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White House Suspends SES Presidential Rank Awards for 2013

Written by FEDmanager on . Posted in General News

Last week the White House announced, via an unnamed administration official quoted in a Wall Street Journal article, that it would be suspending the Presidential Rank Award program for 2013. Presidential Rank Awards are one of the highest honors a civil servant can receive, and they are awarded to only a small fraction of Senior Executive Service (SES) members.

The administration official said that "while the President does not intend to issue any Presidential Rank Awards this year, we are focused on finding means to acknowledge excellence in non-monetary ways."

"The President is committed to recognizing excellence," the administration official said. "However, in light of the reduced budgetary resources, expending funds on employee performance awards at this time would in many circumstances not be the most effective way to protect agency mission to the extent practicable."

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Government Needs More Program Managers, Survey Finds

Written by FEDmanager on . Posted in General News

At an event hosted by the House Government Efficiency Caucus last week, entitled “Doing More with Less: Reducing Waste and Improving Service Delivery,” panelists said the federal government needs more specialists in program management to improve agency efficiency and better curb government waste and duplication.

The House Government Efficiency Caucus is led by Rep. Todd Young (R-IN), a former management consultant, and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT). Part of the reason Young formed the caucus during the last Congress was “not just to save money but to improve the quality of service” government provides. Young wants the caucus to offer “actual amendments to improve programs and be helpful as force multipliers on the legislative level.”

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OPM Issues Guidance on Giving Flags to Families of Fallen Feds

Written by FEDmanager on . Posted in General News

On Friday last week the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced new guidelines for agencies to issue U.S. flags to family members of federal employees killed in the line of duty. The proposed rule was published in the June 17 Federal Register, and there is a sixty (60) day comment period.

The OPM announcement came on Flag Day, and was issued after coordination with the Defense and Homeland Security Departments. The proposed regulations guide implementation of the Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-73, December 20, 2011). The law was passed unanimously in the House.

The law authorized the head of an executive agency to furnish a U.S. flag to a family member or other appropriate representative of a fallen federal employee.

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GEICO: Banner Ad

The Leader Reader - Latest Posts

Weekly Leadership Reflection

Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon them and to let them know that you trust them.

Booker T. Washington

 

Heard Inside the Beltway

If the government wants to attract and retain the kind of leaders who can bring innovation to the federal sector, recognizing and rewarding the best of the best is critical.

Tom Shoop, editor in chief of Government Executive on news that the White House is canceling the Presidential Rank Awards for 2013

 

FEDS: Banner Ad

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2013 WAEPA SUMMER PROMOTION

The year was 1943. In the dark days of World War Two, WAEPA, a non-profit association was formed to provide life insurance to civilian employees who were serving covertly overseas.

Now seventy years later, in a time of sequestration, furloughs, and a continuing pay freeze, WAEPA is still protecting federal employees and their families with lower premiums rates, more coverage options, a premium refund policy, and a college scholarship program for their children.

WAEPA Offers

  • Premium rates as much as 89% less than FEGLI. See how much you can save with our Online Savings Calculator.
  • Coverage for you from $25,000 up to $750,000.  FEGLI coverage is limited by the amount of your annual pay.
  • Dependent spousal coverage from $10,000 up to $250,000. The maximum FEGLI spousal coverage is $25,000.
  • Over $65 million in premium refunds since 1996. FEGLI has never granted a premium refund.
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From the Hill

House Passes $638 Billion Defense Bill

Ignoring a White House veto threat, the House voted on Friday to approve a $638 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal 2014. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (H.R. 1960) passed on a vote of 315-108.

The defense spending policy bill authorizes funding for a wide range of items, including personnel, aircraft, ships, weapons, the Afghan war, and much more, in the fiscal year which begins on October 1.

The House-passed bill blocks the Pentagon from initiating a new base closure and realignment commission (BRAC) round, the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and limits the President’s efforts to reduce nuclear weapons.

In response to the growing controversy and awareness of sexual assaults in the military, the bill imposed new punishments on members of the armed services who are found guilty of rape or sexual assault. The House bill would require a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for a member of the armed services who is convicted of sexual assault or rape in a military court.

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Case Law Update

Agency's Delay of More Than Fourteen Days in Reinstating Employee Who Was Out on FMLA Leave Constitutes A Constructive Suspension, Appealable to the MSPB

 An agency’s delay in reinstating an employee, who is out on Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) leave, to his or her former position after receiving documentation from the employee’s medical provider that he or she can perform the essential functions of that position, may constitute a constructive suspension, which, if longer than fourteen calendar days, may be appealable to the Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB” or “the Board”).

In Crutch v. United States Postal Service, 2013 M.S.P.B. (May 22, 2013), employee Jessie B. Crutch provided his employer in 2001 with a medical certificate form, completed by his doctor, indicating that he had a “permanent” medical condition, as a result of a fracture and subsequent re-injury to his right hip. The medical certificate indicated that Crutch had no limitations regarding the activities related to the performance of his duties, but that Crutch, “may be required intermittent resting of right hip while performing his regular duties.” For a time, the Postal Service accommodated Crutch’s need to occasionally rest his hip. However, after his supervisor changed in 2002, the agency began to “harass” him about the accommodation.

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GEICO's Good Stuff

Army Provides Guidance on "Backfilling" Vacancies During Hiring Freeze

GEICO’s Good Stuff is a column series highlighting great stuff happening in the federal community.

A memo sent last week from the Department of the Army, Office of the Assistant Secretary, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, provided guidance for “backfilling” vacancies within the department with civilians who have participated in career development, leadership, or training programs.

Deputy Assistant Army Secretary Anthony Stamillo said in the memo that the service wanted to “encourage high performing employees” to apply for career development and training opportunities, and to remind Army officials that they “already have the authority to backfill a vacancy created by an employee” in a training program.

Stamillo said, “Army is providing a blanket exception to backfill those vacancies through any recruitment source as long as the organization has sufficient funds.”

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Coached

Understanding Performance Versus Potential

Major League Baseball recently conducted its’ annual draft of 1,200 eligible high school and college players from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The 1,200 represent an extremely small percentage of the total overall population of available high school and college ball players. Yet even from this elite subsection, fewer than 5% of these 1,200 will ever make it to the major leagues.

What does this mean, besides the fact that it’s nearly impossible to make the major leagues? More importantly, what does this mean for me as a manager in the federal government? Examining baseball’s talent “sifting” process provides a different lens through which to consider ways in which we evaluate employee potential and current and future performance.  

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This Week on FEDTalk

Minding Your Benefits Gap

This week on FEDtalk, host Tony Vergnetti, president of Federal Employee Defense Services (FEDS), will talk with experts from the benefits community to discuss gaps in federal benefits and how they can be filled with supplemental insurance. Joining Tony on the show are guests: Mike Miles of Variplan, Denny Stephens of Allfeds, and Jim De La Torre of FedAdvantage.

The radio show airs this Friday, June 21, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. Click here on Friday to listen or tune in to 1500 AM in the Washington DC area.

Join the conversation! Email your questions or call in during the show by dialing 1.877.936.9333 (toll free).

FEDtalk is a live radio show produced by Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C. Bringing you the insider’s perspective from leaders in the federal community since 1993.

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