Pay and Benefits News 
Top News
- Furlough Friday: Multiple agencies take advantage of holiday weekend
- Congress pressures agencies to speed up office consolidations
- 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 record 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
Fast-tracking phased retirement
It's been nearly a year since Congress set up the program to allow employees to take phased retirement, working three or four days a week to help mentor their successors and get used to retirement. And although it's been fast-tracked, it still hasn't happened, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So, what's up?
Feds helping feds
Steve Bauer, executive director of the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, and Federal Times Senior Writer Stephen Losey will discuss furloughs and other issues affecting federal workers.
May 22, 2013
Retiree raise? COLA not a guarantee
Federal, military and Social Security retirees get a cost-of-living adjustment like clockwork each and every year, even during years when federal workers do not get pay raises. But the 2014 cost-of-living adjustment for retirees is up in the air and on attack on two very different fronts, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
Deposits or redeposits — are they for me?
Federal benefits specialist James Marshall answers your calls and emails about your deposit/redeposit options.
May 20, 2013
Bonuses to senior execs under fire at GSA, other agencies
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and the GSA inspector general released separate, but related, reports that show GSA abused its authority to give Senior Executive Service (SES) members bonuses between 2009 and 2011. GSA official said they have since fixed these problems. McCaskill also found that on average the Labor Department, the Navy and the National Science Foundation handed out more than one bonus per SES employee.
Where is sequestration heading?
Federal News Radio's Francis Rose and Jim McElhatton from the Federal Times join Mike Causey to talk about the impact of sequestration and what happens next.
May 15, 2013
What you need to know now for your taxes
Tom O'Rourke, principal with the law firm Miles and Stockbridge, P.C., talks about your 2013 taxes with host Bob Leins.
May 13, 2013
Obama tasks OPM with tackling equal pay in government
In a May 10 memo sent to the heads of departments and agencies, President Barack Obama tasked the Office of Personnel Management with studying how agency practices contribute to pay inequalities between men and women and with formulating a governmentwide strategy to tackle the gender pay gap.
Retire?! Are you nuts?
Thinking of retiring within the next 12 to 18 months? Tired of traffic, being beaten up by politicians and facing a furlough? And who knows when the current three-year pay freeze will ever end? So call it a day, right? Put in your papers and everything will be okay, correct? Wrong, wrong wrong. Are you nuts? Retiring is not the answer for everyone, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
DoD eases rules for health care approvals after contractor 'failure'
Citing unacceptable delays by its contractor, the Pentagon waives the requirement for preauthorization of specialty care for military members, families and retirees in TRICARE's western region.
Watch out: Well-meaning, VIP zombies are stalking feds
Federal workers have dodged a lot of legislative bullets over the years. Plans to cut and save surface, then disappear. But there is one blueprint out there that has traction, and its No. 1 target is the federal retirement system, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
OPM backlog, NARFE convention, PSPW, and more
Host Mike Causey will discuss the OPM retirement processing backlog with NARFE Legislative Director Jessica Klement and the Federal Times' Stephen Losey.
May 8, 2013
Your health plan: BFF, WDW, WOOT or WTF?
Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know: If you wanted to text your BFF about the future of the FEHBP (your health plan) would you describe it as WOOT or WTF?
Q&A....just for feds
Federal benefits expert Bob Braunstein answers your retirement and career planning questions.
May 6, 2013
Sequestration: the new heartburn and Alka-Seltzer combo
The threat of furloughs is hanging heavy over tens of thousands of federal workers who say they won't be able to pay the bills if forced to stay home for five to 15 days. So, Mike Causey wants to know, is there light at the end of this tunnel?
All TSP funds continue positive trend in April
All Thrift Savings Plan funds continued to perform well in April. While only two funds reported higher return rates for the month compared to March, all funds posted positive returns.
Furloughs, retirement backlogs, and more
Host Mike Causey will talk furloughs with Federal Career Experts owner John Grobe, and hiring, retirement backlog, and more with Stephen Losey and Sean Reilly from the Federal Times.
May 1, 2013
Bill would ax FEHBP in favor of Affordable Care Act plan
Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) introduced legislation to require federal employees, the president, vice president and members of Congress to use insurance under the Affordable Care Act instead of the current federal program.
Sequestration could cause delays in retirement processing, OPM says
The Office of Personnel Management says sequestration cuts have forced the agency to suspend overtime hours for employees working in its Retirement Services office and to curtail call-center hours.
So, what's next for feds?
Federal workers have figured out that this is not a drill. But for many feds, it is getting hard to keep track of what is happening, which threats are real and who their political adversaries are, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So, what's next?
