Pay and Benefits News 
Top News
- Congress pressures agencies to consolidate office space
- Katherine Archuleta chosen as next OPM director
- Data breach puts DHS workers at risk of identity theft
- DoD chooses interoperability over integration for new e-health system
- House GOP panel moves on deep budget cuts
- OMB fuels synergy between mobile, open data
- IRS official Lerner: 'I did nothing wrong'
- Accountability breakdown leading factor in DoD sexual assaults
- OMB reworking financial system requirements
- Federal retirement funds temporarily tapped
- VanRoekel to lead OMB management team
- Meet the 2013 Service to America Medal finalists
- Thursday federal headlines - May 23, 2013
When a "COLA" is not a "COLA"
Federal benefits specialist Bob Braunstein and host Bob Leins discuss in detail the pay adjustment system for feds and retirees.
August 27, 2012
Lawmaker says fed pay, benefits used as 'piggybank' in deficit reduction
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), whose district in the Washington, D.C., suburbs is home to many federal employees, said he understands the frustration voiced by federal unions about a de facto extension of the federal pay freeze. Sarbanes said too often lawmakers used federal pay and benefits as a "piggybank" in deficit- reduction efforts.
Fed pay raise on hold until after continuing resolution expires
President Barack Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday that he was implementing a 0.5 percent pay increase for federal employees that would go into effect next April. Congress is expected to pass a Continuing Resolution when it returns to Washington in September to avoid an Oct. 1 government shutdown. Obama extended the pay freeze through the duration of that CR.
Vets, who needs them?
Uncle Sam employs a larger percentage of veterans than any big company in the nation...we know it's policy and it's the right thing to do. But is it a good idea? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey reports that a been-there-done-that type says "Roger that..."
The "best of" your questions, part 3
Bob Leins and Tammy Flanagan discuss the "best of" subjects brought up during recent seminars.
August 20, 2012
Cliff-Walking 101
Federal workers are going to be doing the limbo on a hot seat for much of the rest of the year, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. Will sequestration kick in with its major across-the-board cuts, will the continuing resolution save the day and what if nothing happens, which seems to be what happens a lot these days?
President signs law delaying STOCK Act expansion
President Barack Obama has signed a law delaying an expansion of the STOCK Act that would have published the financial records of thousands of top managers throughout the executive and legislative branches in an online, searchable database.
Bare Flesh: TMI At Work
What has the recession, the pay freeze and this summer's heat done to the dress code in your office? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know: Are you seeing more of your co-workers and enjoying it less?
Sequestration, the Ryan budget, and more
Host Mike Causey moderates a roundtable discussion
of sequestration, postal service buyouts, and
more.
August 15, 2012
Dr. Strangelove: Or How We Learned To Love Sequestration
Coming soon...maybe...to a federal agency near you: Sequestration. Everybody is talking about it and nobody is doing anything about it. Congress set up the Dr. Strangelove-like time bomb to force it to do something...but so far nobody is doing anything but warning about federal furloughs and layoffs that could also devastate the contractor community.....
OPM breaks down the basics of phased retirement
The Office of Personnel Management released a factsheet to federal agencies in July explaining what phased retirement is and how it will work.
Romney's VP pick targeted fed pay, benefits
Mitt Romney's vice-presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), was the main architect of a budget plan that would slash federal benefits and would extend the pay freeze.
When In Doubt, Mumble!
If you've been in government for a while, you are accustomed to operating without a budget...but every time Congress fails to do its job, federal agencies, federal workers and federal taxpayers suffer...
FAA cuts could trigger $20 billion blow to national economy
The Federal Aviation Administration is slated to lose $1 billion from its budget if Congress does not act to prevent sequestration, according to a study released by the Aerospace Industries Association. But the cuts would ripple throughout the nation's economy. About 100,000 jobs throughout the economy would be lost.
Sequestration could hurt U.S. intel, analyst says
Intelligence community observer Ellen McCarthy says massive across-the-board spending cuts would result in significant layoffs in both the federal government and the private sector.
Your Two-Month Timeline...
Unless you get a better offer or drop dead before your time odds are you are going to eventually retire from the government...maybe in the same job you have now. But Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks, how soon should your realistic retirement planning begin.
'Crisis of confidence' as USPS posts $5.2 billion quarterly loss
The Postal Service lost $5.2 billion in the third quarter of this year, bringing its year-to-date tally of red ink to $11.6 billion for the first nine months of 2012. The USPS chief financial officer said the organization's liquid assets are running perilously low. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe faults an "inflexible" business model and urged action by Congress.
No Cal Buyouts
While some federal agencies are offering buyouts ranging from $15,000 to $25,000, the giant Social Security Administration is trying a new approach: No Cal buyouts. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says if they catch on, your agency may be next.
When In Doubt, Slash and Burn
You've got two operations: one that brings in most of the money, the other that dispenses a lot of it to people in need. Times are tough, so tough you are borrowing billions of dollars from China. So what do you do? You trim the staff at both operations, thus limiting your badly needed revenue while also reducing services.
Buyouts: Show Me The Money!
Are you a lifer, or are you waiting for Uncle Sam to show-you-the-money? Buyout offers abound in government but many employees say the tough economy is a good reason to stay on the job. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks have you hit the tipping point yet?
