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
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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
Expanded TSP Withdrawal Options Clear Congress
The Senate has joined the House in passing a bill (HR-3031) to widen the withdrawal options in the TSP, sending …More
Average FEHB Premiums Up but Many Choices Available in Open Season
The annual federal benefits open season starts Monday (November 13) and runs through December 11, the annual opportunity for federal …More
Some Plans Dropping Out of FEHB, but Others Joining
As happens nearly every year, there will be some FEHB plan dropouts and restrictions on coverage areas for 2018–changes that …More
Impact of Potential New FEHB Plan Designs Unclear, Says GAO
GAO has found no “clear consensus” about the potential effects of widening the range of choice in the FEHB program, …More
OPM Drops Planned Change in Premium Payments Due to Unpaid Status
OPM has dropped rules it proposed last year that would have required employees who enter unpaid status in certain situations …More
TSP Loosens Hardship Withdrawal Policies Due to Wildfires
The TSP has temporarily loosed policies regarding financial hardship withdrawals for federal employees who have incurred financial losses due to …More
Filling of Key Posts Progresses, Slowly
As the end of the administration’s first year approaches, only some steps have been taken toward filling positions of primary …More
One Budgetary Threat Eased, Another Still Out There
By joining the Senate in passing a stripped-down version of a budget outline for the current fiscal year, the House …More
Uncertainty Remains on Buyout Offers, Shutdown Threat
With a temporary extension of agency funding authority set to expire December 8, there is much uncertainty over agency budgets …More
Buyout Amount, TSP Withdrawals, Defense Workforce Issues Before Congress
While Congress likely will spend much of its attention on tax policy in the time immediately ahead, it could also …More
