This past July, the Washington Post published an article about a report from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Local 17, which detailed a list of managers and executives within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recommended for termination. The office of VA Secretary Bob McDonald has not confirmed if he requested this report, nor if he read it. The Federal Managers Association (FMA), along with the Senior Executives Association (SEA), first wrote to congressional leadership requesting an investigation of whether or not the report was conducted on official time. While official time provides for federal labor organizations to conduct representational activities, it does not cover a union investigating agency managers and executives for the purpose of creating a “hit list” of those it seeks to have removed from the agency. Following this letter, several managers and executives within the VA contacted FMA and SEA, expressing that they have been unfairly targeted by union members. In response, FMA and SEA wrote to Secretary McDonald on November 10, urging him to give the report little credence and not to make personnel decisions based off of the report.

In November 2014, the Department of Defense (DOD) instituted reductions in temporary duty assignment (TDY) per diem allowances and lodging stipends in an effort to reduce departmental spending in a time of restricted budgets. Civilian employees on TDY between 30 and 180 days have seen their per diem and stipends reduced by 25 percent, and those over 180 days, face a 45 percent reduction. Because of these reductions, managers within DOD are seeing reductions in volunteers for TDY as upfront costs are the burden of the employee. House and Senate Appropriations Committees are currently examining spending levels that are in line with the Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 114-74). The Federal Managers Association (FMA), along with other federal workforce advocacy groups and travel industry associations, urged appropriators to restore the funding for TDY per diems and stipends.

Washington Post

As the majority of the federal workforce gets closer to retirement age, Office of Personnel Management Associate Director for Retirement Services Ken Zawodny stressed that soon-to-be-retirees should ensure work records accurately reflect their work history and be aware of delays. Three out of four retirement applicants should expect sixty days for OPM to complete their application. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association recommends federal workers to have three months of savings set aside to get through the application process.

The Federal Managers Association (FMA) has long supported the need to promote the federal government as a model employer. For the past two years since FMA proposed the bill, the offices of Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) supported the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act (P.L. 114-75). President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law on Thursday, November 5, providing 104 hours of sick leave for first year federal employees who qualify under the Department of Veterans Affairs as thirty percent or more disabled. The bill, originally introduced by Representative Lynch and cosponsored by Representative Blake Farenthold (R-TX), provides necessary leave to attend medical appointments for service-related injuries without exhausting both sick and annual leave. Senators Tester (D-MT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced similar legislation, which gained unanimous support in the Senate.

Federal Times

As Members of Congress only have six more days in the legislative calendar before the end of the fiscal year, federal employees need to be prepared for another government shutdown. In 2013, the inability to plan a budget resulted in a sixteen day shutdown that furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal employees.

In late July, the Washington Post reported that a local American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) chapter based out of the Department of Veterans Affairs, conducted an internal review of misconduct of managers and supervisors within the VA, which was used to create a list of those who should be terminated from their positions. The AFGE chapter shared this report with VA Secretary Bob McDonald. In response, the Federal Managers Association (FMA), along with the Senior Executives Association (SEA), requested the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, as well as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to investigate this internal review.

Government Executive

The Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee approved a spending bill that would provide ten years of free credit monitoring and $5 million in liability protection for those who were affected by the data breach. Additionally, the Subcommittee allowed for the president’s 1.3 percent pay raise for federal employees, as it has done nothing to block it.

As a means to fund an extension of the highway bill, Senators proposed altering the method to calculate the rate of the return of the Thrift Savings Fund (TSP) G Fund. The G Fund is the most commonly used method of saving for those enrolled in the TSP, as until recently, enrollees used to be automatically entered to the G Fund. However, proposed changes would base the fund’s interest rate on a three-month average rather than the current four-year average, saving an estimated $32 billion over 10 years. This would also reduce the G Fund’s rate of return from 2.25 percent a year to 0.02 percent. According to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB), these changes would essentially make the G Fund worthless. The Federal Managers Association (FMA) warned Senators on the damages these changes would cause, and the negative impact on federal employees' retirement.