Pay & Benefits

HHS expands health benefits eligibility for 9/11 responders under new rule

The interim final rule, published on the 23rd anniversary of the terror attack, opens eligibility for the World Trade Center Health Program to resolve coverage gaps for Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, responders.

Pay & Benefits

Lack of guidelines scuttled VA’s goal to expand access for substance use disorder treatment

The department’s inspector general found that despite budgeting to hire more than 1,000 substance use disorder treatment staff at its medical centers, it only netted 310 new employees in the first year. 

Management

House GOP members unveil $3B VA supplemental funding bill

The legislation is intended to cover a budget shortfall at the department through the remainder of fiscal 2024.

Workforce

Forest Service chief signals budget belt-tightening is on the horizon for FY2025

Chief Randy Moore said in a statement that the agency is preparing for a pared-down appropriation following the end of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.

Management

GSA has a backlog of 36,000 open fire, safety and health risk conditions in federal buildings

After a complaint to GSA’s inspector general that the agency was violating employee health and safety regulations, auditors found a database of unresolved risk issues at federal buildings across the nation that dated back a decade. 

Pay & Benefits

House subcommittee wants VA to put more of a spotlight on its veteran employment program

In a field hearing of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, House members pressed for more insights and potential exposure of the Veteran Readiness and Employment program. 

Workforce

The minority talent pipeline is growing for the intelligence community, but representation is falling

The Office of the National Director of Intelligence’s annual demographic report found that while the Intelligence Community has made strong gains in minority applicants, attrition has led to workforce diversity declines over the past two years. 

Oversight

GOP lawmakers raise concerns over DHS report redactions, OIG cooperation 

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., pressed the Homeland Security secretary in a letter to explain why the department has redacted information in some of its reports to Congress and has allegedly restricted its inspector general’s access. 

Pay & Benefits

Feds in Iraq will continue to receive special premium pay, OPM says

Due to an ongoing national emergency in the country dating back to the 2003 war, civilian employees in Iraq will be able to waive the premium pay cap through December, according to a recent memo from the HR agency. 

Management

GSA awards contract for $524M CISA headquarters 

The agency will leverage its largest Inflation Reduction Act-funded project to date to help construct a 630,000-square-foot building for the cybersecurity agency at the St. Elizabeths West Campus. 

Management

A pair of new bills aim to reshape the Secret Service 

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., penned new legislation to shift the agency’s jurisdiction for investigating financial crimes and alter how it designates its protective perimeter in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt. 

Management

Lack of timeframes and follow-ups led Social Security to delay some priority disability applications 

An inspector general’s audit found that while the agency identified and processed 96% of the priority cases reviewed, a slice of applications slipped past monitoring, leading to longer wait times.

Pay & Benefits

Soon feds may be able to file health insurance claims online

A new Biden administration initiative to crack down on “unnecessary headaches” for consumers will include plans for employees on the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits plans to submit out-of-network claims online, alongside other updates.

Workforce

What should agencies consider for their remote work plans?

A new memo from OPM Acting Director Robert Shriver details specific factors agency leaders should consider when designing their remote work strategy for the federal workforce. 

Oversight

Nonprofit urges the White House to fill vacant watchdog roles

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington penned a letter to President Biden Wednesday calling for the appointment of 14 inspectors general to fill roles at agencies such as the General Services Administration and Social Security Administration.

Pay & Benefits

Federal government needs better oversight of TSP’s records system

A GAO report found that the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board did not ensure that acquisition management practices were fully enforced when it modernized the system that oversees its 401(k)-style retirement savings program.

Defense

Senator demands more veteran access to VA's military sex trauma resources 

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., expressed his ongoing concerns with the lack of coordination between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments in making servicemembers aware of their eligibility for VA services like confidential counseling. 

Management

New Senate bill aims to codify Chevron deference with congressional intent

Sen. Ron Wyden’s, D-Ore., Restoring Congressional Authority Act would reimpose judicial deference to federal agencies in clarifying regulatory intent after the Supreme Court struck down a 40-year precedent in June. 

Oversight

The federal judiciary has improved its policies against workplace misconduct, but not at all levels

The GAO found that while the judiciary has taken steps to address workplace misconduct, there are gaps at the circuit level, as well as in measuring effectiveness and data reporting. 

Management

Federal employees exposed to lead and bacteria in water due to delayed GSA response, IG says

A new report found that water quality at a federal building in Detroit included potentially harmful levels of lead, copper and Legionella bacteria, and the Public Buildings Service did not respond to the threat promptly.