Pay & Benefits
Revisiting the WEP and GPO
How the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset cause substantial, and often, unfair reductions in Social Security benefits for CSRS retirees.
Management
Without budget anomaly, SSA hiring is restricted and overtime is at 'historic lows'
Congress’ refusal to provide additional funding for the Social Security Administration in September’s two-month continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown is kneecapping two tools that are key to combatting the agency’s customer service crisis.
Management
Fixing the broken federal hiring process is critical to improving government performance
COMMENTARY | It's time to fix what has become a convoluted and broken system.
Management
USPS is delivering ballots quickly and on time
The Postal Service says a few local issues have come up but they have rapidly been addressed.
Management
Democrats, stakeholders continue to warn Trump won't be ready to govern without transition participation
Presidential transitions are built for joint communication to prepare agencies and their potential new leaders, but Trump is so far sidestepping that process.
Workforce
Biden says Trump's civil service plans make him unfit for office
The president cited his predecessor’s support for reinstating Schedule F, a controversial plan to make tens of thousand of federal workers at-will employees, as he campaigned for Vice President Harris' White House bid.
Management
Trump says he’ll move thousands of federal workers out of Washington. Here’s what happened the first time he tried
The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters moved from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing an exodus of leadership. If elected, Trump plans to use the same tactic across more of the federal government.
Workforce
Government by Ted Lasso: Why mindset matters in the federal workplace
COMMENTARY | "While optimism might seem improbable in today’s climate, embracing it could transform our government at its core," writes one long-time federal employee.
Pay & Benefits
Why federal workers should consider an HSA
COMMENTARY | There is something exciting about having a health insurance plan that can reduce your taxes while also providing tax-free investment growth.
Pay & Benefits
A Senate bill targeting teleworkers’ locality pay now has its companion in the House
Legislation introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., would bar federal workers from receiving locality pay if they telework at least once per week, a move that could amount to a 30% pay cut for many feds.
Management
Biden administration doles out $4.2 billion for big-ticket infrastructure projects
A new Boston rail bridge, a California high-speed rail station, electric dock equipment in Miami and a safer highway interchange in Iowa are among the 44 projects selected for funding.
Workforce
Newly formed union accuses NIH of slow-walking bargaining negotiations
NIH Fellows United and agency management are still trying to reach a tentative agreement on pay, discipline and anti-harassment protections before potentially voting on a contract.
Workforce
GOP senators blast efforts to protect transgender federal employees
Guidance ensuring feds can use the names and facilities they want creates a hostile environment for religious staff, lawmakers say.
Tech
VA’s head of AI sees his role as a ‘bridge’ to future use
Meet the Department of Veterans Affairs CAIO Charles Worthington. He envisions a future where AI components are built into standard technology and software.
Pay & Benefits
More than 200K postal employees are in line for a 5% raise spread over three years
The agreement took 20 months of negotiations but some workers think the raises are insufficient.
Pay & Benefits
Biden administration forgives $4.5B in student debt for public service workers
The president said that more than 1 million public servants to date have had their federal student debt canceled.
Workforce
The federal government is striving to be a model for employing people with disabilities, but retention is a problem
EEOC found that in fiscal 2018 people with disabilities were 27% more likely to leave federal employment than people without disabilities.
Tech
VA is updating its AI suicide risk model to reach more women
The department is looking to add military sexual trauma and intimate partner violence as risk factors for suicide in its predictive model for identifying veterans at high risk of self-harm.
Management
The federal government must make improved customer service a priority
COMMENTARY | A good government requires good customer experience—and that requires serious reform, writes one observer.
Tech