FEDERAL EMPLOYEE RIGHTS: NOW AND LOOKING AHEAD

Kevin Shehan, employment law attorney specializing in federal employee rights and issues, joined me on the podcast to discuss the topics in the news (changes from the VA Accountabilty and Whistleblower Portection Act of 2017, Schedule F and DOGE), as well as your currrent rights as a federal employee.

Please note: this episode is not an ad, is not legal advice, and is NOT an endorsement of any political ideology or candidate. The goal here is to ensure you get information to be well-informed about your employment rights. 

You can find Kevin here.

Tony Zerante, Chief Strategy Officer at WAEPA (Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies), joins Love to discuss the life and disability insurance benefits exclusively offered to current and former Civilian Federal Employees. Hear the updates on their products, giveback program, and the history behind this legacy non-profit organization.

To learn more about WAEPA and its partnership with Ernst & Young, visit the links below.

WAEPA Main Site

https://www.waepa.org/resources/financial-wellness-for-federal-employees/

Join Love on this episode of the FedUpward podcast as she chats with Shawn Welsh, Founder and Co-Host of the VET S.O.S. podcast. A retired Army veteran with over 20 years of intelligence experience, Shawn shares his journey from military service to content creation and the founding of VET S.O.S.

Shawn and his team are dedicated to connecting veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with critical support organizations and resources. With advanced leadership expertise and a passion for helping others, Shawn’s mission is to empower the veteran community and their families. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation!

https://vetsospodcast.com/

Shawn's a prolific LinkedIn poster, so follow him there!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwelsh00/

John Hatton, Staff Vice President of Policy and Programs at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) joined me on the podcast to discuss what NARFE is, does and how it can help you. He also discussed the ups and downs of this year's FEHB open season.

https://www.narfe.org/membership-who-can-join/?utm_source=7M6&utm_campaign=NARFE_GoogleAds_Join_Search_09262023&gad_source=1 

Kevin Moss of Consumers'Checkbook is on the show to talk about the major changes in health insurance options. It's open season, y'all! Even if you love your plan, shop around.  Open Season ends on December 9th. 

His organization offers an amazing calculator that can help you make the best choice for your family. Listeners of the podcast get a discount using the code FedUpward to get 20% this already well-priced tool!

Find the calculator here.

Virginia Blaser, former senior Department of State official, walks feds through her tips for managing the performance appraisal cycle. She literally wrote the book on questions to ask employees throughout the year to help them develop and achieve their goals. You can find it here.

Watch the video of our conversation here.

Working with folks 20 years older, 20 years younger and all ages in between? Dr. Russell Robinson of American University's Key Executive Leadership Program and Amplified Research  

talks about working with SO MANY different generations of folks. Listen to Russ' wisdom and how you can learn more at Key.

Robyn Kehoe, executive director for the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund joined me on the podcast to discuss how FEEA supports federal employees in need of disaster relief assistance. FEEA provides small grants to feds who need immediate cash infusions to get shelter, beds, clthing, etc. Get more dteails about applying and donating here:

https://feea.org/our-programs/disaster-relief/

Robyn also covers the other great services FEEA offers including tutoring for children of feds and scholarships for feds and their families.

Meet Sean Michael Newhouse. He's a reporter for GovExec and put out videos recently about the Hatch Act that are far more entertaining than our normal annual training. You can catch that content here. In this episode, he explains the basics of the Hatch Act and what it's like working for GovExec.

Learn more about his GovExec work at this link. And here's his latest story.

On September 11, 2024, Jackie Garrick and team will host the Workplace Promise Instittute. Jackie founded Whistleblowers of America, nonprofit organization assisting whistleblowers who have suffered retaliation after having identified harm to individuals or the public. Her experience as a federal employee led her to create a network of support for whistleblowers. The conference on the 11th will explore legal protections, resources available to whistleblowers and a chance to network with people who have been through the process.

Learn more about WOA here.

Register for the conference at this link.