Pay & Benefits

  • August is hot in DC, Atlanta, Houston, St. Louis and Cincinnati and lots of other places too. But those of us inside the Beltway get a break you don't...that's because for the next month...until after Labor Day, tens of thousands of the people who at times make this such a toxic town are away — back with the folks who sent them here in the first place.

    August 06, 2012
  • A recently announced consent decree between Capitol One and the Justice Department is the most sweeping settlement as the Justice Department ramps up enforcement of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

    August 03, 2012
  • The Government Accountability Office compared an existing socially responsible investment stock index to the stock portfolio of the federal Thift Savings Plan and discovered several barriers existed for feds hoping to adopt a more socially conscious approach to their retirement planning.

    July 27, 2012
  • Thanks to the 800-pound gorilla in the room, both federal workers and retirees may suffer a cut in take-home pay next year, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

    July 24, 2012
  • The Office of Personnel Management is planning changes to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, by proposing to allow children up to age 26 to stay covered by their parents' FEHBP plans. The rule would also apply to children of same-sex domestic partners enrolled in the program. In a separate final rule published in the Federal Register, OPM announced child-care subsidies provided by agencies would also be expanded to include the children of same-sex domestic partners. That rule goes into effect Friday.

    July 20, 2012
  • Janet Kopenhaver, Washington representative for Federally Employed Women, will talk about the impact of some bills pending in Congress that affect federal employees. July 18, 2012

    July 18, 2012
  • Rep. Scott Rigell's (R-Va.) asked the Navy to postpone its layoff dates for a year. The Navy is laying off 3,000 sailors to help balance its force profile.

    July 13, 2012
  • The agency will organize incoming claims into one of three categories based on the difficulty in solving them as part of an effort to increase efficiency. The Veterans Benefits Administration also is seeking other ways to reduce the number of backlogged cases such as new training for employees, said VA's Allison Hickey, the undersecretary for benefits.

    July 11, 2012
  • Senior Correspondent Mike Causey once again turns over to longtime reader, Dennis S., who spent a long time with Uncle Sam and a lot of time in the private sector. He says both the government and the private sector have their upsides and downsides. But he thinks its important to appreciate what you've got and live in the moment.

    July 02, 2012
  • Democrats control the White House and the Senate, while Republicans call the shots in the House. So what impact has divided government had on federal workers? Some people think things could be a whole lot worse if one party ran all three operations at the same time, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

    June 29, 2012
  • Host Mike Causey will talk estate planning with attorney Tom O'Rourke, and long term care with Paul Forte and Mary Lou McGuiness of Long Term Care Partners. June 27, 2012(Encore presentation July 4, 2012)

    June 27, 2012
  • A new inspector general audit revealed that the Postal Service has overfunded its pension benefit obligations by nearly 105 percent. While this might seem to be good news for the cash- strapped agency, legislative action will be required for USPS to get back the $13.1 billion surplus it paid into its employees' pensions.

    June 26, 2012
  • Which occupational group has the worst nightmares: alligator wrestlers or federal workers? Thw answer might surprise you, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

    June 19, 2012
  • It's been nearly three weeks since the Thrift Savings Plan board announced a data breach of 123,000 Thrift Savings Plan, and since then, the board has been fielding questions from participants, Congress and the media. TSP's executive director answered some of the most frequently asked questions about the breach.

    June 13, 2012
  • The House passed a veterans funding bill Thursday that includes extends the pay freeze another year for civilian employees of the the Defense and Veterans Affairs.

    June 01, 2012