Pay & Benefits

OPM's Progress on the Retirement Claims Backlog in One Chart

Slowly but surely the inventory is shrinking, despite a hiccup earlier this year.

Nextgov

Pentagon Police Agency Hit by ‘Catastrophic’ Network Outage

Failure of a legacy component is to blame for the January incident, spokesman says.

Management

How to Get Stuff Done: Make Your Lists Short and Strategic

Constructing and editing a list is just as valuable as having one.

Defense

Meet China's Military Monkey Commandos

Monkeys join the People's Liberation Army to defend against migrating birds that endanger planes.

Tech

FAA Says U-2 Spy Plane Definitely Scrambled Air Traffic Control Computers

Air Force had previously denied that their plane was the one to blame.

Oversight

House Panels Race Against Each Other to Reform NSA Spying

In an apparent turf war, two House committees have scheduled markups a day apart later this week.

Oversight

Play of the Day: How the House Celebrates Cinco de Mayo

Between drinking Dos Equis beer and eating tacos, haven't Americans done enough to commemorate the Mexican holiday?

Management

3 Tips for Practicing Mindfulness in a Multitasking Workplace

How to rewire your brain for creativity amid the hubbub.

Retirement

OPM pares back retirement claims backlog in April

The Office of Personnel Management received more retirement claims in April than it had forecast, but still managed to whittle down its accumulated inventory of backlogged claims by processing more claims than it had predicted.

Employee Policy

American Legion calls for resignation of VA secretary

One of the nation's leading veterans service organizations this week called on Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and other VA officials to resign because of poor leadership.

Pay

Performance award total nosedives

The total amount of performance award money paid out to federal employees fell almost 50 percent last year.

Defense One

It’s Too Soon to Cut Funding for A-10s, Lawmakers Say

The A-10’s capabilities are too great to pass off to jets and too cheap for the Pentagon to turn its back on the fleet just yet, according to eight senators. By Ben Watson

Management

How to Stop Freaking Out? Start By Breathing

Getting to know your triggers and early warning signs can help you avoid panic.

Oversight

Why Democrats Shouldn't Be Celebrating

The Affordable Care Act's enrollment numbers mean less about the midterms than Democrats think.

Management

Contractor Training Dolphins for the Navy Drowns in San Diego Bay

This is the first human death in the naval sea creature program since 1959.

Defense

S.C. Republican Will Head Up the Benghazi Select Committee

But Democrats haven't committed to participating in it.

Pay & Benefits

Senate Panel Looks at Feds’ Job Satisfaction During Public Service Week

Employee morale and management is the subject of yet another congressional hearing on Tuesday.

Management

Consumer Finance Bureau Needs Better Bookkeeping, Says GAO

Erroneous recording of $4.2 million in transactions risks skewing financial statements.

Nextgov

It's Hard to Say If This Baltimore Crime Lab Whittled Down Its DNA Sample Backlog

Federally funded lab's databases weren't linked, so progress was impossible to determine, IG finds.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Slowly Makes Up Lost Ground on the Retirement Claims Backlog

Inventory falls again for the second month in a row, but still exceeds levels toward the end of 2013.