Pay & Benefits

Biden COVID-Relief Plan Offers More Leave for Frontline Feds

Although the plan calls for private sector employers to provide hazard pay to essential workers, it is unclear whether the president-elect would call on federal agencies to do the same.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Issues Guidance on Law Allowing Feds to Temporarily Carry Over More Annual Leave

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act allows all federal employees to carry over an additional 25% of unused leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Management

Trump Vetoes Defense Policy Bill Over Base Names, Unrelated Internet Law

The House has already scheduled a vote after Christmas to override the president’s long-threatened rejection of the annual Defense authorization act, which also includes an expansion of federal employee leave benefits.

Pay & Benefits

Feds Are Likely to Get a Half-Day Off on Christmas Eve This Year

President Obama gave civil servants an extra half-day off on Dec. 24 the last two times Christmas fell on a Friday. 

Pay & Benefits

House Overwhelmingly Passes Defense Bill With Leave Benefits, Setting Up Confrontation with Trump

Although the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act has bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, the president has threatened to veto the must-pass bill over unrelated matters.

Management

Compromise Defense Policy Bill Includes Paid Parental Leave Fix, Allows Feds to Carry Over More Annual Leave

The latest version of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act does not include House-passed measures blocking the Defense secretary from exempting Pentagon employees from collective bargaining.

Pay & Benefits

Why You Should Reconsider Your Current FEHBP Health Plan

Most people just stick with the plan they’ve had for years but that could be a costly mistake, especially during a pandemic.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Seek to Increase Retiree COLA for Next Year to 3%

Legislation would set the annual increase in Social Security and federal retiree annuities at 3%, rather than the 1.3% increase currently slated for 2021, and would permanently increase adjustments in future years.

Pay & Benefits

Feds Will Pay 4.9% More Toward Health Care Premiums Next Year

The Office of Personnel Management said Wednesday that it has revamped its online plan comparison tool and encouraged greater transparency from insurance carriers to tamp down on surprise billing.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Seeks to Limit Back Pay Awards for Employees, Unions

Officials at the Office of Personnel Management want to upend a nearly 40-year-old set of regulations, restricting which actions are subject to grievances under the Back Pay Act, and banning unions from being awarded attorney's fees when their members win their cases.

Management

Opioid Use Among Injured Federal Workers Fell Sharply Since 2017

The director of the Labor Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs says that efforts to mitigate dependence on addictive pain medication are paying off.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Protect All Feds’ Leave Following COVID

Although OPM’s current policy only waives the 30-day annual leave cap for essential employees who are unable to use their leave due to their duties responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats in Congress want to extend the waiver to all federal workers.

Pay & Benefits

Biden Vows to Raise Federal Employees' Pay and Protect Benefits

In a questionnaire published by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the former vice president said he would abandon efforts by the Trump administration to force federal workers to contribute more to their defined benefit retirement accounts.

Pay & Benefits

GovExec Daily: The Future of Pay and Benefits Under Trump or Biden

Erich Wagner joins the podcast to discuss how the two major-party candidates would approach the federal workforce if elected.

Pay & Benefits

How to Know if You’re Contributing Enough to the TSP

For some people, $100,000 may be enough; for others, $2 million may not be enough.