Federal Handbooks

After serving in the military, many service members believe that a natural transition for their career is a job with the federal government. The path to a job is not always smooth, however, for those seeking employment with the federal government. For those unfamiliar with the system, it can sometimes seem that the hiring process is not of this planet.

Q:  Are federal civilian employees authorized break times other than lunch?

A: Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), federal law considers the breaks as compensable work hours that would be included in the sum of hours worked during the work week and considered in determining if overtime was worked. Unauthorized extensions of authorized work breaks need not be counted as hours worked when the employer has expressly and unambiguously communicated to the employee that the authorized break may only last for a specific length of time, that any extension of the break is contrary to the employer’s rules, and any extension of the break will be punished.

Bona fide meal periods (typically lasting at least 30 minutes), serve a different purpose than coffee or snack breaks and, thus, are not work time and are not compensable.

The Federal Employees Retirement System, or FERS, became effective January 1, 1987. Almost all new employees hired after December 31, 1983, are automatically covered by FERS. Certain other Federal employees not covered by FERS have the option to transfer into the plan.

Here are the Federal Leave days for 2022, a per the OPM.

Long-term care is the kind of care that you would need to help you perform daily activities if you had a chronic illness or disability. It also includes the kind of care you would need if you had a severe cognitive problem like Alzheimer’s disease. It is help with eating, bathing and dressing, transferring from a bed to a chair, toileting, continence, and so forth.

Generally, if you are a Federal employee or annuitant, you share the cost of your health benefits coverage with the government as your employer. Temporary employees, former spouses enrolled under spouse equity provisions, and most persons covered under temporary continuation of coverage (TCC) do not receive a government contribution towards the cost of their health benefits.

Blowing the whistle on wrongdoing at the Department of Veterans Affairs can mean risking everything from losing a job to losing the respect of co-workers. But in fighting whistleblower retaliation today, the Office of Special Counsel hopes future whistleblowers will come forward without fear of punishment.

Eric Bachman, OSC deputy special counsel for litigation and legal affairs, said that the agency’s success in restoring jobs and back pay to 25 whistleblowers has helped get the word out to workers who know about workplace wrongdoing, but don’t know where to go.