Management
VA lacks the emergency budget modeling to prepare for health crises like COVID, GAO says
The watchdog said that the Veterans Health Administration does not have the modeling capability to predict how much supplemental funding would be needed to address a black swan event like the pandemic.
Management
OPM’s talent acquisition system needs better processes for managing agencies’ data
A GAO report found that OPM’s USA Staffing program lacked procedures for managing the interagency agreement data used when agencies utilized its talent acquisition system.
Pay & Benefits
Some Coast Guard personnel can’t find housing in vacation-rich areas, GAO says
The watchdog said that despite some government housing and a private sector housing allowance, some Coast Guard personnel can’t find affordable lodging stationed in either remote areas or ones where rentals are positioned for vacation economies.
Pay & Benefits
Secret Service overtime pay locked in through 2028
The House passed legislation Monday to extend overtime pay authority for agents providing protective services through the next presidential election cycle after it was slated to lapse last month.
Pay & Benefits
OPM: Federal salaries won't be tied to private sector pay histories
Agencies can’t use non-federal salaries to help set pay for new or returning federal employees, under a new rule from the Office of Personnel Management.
Oversight
House Democrats pen fiery letter to embattled DHS inspector general demanding documents
The ranking members of the House Committees on Oversight and Accountability and Homeland Security demanded documents from the DHS IG related to a court settlement with a former deputy inspector general after repeated requests remained unfulfilled.
Management
Want to modernize the federal workforce? Here's how
A new nonprofit study examines how the federal government could update the civil service to both capture new talent and capitalize on its available talent.
Pay & Benefits
Is the 5.2% pay raise enough for feds? Union says no
While the president authorized the largest pay raise for federal employees in more than 40 years last month, the National Federation of Federal Employees said inflation and the outpacing private sector pay means workers need more.
Management
Senate bill would offer veterans with lost medical records a way to access disability benefits
Legislation from the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman would provide veterans with other documentation methods for receiving benefits when their medical records are misplaced between the VA and Defense Department.
Management
OPM and the Pentagon are among agencies adopting solar under a $104M clean energy plan
The Biden administration detailed new grant awards from an Energy Department program tasked with helping implement energy conservation technology at federal agencies.
Management
Senate committee wants details on VA’s harassment investigation
On the heels of a House panel voting to subpoena the Veterans Affairs Department as part of its own investigation, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee wants more information about how officials are examining sexual harassment allegations.
Management
Intelligence agencies need to make SCIFs more accessible for employees with disabilities, GAO says
The watchdog examined the facilities agencies use for processing classified information, finding that some barriers that prohibit access remain.
Pay & Benefits
A new rule allows the VA to adjust disability compensation to prevent overpayments
The rule, set to go into effect on Jan. 11, would allow the department to suspend or pause disability compensation for Defense Department servicemembers also receiving active service pay.
Management
How successful are President’s Management Agendas?
The White House touted the recent gains it made in workforce and customer experience goals in the latest update to the governmentwide management plan, but the tangible effects of PMAs often tend to be more gradual.
Workforce
5 places where the White House prioritized 2023 hiring
To meet the increasing demand for government services and operational needs, the Biden administration targeted hiring surges at several agencies in 2023.
Oversight
Senate committee wants VA to ensure providers work to prevent opioid abuse
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and other Senate Veterans Affairs Committee members sent a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough calling for action after audits found oversight lapses in opioid prescriptions from non-agency providers.
Oversight
House committee wants FBI headquarters documents outlining Greenbelt decision
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure chairman called for more information from the FBI, General Services Administration and the former official charged with selecting the site of the Bureau’s proposed headquarters about how the decision came to pass.
Management
GSA, FBI still at odds over headquarters selection, while House subcommittee smells ‘a rat’
Officials from the two agencies continued airing their dissenting positions over the Greenbelt site selection of the new FBI headquarters Tuesday, while subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., found the site’s connection to WMATA incredulous.
Pay & Benefits
5 highlights of the 2024 Open Season
Open Season for the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program may be over, but it was still filled with new additions and best practices for federal employees and beneficiaries to keep an eye on. Here are some of the highlights.
Management
New bill seeks to codify Trump-era regulation cut rule
Rep. Mike Gallagher’s (R-Wisc.) legislation aims to make permanent the Trump executive order that sought to repeal two regulations for each one introduced.
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