Oversight
OPM Has Improved on Several Key Management Issues, Watchdog Finds
GAO lauded OPM’s efforts to reform performance management processes and provide better data to agencies, although 14 recommendations remain unresolved.
Management
Biden Ousts Trump Holdovers from Social Security Administration
Removal of the agency’s leadership follows a Supreme Court decision finding that laws barring a president from firing political appointees without cause are unconstitutional.
Pay & Benefits
More than 900 Social Security Employees Received Partial Paychecks, And Some Got Too Much
A union representing employees impacted by a payroll processing error has filed a grievance on their behalf demanding backpay and interest for any money that wasn’t paid to workers on time.
Pay & Benefits
SSA Promises ‘Partial Payments’ After Employees Report Zero-Dollar Pay Stubs
Officials at the Social Security Administration said roughly 900 employees were impacted by an unidentified mistake in payroll processing.
Pay & Benefits
OPM, HHS Move to End Surprise Medical Billing, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
White House Moves to Bolster Wildland Firefighter Pay
President Biden previously expressed outrage that some federal firefighters make less than $15 per hour.
Pay & Benefits
Former Temporary Workers Could Make Catch-Up Pension Contributions Under New Bill
Currently, Federal Employees Retirement System employees who began their careers as temporary workers must work longer than anticipated to receive full retirement benefits.
Pay & Benefits
Most Funds in TSP Post Continued Growth in June
Only one portfolio in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished last month in the red.
Pay & Benefits
Some Dems Continue to Push for Bigger Pay Raise for Feds, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
TSP Can Do More to Assess Financial Risk of Climate Change, Watchdog Finds
GAO urged the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program to conduct a more thorough review of participants’ exposure to climate change-related risks next year.
Workforce
Biden Signs Sweeping Order to Improve Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Across Federal Workforce
All agencies will be required to submit a plan to improve their diversity initiatives, while OPM will be tasked with ensuring its various benefits programs are responsive to LGBTQ+ employees’ needs.
Management
Appeals Court Overrules FLRA on Telework Negotiability
A federal circuit court judge said a Federal Labor Relations Authority ruling improperly ignored provisions preserving management rights to deny telework requests.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Spar Over Paid Family Leave for Feds
Democrats argue that the pandemic revealed the need for more expansive leave policies: Republicans dismissed the plan as an unnecessary “perk” for bureaucrats.
Pay & Benefits
House Set to Back 2.7% Pay Raise for Feds in 2022
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
Senate Confirms Ahuja as OPM Director in Close Vote
With Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie, lawmakers installed the first permanent director for the federal government’s HR agency in more than a year.
Management
Union: SBA Is Preventing Temporary Workers from Organizing
Although the Small Business Administration advertised temporary two-year positions processing Paycheck Protection Program loans as belonging to a bargaining unit, the agency stripped the jobs of that status after AFGE inquired about job conditions.
Pay & Benefits
Most Federal Employees Will Receive Friday Off for Juneteenth
President Biden signed a bill Thursday afternoon making the anniversary of the end of slavery a federal holiday, and OPM confirmed that federal workers will have Friday off.
Pay & Benefits
Juneteenth Will Be a New Holiday for Feds, Although It’s Unclear When
The holiday would typically be observed Friday, but a lack of lead time to implement a newly passed bill could delay when federal workers see a new day off.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Announces a Special FSA Enrollment, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management