House committee backs health benefits, pay compression bills

The House Government Reform Committee Thursday unanimously approved measures calling for a study of expanding federal health benefits and implementing a system to ease pay compression for administrative law judges and certain senior-level employees.

The first measure, (H.R. 3751) requires OPM to submit a study to Congress that describes and evaluates currently available supplemental and additional dental, hearing and vision benefits and the costs of such benefits. Under the bill, OPM must then make recommendations for improvements in federal health benefits.

Hearing benefits and the screening for glaucoma to be included under the vision benefits were added to the bill under an amendment by Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., which passed without any objections. The amendment also established a new deadline of no later than six months after the bill is enacted for the study to be presented to Congress, instead of the original June 30, 2004 date.

Improved benefits are "an issue of great importance to federal employees," Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., said earlier this month when her Civil Service subcommittee marked up the bill. Industry representatives have said that federal dental and vision benefits fall below those offered in the private sector, Davis added.

Under the second measure (H.R. 3737), administrative law judges, members of contract appeals boards and certain senior level employees outside the Senior Executive Service could receive more pay.

The bill addresses situations where higher-paid workers stop getting raises because of a pay cap, resulting in compression of the overall pay scale.

Under the bill, administrative judges, appeals board members and senior level personnel could receive Executive Schedule Level III base pay of $158,100, plus locality pay. The pay cap was raised from the Level IV base pay of $145,600.

Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., introduced an amendment, which passed on a voice vote, that restored amendments passed by the Civil Service subcommittee last month. It adds contract appeals board members and certain senior level employees to those covered by the measure. And it requires OPM to examine the basic pay of Executive Schedule positions and submit a report to the House Government Reform Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.