OPM Releases Results of 2021 Federal Employee Survey

deliberation by the full House and Senate.

RECOVER ACT

In the House, Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, and Dutch Ruppersberger, D-MD, introduced the RECOVER Act, H.R. 7657, on May 3. H.R. 7657 would provide extended availability of identity protection to individuals affected by the 2015 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach. Norton and Ruppersberger argued that the personal information stolen through the breach has “no shelf life,” so neither should the identity protection from Congress. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ACT

Rep. Connolly also introduced the Building the Next Generation of Federal Employees Act, H.R. 6104. This bill seeks to bolster federal internships by creating a Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center, codifying the Pathways Internship Program, building an online internship platform directed toward new generations of federal workers, and connecting highly qualified individuals with federal agencies. The bill would provide individuals who successfully complete a qualified federal internship program with five additional points in the competitive service examination. Rep. Connolly believes that the bill would “broaden the talent pool and broaden the opportunity, especially for those with disadvantaged backgrounds.” COR advanced the bill with a 20-15 vote on May 11.

FIRST RESPONDER FAIR RETIRE ACT

COR also advanced another Connolly bill, the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act, H.R. 521, in May. H.R. 521 would provide federal law enforcement and other public safety officers who are disabled during their time of service with the same special category retirement benefits when reassigned to a different civil service position that is not within their retirement category. Connolly noted that this “technical correction” would provide first responders with the “retirement promise” the federal government made to them.

FEDERAL FIREFIGHTERS FAIRNESS ACT

In a 288-131 vote, the House passed the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, H.R. 2499, on May 11. This bill would create a presumption of occupational illness for federal firefighters suffering from lung cancer, heart disease, and other specified cancers and infectious diseases. Currently, 49 states recognize certain cancers and illnesses to be work-related for their state and local firefighters. Thus, the bill aims to bring federal law in line with state guidelines. This presumption applies to workers with at least five years of service who become sick within 10 years of their work. The coverage extends to federal firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, rescue workers, ambulance personnel and hazardous material workers.

—BY HANNAH MCLAIN, GRASSROOTS AND PROGRAMS ASSISTANT

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released the results of the 2021 OPM Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) on April 28. FEVS is “an organizational climate survey administered to the federal workforce to provide agencies a snapshot of how their employees view their current work environment and help inform future agency actions.”

The 2021 survey was sent to more than 800,000 employees across the 10 largest agencies—a break from previous survey methodology. Overall, scores for employee engagement and global satisfaction were down from 2020, but OPM cited unique factors that could explain the drop, including a reduction in popular telework opportunities and the continuation of the pandemic. OPM also noted that the survey was conducted later than usual and for a shorter period due to the endof-year holidays.

Two statements receiving some of the highest level of agreement included “Employees in my work unit meet the needs of our customers” and “My supervisor treats me with respect.” However, the prompt “I believe the results of this survey will be used to make my agency a

COLA FROM P.13

Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Social Security COLAs. Without this amendment to the current system, FERS retirees will continue to see their annuities, earned through years of dedicated public service, decrease in value annually—the very issue COLAs were designed to prevent.

NARFE National President Ken Thomas issued a statement urging lawmakers to pass the Equal COLA Act, which would “result in more equitable COLA calculations for FERS retirees.”

—BY NARFE ADVOCACY STAFF

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LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER – A one-stop site to send a letter to Congress, and more, at www.narfe.org.

OPM FROM P.15

better place to work” finished last in agreement with 40 percent.

Concluding the survey results, OPM said, “Moving forward, federal leadership is taking steps to ensure successful hybrid workplaces and innovative workplace modifications are underway. A focus on metrics from the OPM FEVS, such as the Employee Engagement Index, in the President’s Management Agenda, will help focus and guide leadership to achieve successful initiatives. Times are changing. The ways in which managers lead and employees work are changing as well.”

—BY JOHN ROBERT AYERS, POLICY AND PROGRAMS ASSISTANT

Don’t Miss Our Fall 2022 Webinar Series

NARFE’S FALL WEBINAR SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER 14 New Mutual Fund Window

SEPTEMBER 29 To B or Not to B: Is Medicare Part B Right for You?

OCTOBER 13 Understanding Medicare Advantage

OCTOBER 25 Which FEHB Plan is Right for You?

Active Employee Edition

NOVEMBER 3 Which FEHB Plan is Right for You?

Retiree without Medicare Edition

NOVEMBER 17 So Many Choices: Which FEHB Plans Work Best with Medicare Parts A & B?

DECEMBER 14 Estate Planning

Online Q&A sessions follow each webinar. For details and to register, visit NARFE.org/Institute.

NARFE FEDERAL BENEFITS INSTITUTE

Questions? Members can call 800-456-8410 x2 or email NARFE’s federal benefits specialists for one-on-one help fedbenefits@narfe.org. Not a member? Join NARFE today at NARFE.org/Join.