 PAY
For most SSA jobs, employees are paid according to the General
Schedule (GS) Classification and Pay System. Some salaries are adjusted
for locality. For information concerning other pay systems, contact the
Personnel Office.
- SALARY INCREASES - Under the GS classification and pay system, you
are eligible to receive within-grade increases until you reach the
highest step of your grade provided your performance is at the successful
level and you have completed the required waiting period.
- PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS - Deductions are made for Federal income tax,
State and local income taxes in some areas, Medicare and Social Security
and/or retirement. You may also authorize deductions for life insurance,
health benefits, Savings Bonds and the Combined Federal Campaign.
- DIRECT DEPOSIT OF SALARY PAYMENTS - The payroll office will send
all of your salary directly to a bank or other financial institution
for deposit in your checking and/or savings accounts.
-
PAYDAY - Every other Tuesday is designated as payday
for SSA Employees. Your salary payment will cover a 2-week pay period
ending 10 days before payday. On payday, you will get a statement
showing your gross and net salary as well as the amount taken out
for each payroll deduction. After the end of year, a Withholding
Statement (Form W-2) for use in preparing your income tax returns,
showing how much you earned and how much was withheld for tax purposes,
will be mailed to you.
PENSION PLAN
Newly appointed employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement
System (FERS). This is a contributory 3-tier plan providing retirement
income from a Federal pension, Social Security, and a Thrift Savings Plan.
NOTE: If you were employed by the Federal government in
the past, you may be covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)
or the CSRS Offset system instead of FERS. The disability and survivor
benefits shown are different if you are covered under CSRS.
THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN
The TSP is a defined contribution plan similar to the 401K plans offered
in the private sector. Contributions are made by payroll deduction.
Both the money that is contributed and the interest earned are tax-deferred.
Employees under FERS and CSRS/CSRS Offset are eligible to contribute
to the TSP. FERS employees receive an additional benefit through the TSP
matching program. The Agency will match up to 5% of basic pay to the employee's
account.
Employees are immediately vested in the TSP for their own contributions
plus earnings, and for any Government match plus earnings. FERS employees
are vested in an automatic 1% contribution made by the agency after
3 years.
GROUP HEALTH BENEFITS
A voluntary health insurance program is available to you and your family
for protection against the cost of illness and accident. You may select
from a variety of plans, including fee-for-service, health maintenance
organization, and point-of-service plans based upon your geographic location.
The cost depends upon the plan selected. The Government pays a portion
of the membership cost, usually about 70%. Your cost is deducted from
your bi-weekly pay.
GROUP LIFE INSURANCE
You may purchase group life insurance to provide life and accidental death
and dismemberment coverage.
There are two kinds of insurance available:
- BASIC COVERAGE - The amount of basic insurance available is directly
related to your basic salary. Coverage for the basic is automatic
unless you sign a waiver of coverage. The Government contributes approximately
20% of the cost for the basic coverage.
- OPTIONAL COVERAGE - If you are covered by basic insurance, you may
elect one or more optional insurance plans depending upon your personal
and family needs. Two options provide additional coverage on the your
life while another offers coverage for your spouse and/or eligible
children. You are responsible for the full cost of any optional insurance
elected.
INJURY COMPENSATION
PLAN
The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) provides pay, medical care
and assistance, vocational rehabilitation and reemployment rights if you
sustain a disabling injury while performing your official duties.
WORK SCHEDULE
Generally, employees work a full-time schedule of 5 days a week, 8 hours
a day. However, some employees work a part-time schedule from 16 to 32
hours a week.
- ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULE - Some SSA offices have alternatives to
a fixed work schedule. These alternatives take two forms, with some
variations-flextime with credit hours and compressed work schedules:
- Flextime refers to a variety of arrangements in which fixed times
of arrival and departure are replaced by a working day composed
of two different types of time-core time and flexible time. Core
time is the designated period during which all employees must be
present. Flexible time is designated as part of the schedule of
working hours within which employees may choose their time of arrival
and departure from the work site.
- Flextime with Credit Hours allows employees to work additional
time after completing their normal workday provided they have advance
approval from their supervisor. The additional time will be accrued
for employees to use sometime in the future.
- Compressed Work Schedule allows employees to work 8 9-hour days,
1 8-hour day and take 1 day off in a biweekly pay period or work
4 10-hour days each week of the biweekly pay period. Check with
the Personnel Office to determine the alternatives available.
LEAVE
Approved absence from work in the Federal government is called leave.
All leave must be requested in 15 minute increments and approved by your
supervisor. There are several types of leave:
- ANNUAL LEAVE - Used to take time off for rest and relaxation. Leave
is earned as follows:
Years of Federal Service |
Annual Leave Accumulated |
Less than 3 |
13 days a year |
3 through 15 |
20 days a year |
more than 15 |
26 days a year |
- SICK LEAVE - Used for the following reasons:
- Illness;
- Receiving medical, dental, or optical examinations;
- Presenting a health threat due to exposure to communicable diseases;
or
- Involvement in adoption-related activities.
A limited amount of sick leave may be used to provide care
for family members or for death of a family member. You earn 13 days of
sick leave a year and it may accumulate without limit.
VOLUNTARY LEAVE TRANSFER PROGRAM
The Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) provides for federal employees
to transfer an amount of their accrued annual leave to the annual leave
account of other employees who face qualifying medical emergencies. (This
emergency can either be one suffered by the employee or a member of his/her
family.) All SSA employees may participate in the VLTP. Additionally,
leave can be transferred to or from an employee in most other Federal
agencies.
FAMILY FRIENDLY LEAVE ACT
The Family Friendly Leave Act (FFLA) expands the use of sick leave by
permitting most full-time employees to use accrued sick leave to care
for a family member or for bereavement purposes.
FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with
entitlement to UNPAID leave during any 12-month period.
HOLIDAYS
The Federal government observes ten legal holidays.
TRAINING
On-the-job training is provided SSA-wide. It covers needed knowledge and
skills; i.e., clerical, technical, professional, managerial, etc., in
accordance with established management priorities and availability of
funds.
AWARDS
You are eligible for honorary and monetary awards that
are granted to recognize superior accomplishments.
COUNSELING
SERVICES
Depending on where you work, counseling services are provided to assist
employees with their career-related concerns and personal financial situations.
The Employee Assistance Program also provides direct counseling and referral,
management consultation, supervisory training, employee education and
outreach.
TRANSIT SUBSIDY
Under the Social Security Administration (SSA) Mass Transit Subsidy Program,
SSA will subsidize the cost of commuting expenses for certain SSA employees.
Those employees eligible to participate in the SSA Mass Transit Subsidy
Program, must commute to and/or from work on mass transit facilities and/or
by qualified vanpools, and must live or work in areas designated by the
Environmental Protection Agency as Extreme and/or Severe Ozone Non-attainment
areas.
SSA employees who work in the National Capitol Region (i.e.,
Maryland or Virginia counties, or the District of Columbia) are also eligible
to participate in the program.
top
of page
|
www.socialsecurity.gov
