I know there is a lot going on and you just want to close your eyes and open them when its all over. But you probably can’t, so you should just pick the good stuff and ignore the rest. So I have helpfully included for you some of the good stuff you should definitely read. Take it from me, a person who posts stories on the Internet! 1. Cuts to your pay and benefits might happen in 2015 If there is one thing lawmakers from both parties can agree on for next year, its that there will be many attempts…

To the men and women of the Department of Defense: I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that this morning, President Obama accepted my letter of resignation. I have agreed to continue to serve as Secretary of Defense until my successor is confirmed by the United States Senate. You should know I did not make this decision lightly. But after much discussion, the President and I agreed that now was the right time for new leadership here at the Pentagon. I want you to know that I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together. We…

(Thank you to the Partnership for Public Service for providing the bios and the information.) The recipients of the thirteenth annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals are: William Bauman and Ann Spungen, Science and Environment Medal, Director and Associate Director, National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, New York City Individuals living with spinal cord injuries suffer from associated medical problems involving blood pressure, breathing, bladder control, heart disease, temperature regulation and non-healing ulcers—health issues that were long overlooked by the medical profession.…

Phased retirement has been a long time coming, and now that the Office of Personnel Management has announced that it will begin accepting applications from agencies Nov. 6, people have a lot of questions. Some of you have been frustrated by a lack of information from you agencies. We put together a few Q and As based off your questions, and have added links to relevant stories so you can have everything in one place. For any additional questions about phased retirement, feel free to add them in the comments. Phased retirement Q and A No. 1 Phased retirement Q…

We are all very busy people constantly strapped for time in an increasingly complex world. And all too often stuff falls through the cracks. But lucky for you I made a list of some of our stories from last week that you might want to read, just in case you didn’t get a chance to. 1. Years of budget cuts have pushed federal hiring to its lowest levels in almost 10 years, with nearly every agency seeing drastic drops in new employees. Which careers and agencies have seen the  biggest drops? Check out the story to see. http://www.federaltimes.com/interactive/article/20140724/MGMT03/307240012/Help-not-wanted-Budget-cuts-push-federal-hiring-10-year-low 2. After…