GovernmentExecutive.com

With only 18 months left in the Bush administration, the president's federal personnel chief is clamoring to make some key changes before time is up. Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer is focusing on short-term disability benefits and electronic retirement records, among other improvements.

In an interview this week with Government Executive President Timothy B. Clark, Springer laid out her priorities.

A short-term disability benefit, which would include paid maternity leave, is something of a change in policy for OPM. In 2001, the office issued a report arguing that agencies don't need to offer paid leave to federal employees when they have a baby or adopt a child.

Doris Hausser, who at the time was acting associate director for workforce compensation and performance at OPM, said, "The federal government's leave policies and programs compare favorably with benefits offered by most private sector companies.... a paid parental leave benefit would not be a major factor in enhancing [agencies'] recruitment and retention strategies."

But Springer said this week that short-term disability is "probably the one big hole we have right now. That's actually a recruiting problem. Women of childbearing age would prefer to go to a company with a maternity benefit than one without it."

The plan is still in its infancy; OPM is working with other agencies to hammer out specifics before proposing the new benefit to Congress. But OPM definitely is "trying to find a way to offer short-term disability benefits, to include maternity," Springer said.

Right now, federal employees must use a combination of paid annual leave, paid sick leave and unpaid leave when they take time off to care for newborns. Short-term disability also would cover injuries or illnesses that require federal employees to take time off for a few months.

Springer hinted that the new benefit might be an insurance offering, similar to the other new benefit that federal employees received recently -- dental and vision insurance -- in that there would be no employer subsidy. That formula would make the plan easy to swallow for budget-minded legislators. It would also make it less of a benefit for federal employees. But Springer's not sure yet.

"The one thing we know is we need it, and with our buying power we ought to get a good rate," she said.

An electronic retirement system, on the other hand, is much farther along. Already, OPM has signed contracts to buy ready-made electronic retirement processing systems. Work is under way to scan thousands of pages of records into the system.

In February 2008, the first 25,000 federal employees will be able to view their personnel records online. Springer hopes that by the following February, the entire civilian workforce will be in the new system. That depends on continued congressional support, though.

To that end, last week Springer brought a congressional delegation to a mine in Boyers, Pa., an hour north of Pittsburgh, to see the 150,000 file drawers full of federal employees' paper records. About 8,000 are scanned each day.

"At this stage in the administration, the safe ground to be on to continue to be effective is to focus on the employees," Springer said.

COMMENTS

• I am a federal employee and fall under the OPM's leave program. I am also pregnant and am due in January. I am concerned that I will not have enough sick leave or annual leave to compensate for the needed time off after childbirth that most other family friendly businesses offer their employees. As of now I sit at 72 hours of sick leave which I have been saving up since I started working here. The only way I can get the extra time off is by an advancement of leave (if approved by supervision), a donation from other willing federal employee's, or I can opt for the some or all of the 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Keep in mind the unpaid leave you still have to keep up your benefit premiums, so it's more like paying to stay home and recover. I think that all is BULL. There should At LEAST be a 6 week paid maternity leave option for mothers and fathers! And this is not my opinion just because I am pregnant. This option should also go towards parents who are adopting, or whatever else the FMLA covers. That way it would be spread around to cover various needs and not be specific on just maternity leave, since some don't like others to have what they can't or don't OPT to have. Come on now, that "if I don't get to, you shouldn't" mentality is a bit childish for me. Nicole Posted October 25, 2008 4:27 AM
• Dear Budget, Well said and yes Pregnancy is a choice. Now the next question is whether society chooses to support a person making that choice. As a familiy friendly employer by the federal government-- NOT!!!, is it fair to say we should not give you a benefit because not everyone will enjoy it-- We give transit subsidies and telework options because society says we should support mass transit and get people out of cars. There is a big tax incentive for people to own homes and who pay mortgage interest because society says we should support home ownership. It is the same for maternity and paternity leave- this is a benefit that in my opinion should be supported by our society with alot more than just paid time off. But others can disagree and we can ahve a robust debate. Or we don't support pregnancy and as a society we can go the way of the Japanese and turn all of our schools into senior centers. Equity and fairness doesn't say take away benefits because it isn't enjoyed by everyone. Equity says we spread such benefits to all segments-- those who opt for families and those who can enjoy other benefits. HR Specialist Posted May 22, 2007 10:18 AM
• I would suggest to you a fairness issue here. For those individuals not of childbearing age or unable to have children, would this benefit not be discriminatory? Comparable to all non-smoking gov't empoyees who pay increased insurance rates for those who are provided "smoking cessation" insurance coverage. Those who are not pregnant, or do not intend to be, are not provided any similar leave time or compensation. In today's time of modern medicine, pregnancy is a choice. Budget Posted May 21, 2007 7:56 AM