Defense

New Defense personnel system frees managers

But the ability to link pay raises more closely to job performance and to move employees between jobs comes with a cost.

Features

Freedom To Manage

Under the new Defense personnel system, the cost of liberty is high.

Pay & Benefits

Senate approves stronger whistleblower protections

President Bush has said he would veto the measure, but it has very strong support in both houses of Congress.

Pay & Benefits

Groups question TSP interfund transfer restrictions

Employee council probes alternatives to limiting participants’ number of trades per month.

Pay & Benefits

Catch-all funding bill includes pay parity, personnel provisions

Move follows authorization of equal increase for military service members.

Pay & Benefits

TSP officials hear from participants on interfund restrictions

Some react negatively to a proposal to set a monthly limit on transfers, but officials are intent on moving forward.

Pay & Benefits

Performance Pay at VHA

The Veterans Health Administration is in the midst of a long-running effort to link employee pay raises to job performance.

Defense

Lawmakers urge Pentagon to weigh alternatives to furloughs

Military budgeting options could delay the need for layoffs until at least late March, a new report states.

Oversight

Intelligence agencies to launch common performance appraisal system

Employees across 16 agencies will be rated on a standard set of criteria starting with the fiscal 2009 appraisal cycle.

Defense

Conferees move to scale back Pentagon personnel changes

Final legislation would restore collective bargaining and appeal rights under the National Security Personnel System.

Pay & Benefits

Bush gives feds extra Christmas holiday

President order agencies to close Dec. 24, giving most employees a four-day weekend.

Defense

Defense recognizes contributions of disabled employees

Sixteen civilian employees are honored for outstanding contributions to the department.

Pay & Benefits

TSP equity funds post losses for November

Every stock-based funds in the 401(k)-style retirement savings plan lost money last month.

Features

Technology Rush

Just because it blows you away on screen doesn’t mean it will help attract, hire and train the employees your agency needs.

Features

Running the Light

The Bush administration has used its traffic-light system to rate agency management since 2001. Now we evaluate the president’s progress.

Pay & Benefits

Davis urges IRS to clarify tax benefit for retired safety officers

Lawmaker says agency needs to define exactly who qualifies for benefits under a 2006 law.

Pay & Benefits

Limited Trading

Thrift Savings Plan participants react to new restrictions on the number of interfund transfers allotted each month.

News

Mileage reimbursement could hit all-time high in 2008

IRS raises rate to 50.5 cents per mile; GSA likely to follow.

Pay & Benefits

President issues plan to limit pay raise to 3 percent next year

Alternative salary increase plan issued to prevent larger increases from automatically taking effect.

Pay & Benefits

OPM authorizes retention bonuses for agencies facing restructuring

Agencies with offices subject to closure or relocation can offer payments to employees likely to move to other federal jobs.