GUIDANCE ISSUED ON WAGE GRADE RAISES
The Office of Personnel Management has sent out its annual guidance on raises for wage grade employees, who are paid …More
Fedweek
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Ever since it was first announced that the government was creating long-term care insurance for its employees, a major question …More
AGE, PREMIUM ISSUES ALSO SPECIFIED
For those electing early enrollment, the enrollee’s age for determining premiums will be the age at the time the carrier, …More
LTC UNDERWRITING REQUIREMENTS DEFINED
The underwriting requirements-questions relating to health-will be the same for both the early and open season enrollment opportunities in the …More
Coverage Effective Dates Also Set
For those joining during the early enrollment period, coverage will be effective on the later of May 1 or the …More
LTC Choices Will Be Limited in Early Enrollment
Federal employees, retirees and eligible family members wishing to take advantage of the early enrollment opportunity running March 25-May 15 …More
TSP Catch-Up Bill Offered in Senate
Legislation (S-1822) has been introduced in the Senate to make Thrift Savings Plan participants who are age 50 and over …More
TSP Stock Funds Change Direction
After three months of posting gains, the three Thrift Savings Plan funds tracking stock markets declined in January, with the …More
Accounting Change Idea Also Repeated
The administration’s budget also repeats a proposal the White House made last year to require agencies-rather than the Treasury-to fund …More
Other Management Agenda Items Also Stressed
The budget document further gives poor grades overall to agencies’ efforts to manage their “human capital,” rating only the Labor …More
Budget Repeats Contracting Goals
The White House’s budget proposal also repeats several management themes previously announced by the Bush administration, including continued pressure on …More
Dual Health Coverage a Traditional Issue
Retirees who become eligible for Medicare at age 65 have complained for years that they have to continue paying the …More
FEHB-Medicare Link to Be Examined
The White House’s budget proposal contained relatively little about federal benefits, although in one section focusing on the Medicare program, …More
4.1 Percent Likely to Be Target Figure
Also like last year, the 4.1 percent basic military raise figure will be the focus of attention of the pay …More
Early Test of Parity Concept Possible
Last year in a similar situation supporters of parity between federal and military personnel succeeded in getting both the House …More
2002 Free Federal Leave Chart Now Available
We have posted a FREE 2002 interactive federal employee leave use tracker on our Website at https://www.fedweek.com/HotFreeNews/default.asp. Every year, this …More
Another Fight over Raises Seems Likely
The Bush administration’s proposal that general schedule employees get raises averaging 2.6 percent in January 2003 likely will trigger a …More
Efforts on ‘Flexibility Act’ to Continue
Administration officials say that even though they plan to undertake a long-term reform of federal pay, they will continue to …More
Market-Based Pay Another Idea
Officials say another theme of the OPM white paper on federal pay likely will be the inability of the government …More
Pay for Performance a Top Priority
Officials say that pay for performance-or rather, the general lack of it in the federal workplace-is a primary topic of …More
OPM to Seek to Build Case for Pay Reform
The Office of Personnel Management plans to soon issue a “white paper” describing the problems with the current federal pay …More
Benefit Improvements for Nurses Considered
The Senate may soon consider House-passed legislation (HR-3477) aimed at improving benefits for Department of Veterans Affairs nurses by, among …More
Aggregating Buying Power also Controversial
The largest carrier in the FEHB-Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which covers about half of enrollees-has said it would not support another …More
Groups Oppose MSA Idea
Employee and retiree organizations traditionally have opposed the MSA concept out of fears that such plans would drain off relatively …More
MSA Idea May Get Second Look
Sources say the suggestions raised at the hearing to add low-premium, high-deductible plans to the FEHB has revived the question …More
FEHB Reform Plans Brewing in Congress
House civil service leaders are interested in following up on recommendations to reform the FEHB program that were raised at …More
OPM Specifies Eligibility for LTC
With the initial enrollment opportunity just ahead, OPM has issued guidance regarding exactly who will be-and won’t be-eligible for coverage …More
LTC Rates Announcement Coming Soon
Although the enrollment dates have been set and the carrier has been chosen in the LTC program, Bush administration officials …More
LTC Early Enrollment, Open Season Dates Set
Federal employees, retirees and certain family members will have an early enrollment opportunity for long-term care coverage starting March 25 …More
Improved Pay for Reservists Proposed
Federal employees who are military Reservists would continue to receive the same rate of salary they get as civilian employees …More
