Summary of Benefits

As an employee of the USGS, your compensation is more than a paycheck. You receive a competitive benefits package designed to meet the needs of today's diverse workforce as described below:

For New Employees on STEP or SCEP Appointments under the
Student Employment Educational Program (SEEP)
STEP	SCEP	BENEFIT
Yes	Yes	SALARY INCREASES - Federal employees usually receive a cost of living increase each year, effective in January. Congress and the President set the amount of this increase. Locality pay also provides higher salaries for employees who work in higher cost-of-living areas. See U. S. Office of Personnel Management Information on Federal Pay for further information.
	Yes	GS SALARY (STEP) INCREASES - In addition, all SCEP employees, whose performance is satisfactory, are eligible for periodic pay increases called "within-grades." Each grade range of the General Schedule pay scale is divided into ten steps and employees' salaries progress up the steps based on their length of service.
Yes	Yes	WG SALARY (STEP) INCREASES - STEP employees in wage graded positions are eligible for periodic increases.
	Yes	GENEROUS RETIREMENT BENEFITS - Permanent and SCEP employees new to the Federal Government are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and Social Security. These two programs provide a basic level of retirement or disability income, as well as survivor benefits for the spouse and children of a deceased employee.
	Yes	THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN - After an initial waiting period of six to twelve months, FERS employees may contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a tax-deferred retirement savings and investment program similar to a 401(k) plan. More information about TSP is available from the Thrift Savings Plan Website
	Yes, however you must plan to be in the SCEP program for at least one full year	HEALTH INSURANCE - The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program is considered by many health care experts as one of the best in the nation. The government pays an average 70 percent of premiums and accepts pre-existing medical conditions. Employees may choose from a number of fee-for-service plans and health maintenance organizations (HMO's). Employees may also choose to cover eligible family members. Employees who are enrolled in the FEHB for at least the last five years before they retire may continue their enrollment throughout their retirement. The Government continues to pay the same share of the premiums as for active employees.
Yes		DELAYED HEALTH INSURANCE - STEP employees are eligible for coverage under the FEHB after one year of continuous service. You can cover yourself and your eligible family members; however, you must pay the full cost for the health plan chosen.
	Yes	LIFE INSURANCE - Full-time and part-time SCEP employees are enrolled in the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program. They are automatically covered (no physical required) by the basic insurance amount, unless they choose to waive coverage. The basic insurance amount is the employee's annual salary rate rounded up to the nearest thousand, plus $2000. The Government pays one third of the premium for the basic insurance. New employees may choose to also enroll in various coverage options, up to 5 times their annual salary. STEP employees are not eligible for Life Insurance.
Yes, in most cases	Yes, in most cases	FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS - Most full-time USGS employees can take advantage of flexible hours to avoid peak traffic periods or to meet their personal needs. Arrival times can vary between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and a midday flexible time band from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. allows for an extended lunch break; the standard lunch break is a half-hour. Some offices allow compressed work schedules, such as nine-hour days with a three-day weekend in alternating weeks.
Yes	Yes	HOLIDAYS - Full-time employees have ten paid holidays a year, including New Year's Day, Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Part-time employees will also be paid for the number of hours they are scheduled to work on these ten holidays.
Yes	Yes	EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM - Employees and their family members are eligible for confidential counseling by professional counselors who can help you deal with personal problems. Services vary by location.
Yes	Yes	MEDICARE - Employees contribute 1.45% of salary to Medicare and may be eligible for hospital insurance benefits through the Medicare program at age 65.
Yes	Yes	LEAVE - The two primary kinds of leave are annual (vacation time) and sick leave. Employees earn annual leave at rates depending on their length of service. For their first three years of full-time employment, you earn 104 hours of vacation a year. From 3 to 15 years of full-time service you earn 156 hours a year. Employees with more than 15 years of full-time service earn 208 hours a year. You are also allowed to accrue leave and carry 240 hours of leave into the next year.All full-time employees accrue sick leave at the rate of 4 hours per 2-week pay period.Leave accrual for part-time employees is prorated based on the number of hours they are scheduled to work, e.g. half-time employees earn leave at half the rate of full-time employees.Additionally, USGS has a Leave Share Program that allows employees to donate their vacation time to other employees who have a medical emergency. USGS follows the Family Medical Leave Act, authorizes leave without pay, Military Leave, Court Leave, and other Excused Absences.
Yes	Yes	CREDIT FOR MILITARY SERVICE - Employees who have served on active duty with the United States military services can receive credit for their military time toward leave accrual and retirement. (A deposit may be necessary to cover retirement contributions not made during this time.)
Yes	Yes	CREDIT UNION - Employees and their family members are eligible to join the Federal Credit Union at various locations throughout the country. The credit union provides savings, checking, loans, and other financial services to members.
Yes	Yes	WORKERS COMPENSATION - Employees who are injured on the job may receive benefits through the provisions of the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA). FECA provides medical benefits, compensation for loss of earning capacity, and death benefits for the family of an employee who dies from employment-related injury or disease.
Yes	Yes	ELECTRONIC DEPOSIT - Employees' pay is deposited directly into their accounts at their chosen financial institutions on each scheduled payday. You can also elect to have automatic withdrawals to pay for bonds, loans or allotments of your choice.
Yes	Yes	TUITION ASSISTANCE - Employee under the SEEP program may be eligible for tuition assistance.
Yes	Yes	TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES - Training can include on-the-job training, seminars, and classroom studies.
Yes	Yes	MOBILITY OPPORTUNITIES - If you want to move to another office within our organization (because of switching studies, schools, or simply because your interests have changed), we have many possibilities for movement available to you. This includes both internal and external movements within the Federal Government as well as geographical movements within the same organization.