October, 2006
Open Season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and the new supplemental dental/vision coverage will run November 13 through December 11, 2006.
OPM Announces the 2007 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Premiums
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently issued the 2007 premiums for the FEHB Program indicating that costs will rise an average 1.8 percent, marking the smallest rate increase in more than a decade.
OPM also reports that approximately 63 percent of FEHB program enrollees will not have a premium increase in 2007; another 15 percent will see a premium increase of less than 5 percent. The 2007 rate increase of 1.8 percent continues a trend of five consecutive years of declining average premium hikes. On average, employees will contribute 2.3 percent more to their health care, while the government contribution (roughly 72 percent) will increase by 1.6 percent. In 2002, the average premium increase was 13.3 percent; in 2006, the increase was 6.6 percent.
Below is the link to the complete OPM News Release:
http://www.opm.gov/news/opm-announces-18-percent-fehbp-premium-increase-for-2007 -marks-fifth-consecutive-year-of-declining-rate-hikes,1090.aspx
Link to 2007 FEHB Plan rates:
http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/07rates/index.asp
Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
OPM has selected the providers and announced the premiums for the new supplemental dental and vision benefits that will soon be available to Federal employees. We are eagerly awaiting the descriptions of the benefits that will be offered by each provider. To keep up on the latest developments, visit the OPM FEDVIP homepage at http://www.opm.gov/insure/dentalvision/.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
Part one of a two-part feature. Look for part two in the November edition of the CP Bulletin.
FSAs have been available to Federal employees since 2004. However, there are probably many federal employees who have yet to take the time to see if an FSA might be advantageous to them. An FSA is not an insurance plan. It allows you to pay for eligible out-of-pocket expenses using pre-tax dollars. You then file claims to reimburse yourself for those expenses. There are two types of FSAs - Health Care and Dependent Care. There is also a Limited Expense Health Care FSA (LEX HCFSA) for those employees enrolled in High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA). In this issue, we'll take a closer look at the Health Care FSA (HCFSA).
For example, let's say you spent $2,000.00 this year on out-of-pocket medical care for yourself and/or your family. This includes out-of-pocket medical and prescription co-pays, over-the-counter medications, vision and dental costs and various other out-of-pocket expenses. Figuring that your expenses for next year will be similar, you decide to open a HCFSA for 2007 in the amount of $2,000.
For each pay period in 2007, $76.92 will be deducted from your pay on a pre-tax basis and deposited into your FSA account. Your HCFSA is pre-funded. That means that the $2,000 is immediately available to you should you have eligible expenses to file against it. It acts like a loan as the funds are available upfront, yet your FSA deductions will be made throughout the year.
It also works like a savings plan. Once you have eligible expenses to claim, you can file for your reimbursement immediately as you incur expenses, claim all at the end of the year, or whenever you wish to receive your reimbursement. You will have until March 15, 2008, to incur eligible expenses against your 2007 HCFSA account. You must file all claims for your 2007 HCFSA account by May 31, 2008.
Several FEHB plans participate in "paperless reimbursement". This means that when you file claims with your FEHB plan, FSAFEDS will automatically reimburse your eligible out-of-pocket expenses based on the claim information it receives from your plan. You can opt in or out of paperless reimbursement at any time. If you wish to file claims when you wish to receive reimbursement (i.e., at a certain time or after a certain dollar amount has been reached), then you would not want to take part in paperless reimbursement. To learn more, or to see if your FEHB plan participates in paperless reimbursement, click on https://www.fsafeds.com/forms/paperlessreimb.pdf
Other important information on FSAs:
- When determining your HCFSA amount, be realistic and conservative. If you do not have enough eligible expenses by March 15, 2008, the remaining funds in the account are subject to forfeiture.
- For 2006, the maximum annual election for a HCFSA is $5,000; the minimum amount is $250.00.
- To view a list of services and expenses that are reimbursable under the FSAFEDS program, click on https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/eligibleexpenses.asp.
- For a HCFSA, you may submit claims for medical services and expenses incurred by yourself or any dependent that you are able to claim on your Federal tax return.
- You may not submit claims for benefits premiums or services and expenses that have been fully covered by any insurance.
- If you had an FSA account in 2006, you must reenroll during the open season if you wish to have an account in 2007.
- FSAs are not complicated, but there is important information that you should be aware of before you enroll. Please visit https://www.fsafeds.com to learn all you need to know about FSAs. If you are planning to retire in 2007 or if you are anticipating a period of Leave Without Pay in 2007, please review the FSA Web site for detailed information.
Next time, we'll discuss the Dependant Care FSA, which reimburses you for child care or adult dependent care. The DC does not include medical care for your dependents; you would use your HCFSA for medical expenses.
Direct injury compensation cost the Department of Defense (DoD) approximately $1.69 million every calendar day in 2004. With some creative and innovative approaches, the Heidelberg Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) was able to facilitate a placement that will reduce future costs by utilizing the DoD Pipeline Program.
The DoD Pipeline Reemployment Program, an initiative to assist with the reemployment process of partially recovered injured employees suffering from job-related injuries and illnesses, funds full-time employment for one year.
How important is it to take advantage of this program? Besides the obvious savings to DoD, the longer an employee is off work due to a work related injury, the more difficult it is to get him/her back to productive employment. This is no longer the case for one U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Heidelberg Germany employee.
Utilizing the tools available under the DoD Pipeline Program, Ms. Melody Armstrong, HR Specialist and Injury Compensation Program Administrator for the Heidelberg CPAC worked with the USAG Heidelberg Occupational Health Nurse, the Garrison commander and the reemployment supervisor to return an injured employee to work by creating meaningful employment around his abilities.
This initiative not only enabled reemployment of this employee; it also addressed a manpower need of the USAG Heidelberg Central In and Out Processing Center by creating a position to facilitate the community's need and support the warfighter. Ms. Armstrong's creativity and initiative in using the DoD Pipeline Program to return an injured employee to work may well result in savings of more than $1 million of potential worker's compensation costs to the Army and DoD.
The establishment of joint bases is an outcome of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 which includes the reduction of military installations. Under BRAC 2005, there are 26 installations identified which share a common boundary or are in close proximity and perform like services. The 26 installations will be merged to establish 12 joint bases. These joint bases will form by relocating installation management functions from one or more component(s) to a single supporting component.
The Joint Basing initiative will aid the Army in meeting our mission requirements and capturing potential savings for the Department of Defense (DOD) by eliminating redundancies. This movement will not impact the quality of service received on any installation. It will create installations that operate under a common set of standards, providing the most efficient service to our customers.
For over a year, the components have been working together to establish Common Delivery of Installation Support (CDIS) which includes the development of common output level standards, metrics, performance measures and cost drivers.
Three joint base test sites were selected to begin the process:
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and
- Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling-NRL.
These sites collected data, identified assumptions and obstacles and provided recommendations within their final reports. These reports were included in the framework necessary to implement joint basing and assist in making informed decisions.
The Joint Base Working Group established several sub-working groups to further identify and resolve issues prior to implementation. One of these is a Civilian Personnel Sub-Working Group. It includes members from the Civilian Personnel community of each component and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The group is chartered to determine a methodology/timeline for transferring installation support civilians to the lead component for those functions that are being transferred.
The sub-working group will review the timing and possible impacts of NSPS implementation, BRAC 2005 implications, and union contracts, as well as addressing many other issues. A detailed analysis of manpower and operational requirements will be conducted to quantify the manpower requirements following joint base implementation. Maximum use of proven policies and programs will minimize the impact on our civilian workforce. We expect supplemental guidance to be issued in the near future.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released for application the new Position Classification Functional Guide - Research Grade Evaluation Guide (RGEG). The new RGEG provides grading criteria for non-supervisory professional research positions in the engineering, medical, agricultural, mathematical, biological, and physical and social sciences. Coverage has expanded from just Psychology to research positions in all professional series in the 0100 Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Occupational Group, if they meet both of the stated coverage requirements.
Other significant changes include deletion of position coverage under grade GS-11, deletion of point gaps in the point/grade conversion chart, deletion of the "In Excess of Degree E "descriptions in factor levels, addition of new and updated research and technology terminology and processes, and deletion of some of the other explanatory material.
The new guide is available for downloading either directly from the OPM Web site at http://www.opm.gov/fedclass/html/whatsnew.asp or through the OPM portal at the CPOL Web site.
The Office of the Assistant G-1 for Civilian Personnel is issuing guidance to Major Commands with information and implementation instructions for applying the new guide. Application of the new guide to covered positions must be completed by September 22, 2007.
A Web-based tutorial for establishing performance appraisal is now available on the DoD NSPS Web site at http://www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps. This useful tool helps supervisors and employees familiarize themselves with the automated Performance Management Application. The tutorial has five lessons and takes about 40 minutes.
Supervisors and employees are encouraged to take the tutorial. It will save time and frustration when establishing performance plans. Printing the screen shots with text captions, will provide supervisors with a step-by-step guide on establishing a performance plan, forwarding it to the employee for input, incorporating the employee input, and finalizing the rating official piece of the performance plan.
Do not let the length of the guide be deterrence from using it; the pages are screen shots with short text content and many of the pages have only a few lines. The tutorial hard copy is also helpful to employees because it provides a step-by-step guide to review the rating official's working copy for the performance plan.
The tutorial demonstrates a three-step process to creating a performance plan which includes setup details, overview, and review:
- The setup details step guides the user through establishing the appraisal type, dates, and rating official.
- The overview step guides the user through entering organizational strategic goals (cut and paste), creating a job objective title, using the working version job objective text box to develop job objectives (may cut and paste), and exchanging input/feedback. In this step, the tutorial also guides rating officials to select contributing factors for each job objective. Weighting objectives is briefly discussed. (Department of Army requires that all job objectives be weighted.)
- The review step guides the user to review the document for accuracy.
The tutorial also demonstrates how employees can provide input/feedback through the system to the rating official, and how the rater finalizes the process.
Access to the Performance Management Application is available through two self-service portals. Employees can access the application through "My Biz," and rating officials can access it through "My Workplace." Before accessing the tool through either portal, users must register for My Biz and My Workplace.
Supervisors are advised to have the performance plans in place (hard copy using DD Form 2906, Mar 2006) as early as practicable after their NSPS training, but no later than the NSPS conversion. After the conversion, then cut and paste the information onto the automated performance plan. The Army is working with the DoD NSPS Program Executive Office to change this process slightly, so that the system would allow supervisor to access the automated performance plan prior to conversion.
The following article and image were contributed by Ms. Elaine Wilson from the Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office
An improvised explosive device may have robbed Delaney Rocky Perez of his military career, but an Army program has given Perez an opportunity to serve again - this time as a civilian. Perez is the first civil service employee hired at Fort Sam Houston through the Army Wounded Warrior Program. The program, dubbed AW2, is designed for Soldiers severely wounded in the Global War on Terrorism. AW2 provides information and assistance to aid Soldiers and their families through the recovery process and beyond, from medical evacuation to reintegration into the workforce.
"The program provides a great opportunity for us to recognize and hire warriors, like Rocky, who have sacrificed for our nation," said Sharon Ferguson, CPAC Director at Fort Sam Houston. "We're thrilled to bring him on board." Perez said he is just happy to be working again, particularly after spending the past three years on a physically and mentally challenging road to recovery. A roadside bomb ruptured Perez' right eardrum and riddled his body with shrapnel, one piece missing his main artery by only two centimeters. Perez was medically evacuated to Baghdad for emergency surgery, then to Landstuhl, Germany. His journey ended at Brooke Army Medical Center, about 65 miles north of his hometown of Three Rivers, Texas. With ongoing medical problems, Perez medically retired from the Army in 2006.
His military service may have ended, but his desire to serve did not. "I heard the Army was looking for wounded Soldiers to serve in civil service jobs. I jumped at the opportunity to work in a secure job that is still contributing to the military," he said.
Perez submitted a resume to the AW2 program, and it wasn't long before he was matched up with a job at Fort Sam Houston.
Tim Winter, AW2 labor liaison specialist at the program's headquarters in Alexandria, Va., said, "Our goal is to get AW2 Soldiers seeking employment connected with employers, whether federal service, a corporation or state or local entity." Winter said the process took "good coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Civilian Human Resources Agency and the CPAC."
"These young Soldiers join the military to serve their country, are injured in war, then what do they do? This program allows us to take those Soldiers, who have sacrificed so much, and give them a job opportunity, a chance to use their skills," said Eugene Hill, human resources specialist at the FSH CPAC. The hiring process was a challenge, particularly since we had never hired anyone through the program here. We had to deal with paperwork issues along with garrison funding restraints, adding that Perez has been the only exception to the garrison's hiring freeze.
With one job placement under their belts, CPAC officials are looking to expand on their success - they have already started the process to hire an amputee. "It's an opportunity to show how much we appreciate what they've done. And, on their end, it's an opportunity for them to show us what they can do."
For more information on the program, call an AW2 liaison at 1-800-237-1336 or visit http://www.aw2.army.mil.
The Europe Civilian Personnel Operations Center (CPOC) formed an Employee Development and Training Workgroup as a result of an offsite strategic leadership meeting held earlier in the year. The workgroup generated a number of ideas and developed programs to help encourage, train and develop the workforce. The CPOC has linked these programs under the unified theme of "getting connected to our mission, each other, and ourselves." The theme reminds all CPOC employees that they are an organization of diverse people, divisions, and branches connected together as we work towards a common mission.
Other initiatives recently launched were a "Job Shadowing" program and a "Lunch & Learn" presentation. The first lunch & learn presented by Douglas Roberts, Civilian Human Resources Specialist, focused on the organizational and rank structure of the U.S. Army. It also provided a brief historical perspective of Army achievements and connected current NSPS initiatives with the efforts of General George Marshall who in the later part of the 1930's lobbied Congress to promote officers on merit (performance) instead of seniority. The session was well received by the staff.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been looking for various ways to hire back retirees to aid in response and recovery efforts due to natural and man-made disasters. In early 2005 the U.S. Army Humphrey's Engineer Center Support Activity (HECSA) Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) director was asked if the CPAC would "test" central hiring of re-employed annuitants for all of the USACE districts. Because the HECSA CPAC services the USACE Headquarters Nationalized positions and centrally services the Gulf Region and Afghanistan it seemed like a perfect fit.
As Edward J. Hecker, Chief, Office of Homeland Security and Provost Marshall said, "As our missions expand under the National Response Plan, and as we look at the expeditionary force we're developing under the USACE Campaign Plan, we need to use our work force to meet the need during an emergency, and still accomplish our primary missions in civil works and military programs." Hecker added, "Our retirees were one clear area where we could develop a contingency workforce."
"First, our retirees are a great asset," said Don Binder, the Program Manager, "Second, many of them had experience dealing with disasters when they were full-time employees. And third, every retiree we deploy is one less permanent Corps employee we have to deploy. Our retirees can either deploy directly, or can backfill for a full-time employee who is downrange."
Working between the program manager, the HECSA CPAC and the North Central Civilian Personnel Operations Center, we have hired approximately 450 retirees, of whom over 250 have actually deployed for one to six months, doing work across a wide spectrum, including administrative, security, logistics, real estate, internal review, quality assurance, quality assurance supervisors, project engineers, cost engineers, area engineers, and NEPA compliance officers. They are all on intermittent appointments, so we only activate them when needed. The overhead cost is also minimized as they do not receive and benefits.
After the Hurricane Katrina hires were accomplished and the aftermath of the storm quieted down, Mr. Hecker was given a decision brief where he determined the "test" was a success and the program would remain centralized with servicing from the HECSA CPAC and North Central CPOC. In addition, the program has grown from Hurricane Relief to Disaster Relief and is now a year round program. New hires will grow to 1000 in 2006 and up to 1500 in 2005.
Northeast Civilian Personnel Operations Center (NECPOC) employees celebrated the organization's tenth anniversary on Aberdeen Proving Ground with remarks from past and present leaders and nostalgic memorabilia. The event was held August 2nd at the Post Recreation Center. The event focused on paying tribute to the foundation of the past and recognizing current and future challenges.
Bill Stafford, Deputy Director and Master of Ceremonies for this event, opened the ceremony by welcoming the first NECPOC Director, Mike Vajda who is currently the Director of the Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA). In addition to remarks from Mr. Vajda on highlights of the early days, Leslie McGlothlin, the current CPOC Director, spoke about life in the CPOC today and Joe Levy, Director of the Northeast Region, shared his thoughts on changes and challenges that might be faced in the future.
The program included a parade of employees displaying the emblems of all the Civilian Personnel Advisory Centers in the Northeast Region in the order in which they were incorporated into the NE Region. This was followed by a video detailing the NECPOC's first ten years, and a performance by the NECPOC Civilian Soldier Drill Team.
Also recognized during the program were those individuals who came to work with the NECPOC during its stand-up phases in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The first NECPOC employee, Dolores McGee, was given a special presentation, as was Robin Poe who designed the new emblem for the organization.
The formal program concluded with a second video, which celebrated the contributions and sacrifices of our Soldiers.
A reception was held following the program where the past was celebrated with a memorabilia table of photos albums depicting all the organization's major events over the past 10 years as well as two video screens displaying the original NECPOC ribbon cutting ceremony and the original bid package video.
Debbie Jennings, the project manager of the event, stated, "The Soldier is better off in the field because of what we do at our desks."
If you are preparing to retire, please note that the Army Benefits Center-Civilian (ABC-C) strongly recommends that you submit your retirement application package to them within 90-120 days of your intended retirement date.
Your early submission will help to ensure a timely receipt of your first annuity payment from the Office of Personnel Management. If you submit your retirement package to the ABC-C with less than 60 days notice, you should be financially prepared for a possible delay in the receipt of your first annuity payment.
Although there are circumstances that may cause a delay in an employee's application submission, the ABC-C strives to complete all packages expeditiously. However, employees are encouraged to follow the ABC-C's 90-120 day recommendation whenever possible to help achieve a smooth financial transition into retirement.
For more information on retirement, visit the ABC-C Web site at https://www.abc.army.mil and check out the Guide to Retirement at https://www.abc.army.mil/Information/ABCRetirement/Information/RetirementGuide.doc.
After a career spanning nearly 34 years as a Department of Army civilian, Julian P. Jones, known throughout the human resources (HR) community as JP, turned in his retirement papers and turned his talents to other pursuits.
JP served in a number of key jobs at all levels within Army, ending a highly successful career in his last position as CHRA Regional Director - Korea. He worked in several HR functional areas; served a tour in Germany; and held the position of Director, U.S. Army Civilian Personnel Agency (CPEA), Office of the Assistant G-1 for Civilian Personnel.
As his legacy, JP leaves significant improvements to the productivity and customer care of the CHRA -Korea workforce. While Director of CPEA, he streamlined the evaluation process and reduced on-site evaluation time by 50 percent by leveraging available technology. His outstanding leadership reflects his dedication, professionalism, and commitment to Army. The Army family will miss JP's expertise. We wish JP, his wife Julie and their children all life's best as JP transitions into retirement life and other fulfilling endeavors
This section of the bulletin is dedicated to providing information regarding retirements, promotions, deaths, etc. of those in our civilian personnel community. If you have information of this nature you would like included, please contact the editor at the address below.