What Long-Term Care Costs

Federal Handbooks on October 13, 2014

The cost of long-term care depends on where you live and the kind of care you receive. There are generally three kinds of long-term care: nursing home care, assisted living facility care, and in-home care. Nursing home care is the most intensive kind of care, and usually costs the most. Assisted living facility care is for people who do not need nursing home care, but who are unable to remain in their own homes. Home health care is the least expensive kind of care, and is generally for those who can still function well on their own, as long as they have some assistance from a home care worker.

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Supreme Court Upholds Whisleblower Protections

Federal Handbooks on June 24, 2014

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that government workers who speak out on issues beyond their own disciplines are protected against employer retaliation, a decision that encouraged advocates for federal whistleblowers.

The case — Lane v. Franks — involved Edward Lane, a youth program director at a community college in Alabama, who was fired by college president Steve Franks after he testified in a public corruption trial involving a state legislator on the college payroll who performed no work. Lane fired the legislator, Suzanne Schmitz, and she is now serving a prison sentence, according to a dispatch in The New York Times.

Lane was fired from his job and subsequently sued.

The Washington-based Government Accountability Project, which had filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Lanes side, welcomed the outcome on Friday.

All whistleblowers should be grateful that the Supreme Court recognized their indispensable role making a difference, GAP Legal Director Tom Devine said. If not for Mr. Lane, [Alabama] taxpayers [might] still be paying a so-called employee not to work. The court restored rights to state government workers that Congress already reinforced for federal employees in the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. The decision should be applied to all contexts where public employees bear witness by testifying under oath.

PS: While If you don’t think of whistleblowers as affecting your life, just consider all the US product recalls that happen each day, and the career to risk an employee could undertake to report such a problem to an federal agency.

US Department of Education – Education Benefits

Federal Handbooks on July 11, 2013

The US Department of Education, like many federal agencies, offers education benefits designed not only to provide financial assistance but to offer valuable experience. In many cases, these benefits are extended not only to agency employees, but to anyone who meets the qualifications.

Please note that qualification requirements for these benefits may change over time. Contact the agency directly with any questions or to apply.

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Federal Employee Temporary and Term Appointments

Federal Handbooks on April 16, 2013

Temporary and term appointments are used to fill positions when there is not a continuing need for the job to be filled. Neither type of appointment is a permanent one, so they do not give the employee competitive status or reinstatement eligibility. Because temporary and term employees do not have status, they may not apply for permanent appointments through agency internal merit promotion procedures, which are used for filling positions from the ranks of current and former permanent Federal employees. However, qualifying experience gained while employed in a temporary or term position is considered when applying later for a permanent position.

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