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A Gloomy Fall Forecast for Fed Pay, Benefits

  • By Kellie Lunney
  • August 22, 2013
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Just a few weeks remain before fall returns, ushering in yet another season of stress and uncertainty for federal employees.

There’s the threat of a government shutdown, the impending political battle over raising the debt ceiling, the possibility of more furloughs or even layoffs because of sequestration, and the fear that Congress will freeze federal salaries for a fourth consecutive year. All of those scenarios adversely affect federal pay one way or another, not to mention morale, recruitment and retention.

So, what do federal retirees have to look forward to? In October, the government will announce the 2014 cost-of-living adjustments, and it’s looking like the percentage will be smaller than the 2013 figure.

The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that the 2014 COLA will be around 1.5 percent. That’s slightly less than the 1.7 percent boost that federal retirees and Social Security beneficiaries received this year. It’s a lot less than the 3.6 percent increase they received in 2012. Still, it’s better than zero, which is what current federal employees are looking at if Congress decides to extend the freeze on their across-the-board annual pay adjustment.

CBO’s estimate was tucked into ...

Recruitment, Relocation and Retention Just Got Harder

Back in January 2011, the Office of Personnel Management issued preliminary rules to crack down on incentive payments to recruit, relocate and retain talented federal employees.

More than two years later, these rules will finally take effect.

OPM has finally issued its final rules for implementing the changes to the special bonus programs. The new policies will require agencies to review recruitment bonuses for hard-to-fill jobs annually to ensure the payments are still warranted. An authorized official will have to sign off on the assessment.

Another new provision will require employees receiving relocation payments to remain in their new geographic zone for the duration of their service in the relocated position. OPM clarified in its final rule that it is up to each agency to define the acceptable zone for relocated employees, as well as the documentation necessary to prove the employees have “maintained residency.”

The human resources agency said this requirement is necessary, as employees could otherwise get a new residence in their new location for a short period of time, then move back to their old home while continuing to receive their relocation bonus. Employees can keep their old home as their primary residence, so long as they ...

Sequester May End Civilian Pensions for Military Retirees

Civilians at the Defense Department have had a rough go of it lately, thanks in large part to sequestration.

They recently received some good news, however, as Secretary Chuck Hagel shaved the number of furloughs each worker must take, from 11 down to six. The celebrations may be short lived.

The Pentagon is hoping to avoid furloughs in fiscal 2014, but may resort to mandatory layoffs if sequestration remains in effect. The department would have to cut $52 billion from its budget next year if the spending caps stay, an increasingly likely prospect. In the long term, however -- current law defines sequestration as a 10-year program -- Defense will have to cut $250 billion over the next decade, and simple reductions in force will not suffice.

Hagel recently laid out various budget scenarios in the department’s Strategic Choices and Management Review, including proposals for dealing with sequestration. One suggestion: eliminating civilian pensions for retired military personnel working in the civil service.

Currently, the approximately 134,000 military retirees working for the Pentagon may forfeit their military retirement pay if they wish to apply their years of military service toward their civilian pension. Alternatively, they can keep their military retirement pay ...

Reforming How VA Handles Sexual Assault Claims

  • By Kellie Lunney
  • August 1, 2013
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Navy veteran and rape victim Ruth Moore struggled for more than two decades to resolve her disability compensation claim with the government.

Sheer persistence and help from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders finally paid off in 2009, when the Veterans Affairs Department granted Moore a permanent disability rating of 70 percent and stated she was unable to work. Moore, who lent her name to legislation the House passed in June aimed at improving the benefits claims process for victims of military sexual trauma, is talking more like an advocate than a victim these days. 

“I have to do this, not for me, but for all my brothers and sisters who have endured,” Moore says. “I still try to shy away from the camera, but whenever I speak to people, it’s not just my story. My story is so similar to every other MST survivor in this country.”

It’s a tragic tale. In fiscal 2012, according to VA statistics, 52,823 women and 32,651 men received outpatient treatment for physical or mental health conditions related to military sexual trauma. 

The 2012 documentary The Invisible War and a spate of alleged assaults this year have jump-started the conversation once again ...

Small Perks Proposed for Beleaguered Feds

Indiscriminate budget cuts caused by sequestration have forced Border Patrol agents to work fewer overtime hours.

For the inconvenience, a group of Democratic lawmakers want to give the agents a tax break.

Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Texas, has introduced the Border Security Tax Relief Act, which would allow Border Patrol employees to exempt pay from “administratively uncontrollable overtime” from their taxable incomes. AUO refers to unscheduled overtime taken by an employee who “requires substantial amounts of irregular” work and allows agents to, for example, continue chasing a suspect after their regular shift has ended.

“The men and women who provide security along our border have been hit particularly hard by sequestration,” Gallego said in a statement. “They should not have to pay for irresponsible budget decisions made by the previous Congress. It’s our responsibility to protect those who are on the front line protecting our nation.”

Originally, Border Patrol agents -- and all employees at Customs and Border Protection -- were told they’d have to take 14 furlough days and that overtime would be eliminated. Eventually, however, Congress shifted funds around in the Homeland Security Department’s budget and CBP was spared furloughs. The agents now only face “limited reductions” in ...