Pay & Benefits
More Medicare questions? Here’s what federal retirees need to know
Got questions about HSA contributions, TRICARE For Life or keeping FEHB or PSHB when you enroll in Medicare? Here are answers to help you navigate the details of your federal health benefits.
Tech
DHS personnel leak exposes contact details and sensitive job information
A group calling itself the Department of Peace claimed responsibility for obtaining records on more than 41,000 employees and contractors, citing opposition to immigration enforcement.
Exclusive
Management
USDA sends more relocation notices, seemingly in violation of court order
A court-ordered stay prohibits USDA from issuing or enforcing "any other notice or directive of reassignment or relocation in whole or in part."
Management
Underused federal office data incomplete but improving
The Government Accountability Office wrote that gaps in USE IT Act data are giving agencies an incomplete understanding of the state of their real estate footprint.
Workforce
Mediation agency finalizes rule allowing denial of arbitrator requests
Union officials said that though the final rule is an improvement over the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service’s initial plan, it still improperly usurps arbitrators’ authority.
Tech
FEC takes down electronic filing platform after attempted hack
The commission holds no role in administering U.S. elections, meaning any impacts to its systems will not affect voting in the upcoming midterms.
Tech
DHS secretary plans post-election security review
Markwayne Mullin told CISA employees he wants to assess election systems after the vote, as the agency faces scrutiny over cuts to its support for states.
Oversight
‘Life-and-death implications’: Former IG warns ICE’s detention oversight is masking unsafe conditions
An analysis by the Project on Government Oversight found that the number of immigration detention facilities receiving a “superior” rating increased at the same time as the number of individuals dying in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody also surged.
Workforce
OPM touts ‘hire-palooza’ event for early-career employees
A good government group criticized the Office of Personnel Management for providing limited information about the virtual hiring fair, which is restricted to individuals who are already in the federal hiring process.
Management
Federal workforce cuts linked to lower satisfaction scores across government services
An annual scorecard that tracks citizen satisfaction in public-facing services shows the federal government’s first overall decline in five years.
Tech
Federal agencies have until Thursday to fix website security flaws
The vulnerabilities could let hackers take control of government web servers without a password, but the extent of successful attacks remains unclear.
Workforce
Judge: ‘Article II’ firings violate separation of powers, civil service law
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said adopting the Trump administration’s argument that the Civil Service Reform Act usurps presidential power would “unsettle the very equilibrium of this nation’s constitutional system.”
Management
IRS says it needs top performers, even if they don’t all get the performance ratings they deserve
An IRS division that reassigned employees to different parts of the agency to address backlogs is warning staff against “deliberately choosing mediocrity” in their day-to-day work if they get lower performance ratings this year.
Tech
SSA ‘corrects’ millions of Social Security Number database files
The agency says the data cleaning is part of its commitment to prevent fraud, but at least one group is raising concerns about the work.
Updated
Management
SBA is moving field offices away from major cities, union says
The Small Business Administration previously said that it would relocate offices out of certain cities due to disagreements about federal immigration enforcement.
Tech
NOAA wants better forecasts. First, it needs to rethink how it handles weather data
Moving computing operations to the cloud could give forecasters more flexibility, but the agency is still working through how to make the transition.
Management
Navy’s tech playbook serves as a ‘toolkit’ for the rest of government
The U.S. Navy dramatically upped its use of pilot tech programs, shuttered old technology systems and moved into the modern tech arena — and it is sharing its lessons learned along the way.
Management
USDA, undeterred by judge’s stay, moves ‘full-bore ahead’ with reorganization steps
The Agriculture Department is still carrying out reorganization activities not explicitly barred by a judge’s stay.
Workforce
Bureau of Prisons seeks another shot at ending union contracts
One union local president said he is still routinely denied official time, has meeting requests ignored, and that his prison has failed to reinstitute compressed work schedules.
Workforce