Start Preparing for Open Season, OPM Tells Agencies
OPM has sent to agencies its first round of instructions and materials to be provided to employees in preparation for …More
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Reminder: TSP Withdrawal Blackout Period Coming Up
TSP account holders who are now close to making a withdrawal election will either want to act quickly before an …More
VA Further Restricts Smoking; Union Fumes
The VA has expanded a recently announced no-smoking policies in its facilities to apply to its employees, to be effective …More
Bill Addresses Tax on Relocation Cost Reimbursements: $2,000 Average
A provision in the Senate-passed version of the annual defense spending bill to address a lingering tax issue regarding relocation …More
Controls over Awards at PTO Lacking, Audit Says
The PTO has not followed its own standards in making performance-based cash awards to its patent examiners and has not …More
Unions, Agencies Look to Others to Decide Disputes
Federal employee unions and the Trump administration are increasingly looking to outside bodies to decide disputes between them, with several …More
Student Loan Repayment Program Grows but Budget Problems Continue
Federal agencies made more use of the student loan reimbursement authority in 2017 and reported positive effects on recruitment and …More
Push to Change Security Clearance Policies Underway
A bill ready for a Senate vote when Congress returns from its summer recess would make substantial changes to many …More
New Guidance on Financial Disclosures Issued
The Office of Government Ethics has revised its guidance on several exceptions to the general requirements for federal employees who …More
New Data Shows Aging Federal Workforce, Especially in IT
New data from the Partnership for Public Service underscore concerns raised previously by that group and others about the aging …More
Interior Releases Specifics of Reorganization Plan
The Interior Department has released the specifics of its plan to consolidate 49 regional offices of eight sub-agencies into 12 …More
Plan Now for Upcoming Withdrawal Changes, TSP Says
New and loosened policies on withdrawing funds from TSP accounts are now only a month away—they take effect September 15—after …More
TSP Policy Changes to Mainly Affect Post-Separation Withdrawals
Changes to TSP policies effective September 15 will primarily affect withdrawals after separation from the government for retirement or other …More
FEHB to Offer New National Plan Design in 2020
The FEHB will offer a new nationwide plan design in 2020, filling the long-vacant slot reserved in the program for …More
Navy Reminds Employees of Policies on Using Personal Accounts
The Navy’s CIO has reminded the agency’s civilian (and military) personnel that they are not to use non-official email, social …More
Production Goals Pressure VA Claims Processors, Audit Finds
Some VA employees involved in processing claims from veterans for emergency care received outside the department’s own system say they …More
SSA Imposes Partial Hiring Freeze
The SSA has imposed a partial hiring freeze, primarily affecting headquarters and regional office positions, saying it wants to “marshal …More
USDA, AFGE Reach Agreement to Soften Impact of Relocations
An agreement has been reached to soften the impact of the relocation of two Agriculture Department subagencies, a reorganization that …More
Raise on the Table but Move for Freeze May Come First
President Trump has signed a budget measure (P.L. 116-37) that could ease the way for payment of a federal raise …More
Unions Seek to Maintain Ban on Executive Orders
Federal unions pursuing a suit against the administration’s three 2018 executive orders to restrict bargaining and employee appeal rights have …More
Protect Employees from Range of Threats, Agencies Told
Most violence in the federal workplace is not of a physical nature and agencies need to prepare and respond to …More
Agencies Cautioned against Profiling Employees
New guidance from DHS to agencies on protecting federal employees in the workplace cautions that “it is difficult to predict …More
OPM Cites Problems with Phased Retirement
OPM has said that it is seeing problems with how agencies are carrying out the phased retirement program, including mistakes …More
Employees Getting Bad Information about Phased Retirement, Says OPM
In guidance to agencies on experience so far with the phased retirement program–authorized since 2014 but little-used in practice—OPM said …More
No Action on Nominees as Senate Takes Recess
The Senate has now joined the House in a recess that will last until September 9 without taking action on …More
All TSP Funds but One Post July Gains
All TSP funds posted gains in July except for the international stock I fund, which dropped 2.09 percent while the …More
On Raise, Other Issues It’s See You in September
As one of its last actions before recessing until after Labor Day, the Senate this week is considering a House-passed …More
Decisions on Paid Family Leave, Other Issues Put Off
With the House now in recess and the Senate soon to follow, it will be September at least until decisions …More
Key Positions Still Unfilled
As the Senate prepares to join the House in a recess until after Labor Day, there remains a chance of …More
Effort Made to End Hangup over Leave Policy Changes
A Senate committee has started an effort to address an issue that has held up implementation of several leave policy …More
