Shipyards, military clinics exempted from Pentagon hiring freeze
Advocates praised defense leaders for excluding shipyard workers and other key readiness jobs from a department-wide hiring freeze.
VA leaders announce end to all transgender-related care for vets
Department leaders promised to continue to provide necessary care to transgender veterans even after the rule changes.
Special Features
Open Season Coverage
Tips, tricks, and other information to help you navigate Open Season.
Federal workers, both Democrat and Republican, eager to vote this fall
Past behavior shows this population will show up big at the polls. How feds will vote is less clear.
Office reentry pushing feds to job hunt, Federal Times survey shows
Of those who left their government job, more than a third said the ability to work to telework was the deciding factor.
‘No greater honor’: Federal retirees proud of public service in survey
A desire to serve the public principally motivated many of the more than 530 respondents to pursue a career, long or short, in the federal government.
Latest
Congress faces Friday budget deadline to avoid government shutdown
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 10, 2025.
Congress readies troop pay protections as federal shutdown looms again
If lawmakers do not pass a new budget bill by March 14, funding for most federal programs and serives will run out.
VA to speed up health records system rollout, with new sites this year
A previous plan to deploy the controversial health records system to more VA hospitals in mid-2026 was short-sighted and slow, the new VA secretary said.
VA secretary insists massive staff cuts needed to refocus department
Secretary Doug Collins confirmed leaders are looking at trimming 80,000 workers to slim down the growing VA bureaucracy.
Trump speech to Congress expected to key on Ukraine, national security
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 3, 2025.
Disabled vets continue to struggle finding post-military employment
The latest survey by Wounded Warrior Project shows a higher unemployment rate for disabled veterans than their civilian peers.
VA fires 1,400 more staffers in second round of workforce reductions
About 2,500 VA workers have been forced out of their jobs in the last few weeks.
VA secretary emphasizes reforms, accountability for federal workforce
In his first public address to a veterans group, Doug Collins outlined plans to broaden VA benefits and cut back bureaucracy.
Cuts to staff, budget will boost military strength, Hegseth says
Hegseth promised to reinvest budget savings in other military programs and jettison civilian workers who are not living up to expectations.
VA leadership nominee grilled over recent department layoffs
President Donald Trump nominated Paul Lawrence to serve as the second-highest leader in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Federal Oversight
Shipyards, military clinics exempted from Pentagon hiring freeze
Advocates praised defense leaders for excluding shipyard workers and other key readiness jobs from a department-wide hiring freeze.
Retirement
Ask Reg: Can I negotiate my federal salary offer?
Departments and agencies vary in the latitude they give their supervisors and managers to vary the step they offer to a prospective employee.
Ask Reg: How long does it take to be vested for federal pension?
A reader asks if their military service counts toward their retirement eligibility.
Ask Reg: The process for counting active duty time toward retirement
A reader asks what documents are needed to prove the time acquired while in the armed forces.
Your Career
Ask Reg: Can I stay on FEHB self-plus-one if spouse moves to Medicare?
A reader asks when he can shift back to self-only coverage once his spouse moves to Medicare.
Ask Reg: Social Security says I’m subject to Windfall Elimination. Why?
There have been ongoing attempts in Congress and by financial advocates to repeal the WEP.
Ask Reg: Does my military buyback count toward my retirement service?
A reader who wants to apply for deferred retirement wonders if their military buyback counts toward their service time.
Pay and Benefits
Vets may see only a small cost-of-living boost in benefits next year
An outside watchdog estimates the benefits adjustment will be less than 3% in 2025.
Management
Uncertainty is the only constant in the Pentagon’s budget outlook
“It’s going to be kind of a disaster,” one military official said about the lack of a full budget, which means more limits on how the Pentagon spends.
AI and IT
Russian hackers infiltrate Veterans Affairs via Microsoft account
The state-sponsored hacker infiltrated a platform called Microsoft Azure Government, which provides storage, databases and other services to the VA.
By Zamone Perez
