Pay & Benefits

Agencies ramp up student loan repayments

Spending to help employees pay down loans increased 22 percent from 2007 to 2008, report says.

Pay & Benefits

OPM finalizes hiring preferences for military spouses

Rule allows noncompetitive appointments for spouses when service members are transferred, disabled or killed.

Pay & Benefits

OPM withdraws rule that would have allowed faster promotions

Agency leaves door open to eliminating time-in-grade requirements in the future as part of a more comprehensive approach to reforms.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers renew push for public service scholarships

Third round of legislation would direct money to students who commit to federal careers.

Pay & Benefits

Union campaign raises questions about reach of Obama executive order

Legal Services Corporation says it’s not clear if nonprofits have to abide by rules for contractors.

Oversight

Lawmakers gain prominence with federal employee issues

Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia Democrats are taking on telework, pay reform and a host of other challenges.

Pay & Benefits

Taking the Plunge

Questions and answers that will help you make an informed decision on whether to dive into retirement, or take a more gradual approach.

Defense

More problems reported with Defense Contract Audit Agency

Draft GAO report finds issues with 37 audits conducted between 2004 and 2006, according to internal memos.

Pay & Benefits

Postal Service needs immediate financial relief, lawmakers say

Provisions affecting contract negotiations over pay and layoff policies could stall reform.

Pay & Benefits

Making the Case

The administration wants to take the debate over federal pay reform mainstream.

Oversight

Obama’s merit board nominees have deep background in union law

Lawyers led legal challenge to Pentagon’s pay-for-performance system and set ground rules for union election at GAO.

Defense

Democrats blast Army's handling of toxic exposures in Iraq

Five soldiers who served at an Iraqi water injection facility in 2003 were unaware they had been exposed to sodium dichromate until they received letters from the service earlier this year.

Pay & Benefits

TSP rebounds in July

But most funds still have not recovered from the financial losses of fall 2008.

Oversight

GAO: Federal Protective Service lacks long-term workforce plan

Absence of strategic plan has led to inconsistent policies, report says.

Pay & Benefits

Stopping Saturday mail delivery could mean layoffs for USPS

Postal Service official tells House lawmakers he hopes cuts would come through attrition.

Pay & Benefits

From Law to Policy

A primer on how legislative changes to benefits are implemented.

Oversight

Postal Service health is still a concern

Lawmakers worry about potential disruption to communities resulting from a switch to five-day delivery and post office closures.

Pay & Benefits

House panel passes amended domestic partner benefits bill

Subcommittee overseeing the federal workforce expands the measure to cover retirees, but rejects an amendment to include heterosexual couples.

Pay & Benefits

Labor board nominees call for more staffing and resources

Julia Clark and Ernest DuBester say alternative dispute resolution could help reduce case backlog.

Pay & Benefits

Vegas Odds

Sin City could be a more affordable location for federal travelers than more buttoned-down destinations.