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Pay & Benefits
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Federal employees wanting to schedule "use it or lose it" annual leave only have a few days left before their excess vacation days are forfeited. The deadline to schedule excess annual leave is this Saturday, Nov. 30, Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta reiterated in a Nov. 26 memo to agency chief human capital officers. The leave must be used by Jan. 11, the end of the leave year.
November 27, 2013 -
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Suppose Congress passed a law requiring you to work an extra five years? You'd be furious, right? Suppose, because you are just plain cheap, you forced yourself to work an extra five years? Guess what? It happens every day, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 27, 2013 -
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If Congress fails to act by the end of the year, a tax subsidy for commuters who use mass transit is set to drop from a maximum of $245 a month to $130. At the same time, fringe benefits for parking are set to rise to $250 a month starting in January. Two stand-alone measures in the House and Senate would restore parity between the parking and mass-transit subsidies
November 26, 2013 -
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Should you and your significant other be in the same federal family health plan? Or should you each enroll in self-only plans? Think about it, because the health insurance hunting season closes Dec. 9, and picking the wrong plan could cost you big-time, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 26, 2013 -
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During the 16-day government shutdown last month, more than 14,000 Thrift Savings Plan participants withdrew money from their accounts, the highest number of hardship withdrawals in a single month ever. This may have helped participants weather the financial uncertainty of the shutdown. But, under TSP rules, it also means they'll be unable to contribute to their 401(k)-style retirement accounts for the next six months. Now, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which oversees the TSP, is concerned that not all those participants will take the initiative to restart their contributions when the penalty period expires next spring.
November 25, 2013 -
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What do government buyouts have in common with sex education back in the day? The short answer is that you couldn't get much birds-and-bees info then and you can't get much new information on buyouts now, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 25, 2013 -
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A new bill would allow federal employees to contribute toward their retirement by investing only in companies deemed socially responsible. The "Federal Employees Responsible Investment Act," introduced this week by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), would require the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to add a "Corporate Responsibility Index" to the existing five investment options available to federal employees.
November 22, 2013 -
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A new bill introduced this week by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) would ensure blue-collar federal employees receive the same scheduled pay increase in January as General Schedule employees. White-collar GS employees are due to get a 1 percent pay raise in January, under a plan announced in August by President Barack Obama, who has authority to set GS pay levels. However, pay raises for wage-grade or hourly employees require separate legislation. With no action by Congress, pay for these employees would remain flat.
November 22, 2013 -
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Millions of federal workers are shopping online while they are at work. But don't get mad or hang your head in shame, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. This is a good thing that could save everybody -- especially the taxpayers -- a lot of money.
November 22, 2013 -
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In this week's edition of Agency of the Month, Dr. Reginald Wells, Deputy Commissioner at the Social Security Administration, discusses the human resources pressures caused by tightening budgets.
November 21, 2013 -
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Buyouts were a big deal over the last couple of years, but now they seem to have gone away, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Or gone underground. Are you hearing anything about buyouts?
November 21, 2013 -
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Walton Francis, author of the Checkbook Guide to the Health Plan for Federal Employees, and NARFE's David Snell will answer your open season questions. November 20, 2013 (Encore presentation November 27, 2013)
November 20, 2013 -
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Do you have 3-1/2 minutes to invest in a project that could save you $1,000 to $2,000 next year? Check out Senior Correspondent Mike Causey's column for more.
November 20, 2013 -
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Trying to decide whether to formalize or end a relationship? If so, this is the perfect time to step back and consider your options, because your health and your finances could be at stake, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 19, 2013
