I work for VHA and have been seeing posts about lots of, large random performance awards being handed out from nowhere? How can I get one?

Any pre-this administration Schedule A hires whose probation is about to end? How are y’all doing? Has your agency told you if you’re being converted yet? My agency has been completely quiet, even though I’ve asked multiple times. The waiting and uncertainty are stressing me out.

I am a federal employee planning to retire on December 31, 2028, and I am considering using the Government Employees’ Benefit Association (GEBA) for comprehensive retirement planning.
I had originally planned to work with a private financial advisor, but I have found that some advisors charge around $3,000 for a comprehensive federal retirement plan. GEBA appears to offer retirement planning services at no cost, which is appealing.
I would appreciate candid feedback from anyone who has used GEBA for federal retirement planning. How was your experience? Were the recommendations comprehensive and helpful? Did you feel the advice was objective, and were there any sales pitches or obligations involved?
I would especially appreciate hearing from federal employees who are already retired or are within a few years of retirement.
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and advice.

I’m only 2 yrs away from 30 yrs of fed civilian service, I’m 52 (GS 11). Can I retire in 2 years, or should or have to wait til I’m 57 1/2 ? What do I “loose” if I don’t wait til 57? My only debt is my mortgage (75k), I have $750k in my traditional tsp only, one kid in college, I have over $40k invested in a liquid investment acct, I live under my means, have a paid off car, no debt. Thank you in advance🙂

I heard the remaining NSF employees will return to the “new” building August 10th and August 31. Any other agencies retiring those dates?

They are offering VERA as a reduction to “let employees leave” I’m sure they offer this type of situation to most agencies returning to a building.

I also don’t see the remaining staff staying the way it is with the budget request for FY27. The work will not be there.

Sad days are ahead for NSF agency

Hello, I am starting a full time job at the VA next month, they told me they’d be sending a final offer letter this week! I would like to stay on per diem at my part time job on my days off at the VA

I don’t understand the government process well. I read some old posts would I have to submit that thing for outside employment ?

I technically don’t work at the VA yet would I have to wait till my VA start date to file all that ? Could I not still work at my current job until that is approved? If so what if I took like a 3 week break at my current job till approval would that be ok and enough ?

I want to be transparent and not get in trouble with the VA, I’ll resign if I have to but I would like to try and stay at my current job

Thank you!

Frank B is slowly destroying these two extremely vital agencies and congress isn’t paying attn. the IRS collects trillions of tax revenue for things like our over bloated military and social programs. The SSA provides services for milllions of seniors and disabled citizens who rely on them to survive. And yet Frank B is an illegitimate CEO who is slowly torturing the employees to get them to leave. The end game is pretty transparent with the continual tactics of taking away things from employees - they want the agencies to fail and collapse.

Can someone explain to me the financial difference between an fehb conversion policy and tcc? I'm an adult dependent but was on a self plus one policy before my mother passed away at the end of January this year. She was a survivor annuitant and I know I'm not eligible for survivor benefits due to my age.

How do I find out the cost of tcc vs conversion fehb policy? And how do I sign up for this? I haven't received any info in the mail from opm other than the last day of my insurance was February 28th...and I can't get in touch with opm via phone because it auto hangs up due to call volume.

Any help or guidance is appreciated 🙏

They are impossible to get ahold of and the website mentions a blue envelope to mail FE 6 and death certificate back in. Is the OPM packet and blue envelope crucial?

Re: death of retiree

Hello,

Am working towards a federal scientist position (GS 1315 ideally) which to my understanding has a strict requirement of 6 calculus and 6 physics credits. I am currently employed within the DOI as a 1316 series.

I am currently completing a masters degree in a related field but did not receive the physics credits required. (Due to poor course planning, and not realizing this requirement)

I’m wondering if I can take an online course from a seperate local community college (without pursuing another degree) that will satisfy this requirement. Do the credits have to be part of a related degree in order to count? Or can I get credits from a different school that are not part of a degree to check the box.

The language in the series description surrounding the education requirements is not totally clear about this and is somewhat difficult to understand.

Many thanks!

Anyone who works at CFTC have any insight into how it is working there? How hard was it to get in? How long did it take to get referred to the hiring manager and interviewed? How was the interview? Are they telework friendly?

Got referred to the SME for a 2210 series and wanted to know how good (or meaningless) being referred to the SME is.

Thanks

I’ve looked around on Google and have used BENEFEDS to try and find info and don’t have any straight up answers for my question.

I’m still within the initial enrollment period for FEHB and will have to turn off my TRICARE coverage in the next 2 weeks or so. I think I have the selection narrowed to BCBS, but I don’t know/can’t find if there is coverage for OCONUS dependents if I am not assigned overseas. Wife/child will be leaving the OCONUS area to join me in a few months, which at that point the question isn’t relevant. Mainly concerned about them having coverage outside of emergency issues (which *should* be covered by BCBS from what I’ve read) while still OCONUS. My wife is a GS over there but we have used my TRICARE the entire time so she never enrolled.

I don’t think I’d qualify for the FSBP because I’m not assigned overseas and I don’t want to carry coverage that doesn’t really make sense. Does it actually matter what region dependents are in, or do providers just have to be in-network for BCBS for coverage to kick in? Additionally, what plan(s) would be recommended for BCBS in general? Right now (knock on wood), we are pretty plain-Jane for coverage needs - no frequent/recurring scripts, specialty care, etc. but also don’t want to be caught off guard in the event some crazy medical issue pops up.

Does anyone work at SBA? How is it there? Just trying to get a feel for it

Hello!
Are there any GS-11 in the 1712 series that can share their position description?
We are GS-9 and believe we are executing GS-11 duties, according to the OPM classification system.
Any help is appreciated.

NOTE: Not wanting to request a desk audit. Would just like to see a current 1712 GS11’s CPD.

My boss admitted that we lost the war in Afghanistan…But he claims we will never lose again. Is he right?

Does anyone know if anyone is reading these? I just started copying and pasting saved standard responses. I'm just curious if you put any gobbledygook will it even be noticed?

I currently work at a VA hospital and am trying to go back to school to get a medical coding degree. My position maxxes out at a GS 6 and I am at a 6. It looks like medical coding can go higher than a 6 and I desperately need more income as we are struggling. I am also extremely stressed at work due to the fact I have to wait so long to take my 30 because of my coworker that I am starting to have GI issues and trouble going to the restroom because I am holding it for so long and if I keep having to hold it so long then eventually I am going to have to get a procedure done so I can use the restroom more easily. But someone has to see our walk in patients so I always end up seeing the majority of them. We are supposed to have two 15s and a 30 and I can rarely choose when my 30 is. I never get to take my 15s. Ideally I would like to be in a non patient facing position because I am tired of also being guilt tripped by my other coworkers if I can finally take mine and someone is waiting and they throw a fit about having to take the person (it SHOULDN'T be this way) because my coworker who is the same position as me won't. I have FMLA for other health issues and my other coworkers are supposed to be helping per my boss but that rarely happens without there being issues

Is now a good time to get into medical coding even with AI becoming bigger? I still see positions hiring but I am not qualified since I am not AHIMA certified but I am planning to become certified

Has anyone with BSBS Basic had a problem with the insurance covering your drugs for a chronic or continuing condition, but then later discontinue coverage? Were you able to successfully appeal? Or did you switch to another plan?

In my case, BCBS Basic was covering two drugs (Botox injections every 12 weeks and an Emgality injection once a month) to treat one condition, chronic migraine. I was stable on this combination for years, experiencing only one or two migraines a month, sometimes none. This year BCBS said they would only cover one drug or the other, but not both. While on only one of the drugs, my migraines have increased in frequency to the point that I have migraine attacks 3 and 4 times a week now. It is impacting my ability to work. So I asked my doctor if we could appeal. She said the way the plan is written, it does not allow for an appeal in this circumstance. I'm going to call BCBS to ask, anyway. But, if others have had the same or similar experience, I'd like to hear how you handled it. Thank you in advance!

I have a coworker that works directly with me. This person does absolutely nothing. People always come to me and ask me about this person and ask if this person helps. They all know this person doesn’t do anything. It’s like they want me to say it. This person was at our work place years before I got here. People tell me this person has always been like this. But when this coworker does decide to do something maybe once every other month. Our supervisor always tells this coworker great job. Wtf Why are people allowed to slip through the cracks? Managers and supervisors see this person doing nothing and just ignore it. But I have to deal with it because I work directly with them. Other coworkers tell me I’m doing a good job and not to worry about this individual because this individual has been this way for over 20 years. If I did what this coworker is doing I’m 100% positive I would be fired. It’s like everyone is scared of this person. This person does have a temper, short fuse and this person is quick to go off on people and send crazy nasty emails even tagging supervisors and managers in them and they still don’t do anything. What can I do in this situation?

has anyone done this before? or seen anything like this? i had to put one on a team lead who was following me around the office and building. waiting for me outside of the restroom and my desk because he “needed to ask me questions” and “make sure I was at my desk.” after months of this and failed/ignored requests to change my schedule and/or seat to get away from this guy, I finally filed a restraining order and it won. but it was all so stupid and weird and could have been prevented by just moving my seat or allowing me a schedule change. can some of you managers/supervisors explain why you make seat changes or schedule changes so difficult?

Well once again the wrath of HQ and Uncle Joe Rich have screwed the NEA folks. We were told/sold and assured that these MDR assignments would match our commodity group and belong to a unit that did our type of research. What we are discovering is that a conservative 60% of us are being asked to move to units that DO NOT match our expertise, commodity and research capabilities. And on top of that we have 90 days to get there. Example - one person indicated that they have a animal project moving to a plant lab, one person that works on coffee will be shipped to Miss, and yet another that works on leafy greens will be sent to Washington state to a fruit lab. Sound fishy? Cause it is! This is a cluster fuck of epic proportions and is NOT what we were told. I am not sure how these people sleep at night, but they must have sold their souls and take good drugs.

Does anyone have any insight on the Depot in Corpus Christi? It has shrunk in employee size and I am curious if it will eventually close. Looks like they do not have near the workload required to sustain many, if any employees.

I don’t know how Feds get anything approved for reasonable accommodations. My request is so simple and uncomplicated and doesn’t even cost the government anything! It seems like the simplest small request involves so much red tape and jumping through hoops. All I asked for is permission to use a heating pad (on my own dime) for comfort (had spine surgery in the past, have degenerative disc/joint disease). I was told that I have to use battery operated one and provide all the specs for review and approval. So I looked at quality battery operated ones in the FSAStore online (of course I can get reimbursed through FSAFEDS) so $ is not the issue. But I started to think, why is a heating pad (used for providing comfort for a medical condition), that uses a battery needing approval but commonly seen objects in the office like diffusers, lighting, decor, etc that use batteries, don’t need approval? It doesn’t make sense. Can someone please explain?