washingtonpost.com - Stephen Barr's Federal Diary (washingtonpost.com)Stephen Barr's Federal Diary column monitors workplace issues for federal government employees.OPM Halts Work on Retirement Calculator- May 30, 2008 The Office of Personnel Management sent a "stop work" letter to the contractor developing a software system to calculate retirement benefits for federal employees, officials said yesterday.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903866.html?nav=r... Saving While Serving- May 29, 2008 Six years ago, Congress opened the Thrift Savings Plan to military personnel and other uniformed services. It is proving to be one of the government's quiet success stories.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052803143.html?nav=r... Lawmakers Question Duplicative Retiree Drug Coverage- May 28, 2008 More than 200,000 federal retirees are enrolled in two government-sponsored prescription drug programs, and the duplicative coverage may cost more than $200 million annually, according to two House members.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/27/AR2008052702530.html?nav=r... New Rules, New Boss for Defense Personnel System- May 27, 2008 Senior Defense Department officials describe the roll out of the National Security Personnel System as "event driven," a way of saying that it evolves as lessons are learned and fixes are made.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/26/AR2008052601921.html?nav=r... Offering Direction as 13,000 Crystal City Jobs Migrate- May 26, 2008 The BRAC Transition Center is tucked in a corner of the Crystal City underground, and the staff uses a nearby popular steakhouse as a landmark to guide visitors to the center's entrance.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/25/AR2008052501703.html?nav=r... Graduate-Level Scholarships Aim at 'Mission-Critical' Jobs- May 23, 2008 To help the government attract scientists, doctors, economists and other highly skilled professionals, two House members yesterday introduced a bill that would create graduate-level scholarships for students who commit to public service.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052203784.html?nav=r... Opportunities For Hispanics Under Review- May 22, 2008 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Social Security Administration are launching a study group to better understand the problems that Hispanics face in getting hired and promoted in the government.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/21/AR2008052102516.html?nav=r... Bill Seeks to End Salary Penalty for Rehired Retirees- May 21, 2008 Bring back federal retirees for short-term projects. Bring them back as mentors.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/20/AR2008052001714.html?nav=r... Tax-Free Roth Option Proposed for Savings Plan- May 20, 2008 Three House members who oversee the Thrift Savings Plan have proposed opening the program to new investment options, including a Roth feature that would allow tax-free withdrawals of retirement savings.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/19/AR2008051902536.html?nav=r... Rewarding Intelligence- May 19, 2008 The government's intelligence community is changing its pay system to better reward agents and analysts, part of an effort to fix problems identified after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/18/AR2008051801749.html?nav=r... |