Biden nominates 3 to USPS board as Postmaster General DeJoy vows to stay

Snippet of Article: "...President Biden on Wednesday nominated three people for the U.S. Postal Service board of directors, moving to fill vacant seats on the board and assert indirect control over the ailing agency and its controversial postmaster general, Louis DeJoy. If confirmed by the Senate, the three new members — Ron Stronman, Amber McReynolds, and Anton Hajjar — would tilt the board toward Democratic control, potentially with enough votes to oust DeJoy. At a House Oversight Committee hearing earlier Wednesday, DeJoy said he plans to stay ..."

Source: theweek.com

People Born In 1960 Face Huge Permanent Social Security Benefit Reductions

Snippet of Article: "...feature in the Social Security benefit formula that makes the critical calculation of an individual's initial Social Security retirement benefit (which is linked to the year that workers turn age 60) is sensitive to economic recessions. Known as the average wage index (AWI)..."

Source: Rocket City News

Social Security, Social Security COVID Correction and Equity Act,

Free Stock: Get in on the Robinhood trading frenzy with FREE stock for signing up

Snippet of Article: "...Hi there! Your free stock at Robinhood is waiting for you. You could get one of these great stocks and it is FREE. 100% chance of getting a free stock when you sign up and securely link your bank account, a surprise stock appears in your account. Learn More Here. No money needed. You don't need any money in your account to get your free stock. You could get up to $194.00. You have a 1 in 150 chance of getting Visa ($194.00), Johnson & Johnson ($165.00), or Apple ($131.79). Start building your portfolio. Keep in mind 98% of awarded stocks will have a value of $10 or less. Let us help you get started with your financial future. Member of SIPC. Securities in your account protected up to $500,000."

Source: robinhood.com

Free Stock from Robinhood, Robinhood free stock,

All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Neither receipt of a share of stock through this program nor identification of a particular security in communications related to this program constitutes a solicitation of the security or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold the security. Robinhood Financial or The Federal Newsgroup does not provide investment advice and does not hereby recommend any security or transaction. Securities trading offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, member SIPC and FINRA.

Ex-Con Admits Cutting Female Postal Carrier During Carjacking That Led To Newark Chase, Crash

Snippet of Article: "...The U.S. Postal Service carrier was taking a break behind the wheel of Dodge Durango on June 6 when Wallace Johnson, 32, of Newark, walked up and held the knife to her throat, cutting..."

Source: dailyvoice.com

Crime,cutting,Most dangerous jobs,Postal Mail Carrier,Postal Employee Dangers,

Trump gives most federal employees day off on Christmas Eve

Snippet of Article: "...Federal agencies will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020, President Donald Trump announced, giving federal employees an extra day off the day before Christmas. The president made the announcement via an executive order, which he released Friday afternoon..."

Source: federalnewsnetwork.com

Trump Legacy, Christmas Eve 2020, executive order,

Your 2021 federal pay raise is still up in the air

Snippet of Article: "...President Donald Trump proposed a 1% across-the-board federal pay raise back February. The proposal didn’t include a locality pay adjustment. But since the president submitted his federal pay raise proposal to Congress, a lot has changed..."

Source: federalnewsnetwork.com

2021Federal Pay Raise,

Born in 1960? Your Social Security Retirement or Disability Benefits Could Take a Hit

Snippet of Article: "...Roughly 4 million people born in 1960 could see a big drop in their Social Security retirement or disability benefits if Congress doesn't act to fix this year's glitch in how benefits are calculated. Like seemingly everything else in 2020, the pandemic is largely to blame..."

Source: www.aarp.org

will Biden help those born in 1960?,Social Security,Biden Legacy,Coronavirus,COVID-19,Pandemic,

Assessing when you can afford to retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System

Snippet of Article: "... Suppose John will have 30 years of service this year, including six years of military service (for which he has paid a deposit) and 24 years under FERS. He's 59, so he's past the FERS minimum retirement age. If he retires with 30 years of service, his FERS basic retirement will provide 30 percent of his high-three average salary. He's been at the GS 13-10 level for the past three years. His current salary is $113,007. His retirement will be computed as: 30% x $108,027 (high-three average) = $3...Wait to retire at 62. Then his FERS benefit will be computed at 1.1 percent for every year of service, instead of 1 percent, a 10 percent increase..."

Source: www.govexec.com

2021 federal open season begins

Snippet of Article: "...Federal employees have just over a month to make any planned changes to their health, dental and vision insurance options, as open season for feds began Nov. 9..."

Source: www.federaltimes.com

2021 open season,When is 2021 open season?,

Whistleblower Resources for Federal Employees

Snippet of Article: "...Deciding to blow the whistle on wrongdoing can be the single most important professional decision you ever have to make. Whistleblowing is risky and difficult. History also shows it...Whistleblowing is not a crime—in many cases, it is a legally-protected right"

Source: www.pogo.org

Whistleblower Protections,

The Battle Over Federal Employees’ Payroll Taxes

Snippet of Article: "...Federal employees who make less than $104,000 annually will see bigger paychecks starting this month and lasting through the end of the year. The 6.2% payroll tax will be deferred from eligible federal employees’ paychecks until the end of the year..."

Source: www.fedsmith.com

Social Security Payroll Tax, Payroll Taxes, Taxes,

CDC to start surveying nation's wastewater

Snippet of Article: "... The federal government plans to start surveying America's wastewater to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that they are creating a national database on wastewater data..."

Source: abcnews.go.com

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wastewater Analytics, wastewater data, National Database,

More dental and vision insurance plans to be offered for 2021 open season (Nov. 9 to Dec. 14)

More dental and vision insurance plans to be offered for 2021 open season

Snippet of Article: "...Those eligible for the FEDVIP program will be able to enroll, cancel or change their coverage during the 2021 open enrollment season, which lasts from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14 this year..."

Source: www.federaltimes.com

FEDVIP, 2021 open season, 2021 open enrollment season, dental and vision insurance plans, When is 2021 open season?,

DOJ charges former CIA, FBI official with selling classified US secrets to China

Snippet of Article: "...Federal prosecutors said Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a 67-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen living in Honolulu, worked as a CIA officer from 1982 to 1989 -- and starting as early as 2001, an FBI investigation found he had "become a compromised asset" of China's Ministry of State Security. Ma was allegedly captured on both video..."

Source: www.yahoo.com

DoJ, CIA, FBI, selling classified US secrets,

Employee bloated Postal Service loses $2.2B in 3 months as virus woes persist

Snippet of Article: "...DeJoy offered a gloomy picture of the 630,000-employee agency Friday in his first public remarks since taking the top job in June. “Our financial position is dire, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, a broken business model and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues,” DeJoy told the postal board of governors at a meeting Friday. “Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight,” DeJoy said..."

Source: www.wtnh.com

Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General DeJoy, Overtime Abuse, Postal buyout incentives, Too Many Senior Employees,

‘Drone Swarm’ Invaded Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant Last September — Twice

Snippet of Article: "...Documents gained under the Freedom of Information Act show how a number of small drones flew around a restricted area at Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant on two successive nights last September. Security forces watched, but were apparently helpless to act..."

Source: www.forbes.com

Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant, Freedom of Information Act, Drones, Security Breach, National Security Issues,

TikTok app to be banned on US federal employees' devices over data concerns

Snippet of Article: "...The "No TikTok on Government Devices Act" from Senator Josh Hawley was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs..."

Source: www.businesstoday.in

TikTok app

Thousands of federal immigration employees brace for furloughs

Snippet of Article: "..."Without congressional intervention, USCIS will need to administratively furlough a portion of our employees on approximately July 20," a USCIS spokesperson said..."

Source: www.msn.com

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),

Labor Department inspector general retires after warning of fraud

Snippet of Article: "...On Monday, Dahl and other officials from his office told a House oversight subcommittee that they've seen a "significant amount of fraud" in unemployment programs during the coronavirus pandemic. He told lawmakers that DOL punted on his recommendation that states should collect more earnings information from applicants to combat the fraud. Dahl also said he was "very surprised" that DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration had only issued one citation during the entire Covid-19 pandemic..."

Source: yahoo.com

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), US Department of Labor, Coronavirus, Pandemic, COVID-19,

TSA expected to soon offer early retirement to several workers

Snippet of Article: "...The Transportation Security Administration will soon offer early retirements to employees across the agency. TSA says it’ll share the details and terms with employees eligible for a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority some time next month. TSA tells Federal News Network that VERA offers won’t come with incentive payments. The agency had received early retirement authority through April 2021 from the Office of Personnel Management. Federal employees who have 25 years of service at any age or have 20 years of service and are at least 50 years old are usually eligible for a VERA..."

Source: federalnewsnetwork.com

TSA, Early Retirement 2020,

Microsoft slams Amazon’s latest protest over Pentagon cloud contract as ‘a way to avoid the consequences of its own bad business decisions’

Snippet of Article: "...Amazon is once again challenging the Department of Defense’s decision to award a $10 billion cloud contract to Microsoft. Amazon filed a protest of the award directly with the DoD after a federal judge temporarily paused litigation on a lawsuit filed last year..."

Source: www.msn.com

What Feds Can Do if Called Back to an Unsafe Workplace

Snippet of Article: "...a fearful worker could conceivably seek to continue their existing posture of full-time telework. “The reality for federal employees is that the government has discretion to determine whether or not to allow telework, but they cannot use that discretion in an inequitable manner,” Friedman said. “So the first thing that feds should focus on is if they’ve been allowed to telework up until now, and they’re suddenly told that’s going to be taken away, they should ensure that’s a policy issued to all employees and not just targeted toward some. If it is targeted, perhaps there’s a potential [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] issue or a prohibited practice issue.”..."

Source: www.govexec.com

telework, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Unsafe Workplace, Coronavirus, COVID-19,

Lexington federal prison with more than 90 COVID-19 cases agrees to test employees

Snippet of Article: "...local elected officials pressured the facility to release more information about its COVID-19 outbreak. After more than a week of providing little cooperation or information, officials at the Federal Medical Center on Leestown Road said they will test all employees at the prison. So far, only inmates showing symptoms of the disease have been tested, leaving employees to seek testing on their own..."

Source: www.kentucky.com

Testing vs Non-Testing for COVID-19, COVID-19, Coronavirus, Lexington federal prison,

U.S. Watchdog Agency Says Coronavirus Whistleblower Should Be Reinstated

Snippet of Article: "...U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) made a "threshold determination" that the Trump administration unlawfully sidelined disease expert Rick Bright because he "made protected disclosures in the best interest of the American public," Bright's lawyers said in the statement. OSC's recommendation is not binding on the administration..."

Source: www.nytimes.com

protected disclosures, 'in the best interest of the American public', Rick Bright, Whistleblower Protections,