Pay & Benefits
A Bipartisan Bill Would Ban Top Feds From Trading Stocks
Violators would potentially face hefty fines.
Employee Policy
Report: Archives staff endure former president’s wrath
A recent piece covers some of the many trouble spots NARA employees have encountered in retrieving and managing records from the former Trump WH.
Management
A Critical Jan. 6 Witness Retires from the Secret Service
The agency says Anthony Ornato left “in good standing after 25 years of devoted service.”
Benefits
Lawmakers are urging OPM to beef up feds’ fertility benefits
Democrats in both chambers of Congress bemoaned the abridged—and often expensive—coverage of treatments such as in vitro fertilization in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Workforce
A Union is Calling on the VA to Replace Its Chief Negotiator Following Trump-esque Bargaining Demands
Despite edicts from President Biden and VA Secretary Denis McDonough to establish more collaborative labor-management relations and empower labor groups, the department continues to push for a contract that closely mirrors the former president’s anti-union executive orders.
Workforce
Low Vaccine Booster Rates Are Now a Key Factor in COVID-19 Deaths – and Racial Disparities in Booster Rates Persist
Early on, public health messaging focused on the need for vaccines to combat COVID-19. But far less attention has been given to the role of boosters in preventing deaths and reducing inequities.
Exclusive
Pay
Much-hyped effort to help DHS land cyber talent is slow to make hires
So far about four hires have been made under the Cybersecurity Talent Management System, with the agency hoping to make offers to 150 new cyber specialists by the end of September.
Employee Policy
There’s no ‘easy button’ to modernize the civil service
But the hard work of cultivating effective, accountable federal managers is essential.
Management
OMB Prioritizes Customer Service in Budget Planning
The inclusion of customer experience and service delivery priorities in budget preparation guidance from OMB will likely get the attention of agencies as they prepare their budget requests for the next fiscal year, experts told FCW.
Workforce
Unraveling the Interplay of Omicron, Reinfections, and Long COVID
The omicron variant has proved adept at finding hosts, often by reinfecting people who recovered from earlier bouts of covid. But whether omicron triggers long COVID as often and severe as previous variants is a matter of heated study.
Management
GovExec Daily: Can the CDC Effectively Restructure?
Julie Swann joins the podcast to discuss the health agency's potential reorganization.
Pay & Benefits
The Biden Administration and USPS Offer a First Glimpse of a Postal-Only Health Benefits System
The agencies are seeking to answer early questions, though they still have time to sort out details.
Management
The Ban on the Contractor Vaccine Mandate Was Lifted Partially. That Could Cause Confusion.
“At this time, the nationwide injunction remains in effect, and thus agencies should continue not to take any steps to enforce Executive Order 14042,” said a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget.
Employee Policy
Employee and vet orgs slam VA, citing dismal survey results
In recent survey, VA healthcare providers and their patients are both sharply critical of agency's staffing decisions.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Are Urging OPM to Beef up Feds’ Fertility Benefits
Democrats in both chambers of Congress bemoaned the abridged—and often expensive—coverage of treatments such as in vitro fertilization in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Management
A Much-Hyped Effort to Help DHS Land Cyber Talent is Slow to Make Hires
So far about four hires have been made under the Cybersecurity Talent Management System, with the agency hoping to make offers to 150 new cyber specialists by the end of September.
Management
There’s No ‘Easy Button’ to Modernize the Civil Service
But the hard work of cultivating effective, accountable federal managers is essential.
Employee Policy
Do some 9/11 responders have a new kind of dementia?
World Trade Center responders who have PTSD may have a new, specific form of dementia, a new study suggests.
Retirement
Getting ready to retire at the end of the year
Tammy Flanagan advises: Now’s the time to start.
Employee Policy