OPM News 
Top News
- IRS to pay $70M in bonuses, Grassley says
- Small companies won't feel effect of lowered contractor pay cap
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- BRAC-like commission proposed to hunt down government cost savings
- Sequestration claims another conference: DHS's GFirst cyber event
- Postal Service closing Capitol Hill post offices in 'symbolic' move
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- Fed pens new furlough song
- Web guru Dorris brings new life to government websites
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
White House orders increase in diversity hiring
President Barack Obama issued an executive order giving leaders 90 days to come up with a governmentwide plan to increase diversity in hiring and retention. Agencies will have four more months to craft their own strategies for making progress.
Wednesday morning federal headlines - August 17
On today's Federal Drive: VA's new social media policy, the Army restarts its cloud email migration and more buyouts at federal agencies.
OPM takes on gender gap in federal pay
The gap in pay between genders is smaller in the federal government than in the private sector, but the Office of Personnel Management and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have reaffirmed their vow to reduce the remaining discrepancy in pay between men and women.
OPM lays out plan for training Latina leaders
A new division in the Office of Personnel Management is leading a governmentwide initiative to recruit and train Latinos, who make up 8 percent of the federal civilian workforce overall. The plan includes working with nonprofit organizations to increase outreach, encouraging Latinos to apply for internships and new ideas for holding agencies accountable.
OPM approves GAO buyouts
GAO will offer lump sum payments worth up to $25,000, as part of its workforce reduction plan. The agency is acting in anticipation of a smaller fiscal 2012 budget.
OPM: How to ease benefits process of deceased feds' children?
The notice encourages comments that uses electronic responses or other methods that "minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond."
Telework and locality pay - what are you entitled to?
Locality pay in the federal government is based on an employee's "official duty station." But how does a teleworker determine what that is?
GAO investigates rising insurance premiums
Higher bills for long term care insurance are coming at just the wrong time. Advice to manage it all from Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director at National Institute of Transition Planning.
Federal Executive Boards unite Washington and the field
The 28 Federal Executive Boards across the country play an integral role in bringing agencies together and ensuring communication to and from Washington. The organizations coordinate agencies' efforts and provide input during policy development. FEBs play a key role during emergencies by acting as the conduit of information.
OPM proposes more flexibility for CHCOs
The Office of Personnel Management is considering relaxing the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework (HCAAF). The change would give agencies more flexibility to hire and manage their workforce.
Making the transition to Washington
Diane Cochran has worked in the Departments of the Navy, Air Force, Energy, and the Office of Personnel Management, at a variety of locations in the continental United States and abroad. She shares what it's like to make the transition to working and living in D.C.
OPM outlines students' fast track to government jobs
The Office of Personnel Management's proposed regulations would make it easier for agencies to recruit and train students and recent graduates without going through the competitive hiring process.
SESers to have new metrics by September
A new memo from OPM details the efforts to standardize and improve the Senior Executive Service's performance management system. A task force of 10 agencies will develop the new process using public and private-sector best practices. Once finished, OPM expects agencies to implement the system over the next two years.
OPM allows gay couples to receive childcare benefits
The children of federal workers' same-sex partners may qualify for their agency's childcare benefits under a rule proposed Thursday by the Office of Personnel Management. The rule is part of an effort to make family benefits available to all eligible workers wherever possible.
Exclusive: Agencies detail buyout, hiring freeze plans
In a governmentwide survey, agencies reported that they were not seeking buyouts through OPM or hiring freezes
More guidance needed for emergency telework plans
While the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 required agencies to include telework policies in their continuity of operation plans, GAO found agencies lack a definition of what "inclusion" means.
OPM issues memo for dealing with heat wave
The Office of Personnel Management has issued guidance for executive agencies and departments on dealing with the extreme heat over the next few days.
OPM launching benefits, SES surveys
The Office of Personnel Management is launching two surveys this summer, querying the federal workforce about employee benefits and members of the Senior Executive Service about hiring and retention.
Acquisition workforce showing signs of change
OFPP administrator Dan Gordon said the morale of contracting officers and other acquisition workers is improving. OPM issued a new IT program and project management competency guidance.
CBP officers begin to earn greater retirement benefits
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has implemented a 2008 law that puts Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on par with law enforcement officers when it comes to earning greater retirement benefits and qualifying for early retirement. It also requires CBP officers to retire by age 57.
