More Flexibility Coming to Flexible Spending Accounts, OPM Says
OPM has said it will soon issue guidance on changes to the FSAFEDS flexible spending account program under several recent …More
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Hearing Set for OPM Director Nominee
A Senate committee hearing is set for Thursday (April 22) on Kiran Ahuja’s nomination to become OPM director, potentially setting …More
DoD Expands Eligibility to Shop at Military Exchanges
The Defense Department has extended in-store and online shopping privileges in its military exchange stores to all DoD and Coast …More
Preliminary Budget Seeks Spending Boosts for Agencies
A preliminary budget plan from the White House calls for increased spending for federal agencies virtually across the board, with …More
Pandemic Causes Personnel Increase, Shift in Federal Work
The pandemic has resulted in a slight increase in federal jobs and some change in the mix of occupations, with …More
Employee Survey Shows Increases in Satisfaction, Teleworking
Federal employees expressed greater satisfaction with a variety of aspects of their work in the 2020 government-wide survey, which also …More
Within-Grade Raises Rarely Denied, Says MSPB
Within-grade increases for federal employees “are nearly automatic” despite data showing “fairly widespread” concerns of both supervisors and co-workers about …More
Fed Supervisors, Agency Management Cite Reasons for Employee Under-Performance
Federal supervisors and top agency management have similar views on the two most common reasons that federal employees to under-perform, …More
USPS Mishandled Employees’ Personal Information, Audit Finds
An inspector general report says that USPS “mishandled” the personally identifiable information of some 89,000 employees who have veterans status, …More
DoD Employees: Maximum Telework Makes Us More Productive
Large majorities of DoD employees say they have been at least as productive if not more so under maximum telework …More
Congress Returns to Eye Paid Leave Expansion, Other Issues
Congress returns next week from a three-week break with the Biden administration’s proposal for spending on infrastructure among its top …More
Rules Finalized on Continuing Benefits During Shutdowns
OPM has finalized rules to carry out several benefits-related provisions enacted into law in reaction to the partial government shutdown …More
House Leaders Call for MSPB Nominees, Cite Important Pending Cases
The bipartisan leaders of the House government operations subcommittee have called on President Biden to make nominations to the three …More
Bill to Soften ‘Windfall’ Reduction Reintroduced
Legislation has been reintroduced in Congress (HR-2337) to soften the impact of the “windfall elimination provision” that reduces Social Security …More
TSP Opposes Creating Fossil Fuel-Free Fund
The TSP has issued a statement opposing bills (HR-1618 and S-606) that would require it to create a “Climate Choice” …More
Q1 Adds 10K New TSP Millionaires; Mixed Returns for March
The TSP posted mixed returns in March, with the large company stock C fund up 4.38 percent and the international …More
More Proposals Coming from Biden, but May Not Address Pay, Benefits Issues
The White House is expected to release a number of new spending and policy proposals in the time just ahead, …More
Survey Produces Familiar Results at Largest Departments
Results from the government’s three largest departments of the 2020 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey show familiar areas of concern, especially …More
Nearly a Fifth of DHS Employees Express Pandemic Safety Concerns
About a fifth of DHS employees expressed negative views regarding safety precautions and other aspects of the department’s response to …More
Some FECA Claims May Get Reconsideration
The Labor Department has said that some claims for Federal Employees Compensation Act benefits related to COVID-19 that were denied …More
Acting Official Named for Key FLRA Role; Many Other Vacancies Remain
The Biden administration has named an acting general counsel for the FLRA, a key position for federal labor-management relations because …More
More Clarity Sought on Disclosures of Marijuana Use After Reported Disqualifications
Some 30 House members including many of those the most active on civil service issues have asked President Biden to …More
VA Reverts to Policies Predating Trump Orders
The VA has reverted to labor-management policies in effect before a series of restrictive executive orders by President Trump in …More
Signs Emerge of Future State of Federal Workplace
With the pace of Coronavirus inoculations accelerating both inside and outside the federal workforce, signs are emerging of the federal …More
USPS Takes Lead on New Leave Fund; Still No Word from OPM
The USPS has put in place what it is calling “interim” procedures for providing additional paid leave to its employees …More
Two Court Rulings Boost Employee Disciplinary Protections
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has issued two recent decisions in separate cases broadening employee protections in …More
Postal Plan Addresses Insurance, Other Employment Issues
The Postal Service’s newly announced reorganization plan seeks relief from several employment-benefits related funding obligations and further seeks to shift …More
Bills Offered on Employee, Union Rights
Among newly introduced bills in Congress are: * HR-2042 and S-845, to strengthen protections for federal employees against retaliation for …More
Rate of Decline in CFC Contributions Slows
After years of sometimes sharp declines in the Combined Federal Campaign, contributions rates leveled off in 2020, OPM has reported. …More
IRS Issues Reminder on Retirement Savings Withdrawal Policies
The IRS has issued a reminder of changes to law enacted in late 2019 and early 2020 affecting required minimum …More
