Federal employees under the FERS system who are nearing retirement may have at least a momentary sense of enrichment. Legislation has again been introduced in the House to credit unused sick leave in computing an annuity payment.
Most Americans are concerned about the economy. Our readers work for the federal government (or used to) and their views on the likely success or failure of the stimulus spending package are presumably based on this knowledge and experience. In addition, much of the money in the new spending will be in their hands as they implement the decisions made by Congress and the Administration. What do readers think of the new spending proposals? Here are the results of the survey taken this week.
Everyone is looking for a job or a promotion at some point in their career. Creating a resume that is effective can make a huge difference in your wages over the life of your career. Here are tips for creating an effective, focused resume with the technology used by employers today to in filling jobs.
A Department of Education employee was transferred but apparently kept using the travel card after her travel authorization expired. She also didn’t report for work at the new location. She was fired and filed an appeal arguing she was a whistleblower. Neither the Court nor the MSPB found that argument convincing.
With a number of federal employees considering retirement, some will want to consider taking a job related to their federal career. Here is a report on jobs in the Southeastern United States that may interest readers.
Mail volume and revenue is declining at the Postal Service and revenue may exceed last year’s loss of $2.8 billion. The organization is taking steps to cut expenses and has been given authority to engage in long-term borrowing to stay afloat.
A bill has been introduced to allow former federal employees covered by FERS to return to the federal government and restore their credit for prior service by redepositing money they took out of their federal annuity account.
Will your spouse get a survivor’s benefit from your civil service annuity? In same cases, you may be surprised to find that the answer is “no”. A group has asked OPM to notify all Civil Service Retirement System participants about a provision that is unknown to many and that could result in a spouse not getting this important benefit.
An employee of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs was fired for failing to follow a supervisor’s instructions and then used “disrespectful language and made inappropriate statements.” The employee argued that she was a whistleblower and that the agency had committed procedural error but, after all appeals, remains a former federal employee.
January is often cited as a harbinger for stock market returns for the remainder of the year. TSP investors are hoping that does not hold true for 2009. The stock market dropped significantly, breaking a 113 year record for the lowest returns in January. The January Thrift Savings Plan returns reflect the market decline.
