Federal Daily - November 4, 2009

TSP Returns for October 2009

Rates of Return were updated on November 2, 2009.

The monthly G, F, C, S, and I Fund returns represent the actual total rates of return used in the monthly allocation of earnings to participant accounts. The returns are shown after deduction of accrued TSP administrative expenses. The F, C, S, and I Fund returns also reflect the deduction of trading costs and accrued investment management fees. The most current G, F, C, S, and I Fund rates of return are shown above. Returns are updated after the monthly allocation of earnings, usually by the fourth business day of the month.

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OPM Chief Promotes Discussion to Devise New Merit System

The federal personnel system is “broken,” the government’s top human resources officer said Monday at the Maxwell School of public affairs at Syracuse University. In a policy address titled “A Merit System for the 21st Century?”, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry offered a collection of “what if?” propositions for updating the way the federal government appraises and rewards merit to hire and promote employees. “Five decades after the last major attempt at pay reform, the cracks are showing,” Berry said. “A significant and growing number of our employees are not in the GS pay system. This system cannot stand another three decades, let alone five. We could limp along for a few more years in the current GS system, or we can seize this moment to build something new.” Among the potential solutions Berry offered to replace the current “meticulously parsed grades and steps” of the GS system was a simplified three-stage career ladder along the lines of “apprentice, journey-level, and expert.” But Berry emphasized that his main focus right now is to open the topic for discussion and stimulate others to offer suggestions. Alyssa Rosenberg, writing in Government Executive, said Berry told the publication that it remained to be seen if the more general principles he alluded to in his speech would coalesce into something more definite in the days ahead. The Maxwell School posted a video of the speech online on Tuesday. To see the video, go to: http://www1.maxwell.syr.edu/.

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Union Seeks Info on Alleged ‘Forced Distribution’ of Ratings at EPA

The American Federation of Government Employees on Nov. 2 filed an information request with the Environmental Protection Agency following employee allegations that a supervisor reduced performance ratings under a policy of “forced distributions.” The union action sought EPA internal memoranda after agency employees complained that although they merited “outstanding” ratings, they were given lower ratings by a supervisor, said John O’Grady, president of AFGE Local 704 (EPA Region 5–Chicago). Along with the lowered rating, those employees allegedly received a note of apology that claimed the supervisor had been instructed to limit the number of outstanding ratings per section, branch and division, O’Grady said. “AFGE Council 238 believes that the agency is in violation of Federal Regulation 5 CFR 430.208(c), which specifically prohibits such forced distributions,” O’Grady said. The Office of Personnel Management in the past has said that any limitations on ratings used by an agency’s appraisal program are not permitted by law, AFGE said. To see more, go to: www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=1069.

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Military Health Experts to Hold On-line ‘Town Hall’ Meeting on H1N1

Military Health System experts will host an online town hall-style meeting Nov. 10 to answer questions about the H1N1 influenza and to discuss ways that servicemembers and their families can keep from catching it. The Web forum will run from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST, but servicemembers, their families, health-care providers and DoD civilians may submit questions prior to the meeting using the comments box at www.health.mil/flu. MHS said the experts will try to answers as many of the questions submitted in advance as possible—as well as address questions asked throughout the forum. A transcript of all questions and answers will be posted to the site after the event. Experts from the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness, the Military Vaccine Agency, TRICARE Management Activity and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to participate, MHS said in a Nov. 2 statement. Forum participants are asked to limit questions to H1N1-related topics and to refrain from disclosing personal information. To see more, go to: www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=1008 or www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123175646.

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