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
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersDual 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
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
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
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
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
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
