s important for federal and postal employees to understand which activities are permissible and …More
Travel Comp Time Idea Raised
A provision in the Senate’s bill to create a Homeland Security department (S-2452) would address a long-standing complaint by federal …More
LTC Coverage Definition Expanded
A question on the “full underwriting” application form for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program is being changed to …More
Accounting Standards Raises FEHB Concern
The House’s action to impose uniform “cost accounting standards” on all FEHB plans has raised concerns that the largest FEHB …More
Other Provisions of Senate Bill
Other key provisions of the Senate bill would: require a report by within nine months of enactment on the demand …More
House, Senate Bills Similar in Many Ways
In addition to the raise language, several other provisions in the Senate version of the Treasury-Postal measure also are similar …More
Locality Pay Split Also at Issue
Another question to be decided is the split between the across-the-board components and the locality components of the total raise. …More
White House Directive Possible
Also, the White House has another opportunity later this month to stake out its position on the raise by using …More
Questions Remain on Raise
One of the first orders of business for the Senate when it returns from its August recess will be to …More
DoD Tightens Purchase Card Restrictions
In response to criticism from auditors and Congress, the Defense Department will tighten its oversight of travel and purchase cards …More
Whistleblower Protections Limited
Disclosure of publicly known information concerning alleged errors in an adjudicative process do not constitute a protected disclosure under the …More
Summary of TSP Changes
With the transition to a new computer system upcoming September 16, the TSP will be making numerous other changes in …More
Loan, Withdrawal Transactions Also Affected
Special considerations also will apply to those wishing to take out loans or make account withdrawals during the transition period …More
TSP Transition Period Ahead
With the Thrift Savings Plan on track to switch over to a new account management system effective September 16, a …More
Patients’ Rights Talks Break Down
Meanwhile, long-running negotiations between the White House and Senate leaders over “patients’ rights”-based health insurance policy reform have broken down, …More
Medicare Plan Fails in Senate
Just before recessing, the Senate took up but was unable to pass any of several plans to create a prescription …More
Underwriting in Future Open Seasons Uncertain
OPM also has clarified that while it expects to have future open seasons-although their frequency and the date of the …More
FLTCIP Underwriting Issues Clarified
The Office of Personnel Management has clarified several aspects of the policy on underwriting-the process of checking a person’s health …More
Demonstration Project Authority a Possible Compromise
While the union rights issue currently has both sides dug in, there could be room for a compromise on the …More
Employee Rights Remain a Hang-Up
The primary difference on the Homeland Security Department proposal continues to focus on the issue of employee rights. The Senate …More
Homeland Security Employee Issues Deferred
The Senate has joined the House in recessing until Labor Day without voting on its version of a proposal to …More
Stock Funds Hit Hard
All three stock-based Thrift Savings Plan suffered significant losses in July, with the largest of the three, the common stock …More
LTC Tax Break Clears House
Premiums for long-term care insurance, presumably including those paid into the new Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program, would be …More
Greater Cancer Testing Coverage Backed
The House has passed a resolution (H.Con.Res. 385) stating the sense of Congress that federal health care programs should cover …More
James Briefing on Homeland Security Agency
Office of Personnel Management director Kay Coles James recently made an appearance, rare for an OPM chief, at the White …More
