Agencies Updating Plans for Employee Furloughs in Shutdown
With just over a week to go before another budgetary deadline threatening a partial government shutdown, a number of agencies …More
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Continued Silence Keeps 1.9 Percent Raise on the Table
Congress is fast approaching the end of its working year having taken no position on a federal employee raise for …More
Reminder on Late-Year Leave Considerations
There still has been no indication from the White House regarding whether President Trump will grant federal employees additional paid …More
Defense Spending Bill Signed, $40K Buyout Authority Extended for DoD
President Trump has signed into law the annual DoD authorization bill, which among other things extends DoD’s authority to pay …More
OPM, MSPB Openings May Not Be Filled Anytime Soon
Vacancies remain in two key agencies for federal employees, OPM and MSPB, and with less than two weeks until Congress …More
Court Limits Whistleblower Protections
A disclosure that an agency is not meeting a “discretionary and aspirational” timeline for action is not protected as whistleblowing, …More
Delay of Shutdown Threat Approved
Congress has approved an extension of current agency spending authority until December 22, relieving the immediate threat of a partial …More
Bill to Extend Probationary Period Advances, May Stall
The House has passed a bill (HR-4182) to double to two years the standard probationary period for federal employees government-wide, …More
TSP to Change I Fund Index, Leave Others as Is
The TSP’s governing board has decided to replace the current index used in its international stock I fund in order …More
TSP on Withdrawal Changes: We’re Working on It
The TSP says it is working to carry out changes in withdrawal policies recently enacted into law, although there is …More
Employment Levels Held about Steady in 2017
OPM data show a slight decrease in federal employment in fiscal 2017, although down to a level that still is …More
Shutdown Countdown about to Start
Congress and the White House now have just days remaining to continue federal agency spending authority beyond the expiration December …More
How Decisions are Made on Who’s Furloughed in Shutdown
In a partial government shutdown, media reports–and employees themselves–commonly express the difference between those who remain on the job and …More
Senate Joins in Silence on Raise
The Senate appears poised to join the House in remaining silent regarding a January 2018 federal employee raise, likely once …More
Time Running Out on Potential Benefits Changes
With working time in the current legislative year dwindling, prospects continue to decrease for Congress taking action on federal employee …More
House to Consider Lengthening Probationary Period
The House is set to vote this week on a bill (HR-4182) to lengthen the standard competitive service probationary period …More
Longer Probation Would Not Affect Most Current Federal Employees
A House bill (HR-4182) up for a vote this week to double the standard probationary period government-wide primarily would apply …More
Policy on Monitoring Clearance Holders Not Gaining Traction, Says GAO
Agencies are continuing to struggle to carry out an initiative to expand “continuous evaluations” of federal employees and others who …More
TSP Withdrawal Changes Signed; Congress Approves DoD Bill
President Trump has signed into law (P.L. 115-84) a bill to would allow multiple age-based in-service withdrawals and multiple post-separation …More
Unusually Long Wait for Clarity on Pay Raise
It’s unusual for the January federal pay raise to be undetermined this late in the year but resolution could lie …More
New Medicare Rates Set
The Medicare program has announced rates for 2018, with a $134 standard monthly premium for Part B (physicians and related …More
Remember Carry-Over Policy in Health Care FSA Accounts
Toward the end of the year, many employees become concerned about losing money in their health care flexible spending accounts …More
MSPB Sees Appeals Backlog Building
The MSPB has warned that it will take time for it to get back on track as a result of …More
Holiday Reminder for Gifts Among Colleagues
In general, under federal ethics rules, a federal employee may not give, or solicit a contribution for, a gift to …More
DoD Bill Doesn’t Extend Higher Buyout Amount
House and Senate members have finished a conference on the fiscal 2018 DoD authorization bill (HR-2810), backing an extension of …More
Higher Military Raise Spurs Calls for Pay Parity
Congress is set to vote on the final version of the annual DoD authorization bill (HR-2810) providing for a 2.4 …More
DoD Bill Continues Focus on Whistleblower Protections
The annual DoD authorization bill (HR-2810) that is up for final voting in Congress would continue an emphasis on protections …More
Pay Raise, Shutdown Issues Still to Be Decided
With only two working weeks left after this week until the expiration of a temporary government funding measure, Congress has …More
OPM Underscores Limits on Dental, Vision Coverage in FEHB
Among the materials that OPM is making available in the open season is one underscoring that only limited dental and …More
FEHB and FEDVIP Involve Separate Decisions
There seems to be some continuing misunderstanding regarding the relationship between the FEHB and FEDVIP programs, an issue that often …More
