OPM Previews Plans to Seek Forced Ratings Distribution for All Federal Employees
OPM has previewed plans to require federal employee performance ratings to follow a fixed distribution, saying the government suffers from …More
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Path Cleared for Long-Delayed Raises for Wage Grade Employees, Says AFGE
Blue-collar federal employees under the Federal Wage System whose raises were delayed due to a Pentagon action earlier this year …More
GSA Finalizes Changes to Travel, Relocation Policies
The GSA has finalized changes to Federal Travel Regulation policies on reimbursement of federal employees for expenses occurred during official …More
Judge Blocks State Dept. RIF, Citing Ban in Funding Law
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the State Department from proceeding with an announced RIF, citing …More
OPM Tells Agencies to Actively Consider Reassigning ‘Entrenched’ SESers
OPM has encouraged agencies to “review their current executive corps and consider SES reassignments to ensure effective implementation of President …More
Committee Advances Bills on Probationary Periods, Other Issues
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has approved HR-5750, to put into law many of the provisions of an April executive …More
Open Season 2025 Soon Coming to a Close
Monday (December 8) is the last day of the current open season to enroll or change coverage for 2026 under …More
Concerns Remain about Ineligible Persons under FEHB; Verification System Limited
The inspector general’s office at OPM has expressed continuing concerns about ineligible persons getting coverage under federal employee health insurance …More
Court Grants Leeway in Asserting Agency Violated Settlement Agreement
A federal appeals court has taken a more permissive view than the MSPB did regarding assertions by federal employees that …More
Health Care FSA Account Carry-Over Reminder
Toward the end of the year, some employees become concerned about losing money in their health care flexible spending accounts …More
S Fund Slips, Other TSP Funds Gain in November
All TSP funds posted gains in November—led, unusually, by the bond F fund, up 0.64 percent—except for the small company …More
Pay Raise Deferred to Trump in Key Senate Bill; Differs from House Version on Workplace Issues
Republican leaders of the Senate Appropriations have released an initial version of a key annual spending bill that, like the …More
OPM Gathering Input on Impact of Cutting Telework, DEI Initiatives
OPM has told agencies that it will be gathering information from them on the impact of the Trump administration’s cutbacks …More
TSP Highlights Upcoming Roth Conversion Option, Change in ‘Catch-Up’ Investments
The TSP has said it will make available as of January 28 the option to convert traditional account balances to …More
Negative TSP Cash Flow Continues; Hardship Withdraws Elevated in October
The TSP’s cash flow continued a negative trend through 2025 as withdrawals and loans that take money out of investor …More
OPM Seeks to Assure Managers on Liability Risk in Taking Disciplinary Actions
While federal managers and supervisors “sometimes express concern that they may be held personally liable for taking certain performance management …More
Hiring Oversight Order Doesn’t Mandate Job Cuts, Kupor Says
An October executive order requiring agencies to produce new strategic workforce plans and creating new politically led agency bodies to …More
Medicare Announces Increases in Premiums, Deductibles for 2026
The 2026 Medicare Part B (physicians and related services) premium will be $202.90 per month for most enrollees, up from …More
Shutdown RIF Notices Canceled but Dispute Continues over Status of Some
UPDATED: Agencies that issued RIF notices during the shutdown say that they have rescinded the large majority of those notices …More
Missed TSP Investments to Be Made Up, but No Earnings Credited
Federal employees who missed making TSP investments due to being in unpaid status during the shutdown are to have those …More
NTEU Sues for Release of Positions Recommended for Schedule Policy/Career
The National Treasury Employees Union has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to compel the release of records identifying …More
Federal Employees to Receive Full Back Pay as Agencies Begin Post-Shutdown Payroll Processing
The roughly 1.4 million federal employees who went unpaid during the government shutdown that began October 1—whether they remained on …More
OPM Addresses Benefits Impact as Shutdown Ends; Open Season Not Being Extended ‘At This Time’
OPM guidance on the now-ended shutdown notes that insurance benefits continued for those who went unpaid, and that the value of premium …More
Guidance Addresses Leave, Other Considerations on Shutdown’s End
OPM’s guidance on federal employment policies on the end of the shutdown addresses a number of considerations regarding leave policies, …More
Get Going on Processing Retirement Applications, OPM Tells Agencies
OPM’s post-shutdown guidance to agencies states that “If any retirement application has been delayed because of the lapse in appropriations, it should …More
Key Numbers Out for 2026 TSP Investments; Follows Release of New Retirement Rates
The “elective deferral limit” cap on allowable investments in the TSP—along with other similar tax-favored retirement savings plans—will increase from …More
Bill Signed to Reopen Agencies, Provide Back Pay and Cancel Shutdown RIFs
UPDATED: A bill to reopen federal agencies, provide back pay to employees who have gone unpaid—either still working or furloughed—and …More
Backlog of Retirement Applications Builds as Surge from Deferred Resignations Hits OPM
The backlog of retirement applications pending at OPM increased by about half in October to some 34,600 as the surge …More
With No Viewpoint Survey This Year, Partnership Conducting a Similar One
With OPM having canceled this year’s version of the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, the Partnership for Public Service—which incorporates …More
Shutdown Back Pay Bill Comes Up Short in Senate, but Issue Remains in Focus for Future Lapses
The Senate for the second time has come up short of the 60 votes needed to pass a bill (S-3012) …More
