Defense
Senate votes to give military health care to Guard, Reserves
House lawmakers stripped similar language from its version of the bill.
Pay & Benefits
Relocation board’s charter extended through end of 2005
The Governmentwide Relocation Advisory Board’s charter given some wiggle room in case it stumbles in meeting September reporting deadline.
Pay & Benefits
Eye of the Storm
Agencies can give volunteering employees excused absences, OPM says.
Management
FAA and air traffic controllers begin talks on union contract
Administration seeks to curb controllers’ salaries.
Pay & Benefits
Bush administration, House at odds over 2006 pay raise
White House says across-the-board raise will hurt pay-for-performance efforts at Defense and Homeland Security.
Pay & Benefits
TSP to roll out new funds in two weeks
Board will send explainer DVD on "life-cycle" funds to all 3.4 million TSP participants.
Pay & Benefits
TSP begins permanent open season
Employees can now enroll in the Thrift Savings Plan or shift their contribution levels at any time.
Pay & Benefits
Success of civil service overhaul could hinge on rollout of Pentagon plan
GAO says poor execution of National Security Personnel System could doom governmentwide personnel reform efforts.
Defense
DHS reorganization won’t stop implementation of personnel rules
Rules still slated to go into effect Aug. 1; some top-level positions would receive title, pay changes.
Management
OMB, lawmakers spar over bid to overhaul civil service
Legislators reluctant to expand personnel reforms to entire federal workforce before seeing results at the Defense and Homeland Security departments.
Pay & Benefits
Red Pen Scare
The countdown to implementation of the Homeland Security Department’s labor relations policies is raising fears in some employees.
Pay & Benefits
Report lays out options for managing poor performers
Homeland Security experiments with extending probationary period to two years.
Pay & Benefits
House approves 3.1 percent pay increase
Senate likely to follow suit, but White House raises objections.
Pay & Benefits
FAA workers weigh legal action in pay cap dispute
Workers unhappy with caps on compensation ponder lawsuit to accompany their EEOC age discrimination complaint.
Pay & Benefits
TSP Tech Turnover
The top technology official at the Thrift Savings Plan is leaving after a nine-year run.
Pay & Benefits
Nontraditional work arrangements underutilized, report says
Nonstandard work arrangements could help provide a pre-trained group available for full-time work if needed, scholars say.
Pay & Benefits
New OPM chief confirmed by Senate
Linda Springer takes over personnel agency during contentious time for the federal workforce.
Pay & Benefits
Flexible spending deadline extended for federal workers
OPM will allow employees to keep money in their FSAs for an extra two and a half months.
Defense