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
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersAggregating 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
Ongoing Investments Still Stock-Heavy
Even though 2001 was the second straight bad year for stock market returns, TSP investors overall continued to put most …More
TSP Re-Crosses $100 Billion Mark
Aided by some positive returns in its stock funds late in the year and by continued investments by participants, the …More
Unfinished Benefits Business Awaits Congress
Congress reconvenes this week but won’t get down to work in earnest until the first full week of February. Congress …More
GPO Reform Effort Still an Uphill Struggle
The new Social Security reform bill is significant because of the identity of its main sponsor-Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., head …More
Another Approach on GPO Considered
A Social Security reform plan introduced in Congress (HR-3497) seeks a different approach to reforming the “government pension offset,” the …More
Mileage Rates Increased
As expected, the General Services Administration has raised the mileage rate for federal employees using personal vehicles for official travel …More
COLA Count Drops Again
The inflation measure used to determine the 2003 federal retirement cost of living adjustment has fallen in each of the …More
Much-Watched SEC Pay Measure Approved
President Bush has signed into law a measure allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission greater leeway in setting salaries for …More
Pay Compression at Top Levels Remains
Employees in high-level pay systems have complained for years about the pay compression effect of the salary caps, but so …More
C Fund Suffers Worst Year in Its History
The Thrift Savings Plan’s common stock (C) fund in 2001 posted the worst year since the fund’s inception in 1988, …More
Some Ideas Fall by the Wayside
The Defense measure also dropped several proposals that had been included in the original House or Senate versions. These included: …More
Several DoD-Specific Proposals Approved
Several other provisions of the Defense Department measure apply only to DoD but are of wide interest not only because …More
Measure Contains Other Benefit Improvements
The Defense budget measure also contains several other benefit improvements applying government-wide. One provision authorizes-although it doesn’t require–agencies to pay …More
Frequent Flier Change Finalized
President Bush has signed into law a Defense Department authorization measure that allows federal employee travelers to keep for their …More
Underwriting Requirements a Key to Rates
Many private long-term care plans provide lower rates for those who pass strict underwriting requirements, while in the federal program …More
Rates Said to Be Lower-But by How Much?
In its announcement of the award, OPM said that premium rates “will be below those generally available in the private …More
New Year Brings New Finances
The arrival of the new year brings several changes in the financial pictures of federal and postal employees and retirees, …More
Locality Raise Split Announced
As expected, President Bush has designated 3.6 percentage points of the January 2002 general schedule locality raise to be paid …More
Dissatisfaction With Benefits Package Also Shows
The personnel chiefs surveyed by OPM in the parental leave study also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the federal benefits …More
How Agencies Perceive Why Employees Stay
One often overlooked aspect of the study into the possibility of adding a paid parental leave federal benefit was agencies’ …More
Agencies Raise Alternative Ideas
In its study of paid parental leave, OPM also asked agencies to suggest alternatives to creating a new entitlement to …More
