Benefits

In addition to competitive salaries and cost-of-living increases, permanent Office of Water employees enjoy a variety of benefits:

Health and Life Insurance
Education and Training
Paid Time Off
Quality of Work/Life
Retirement

More on Benefits

For more information on benefits, visit the EPA Benefits webpage

Health and Life Insurance

Federal Employee’s Health Benefits (FEHB) Program

As an EPA employee you may enroll in a wide variety of fee-for-service plans or health maintenance organizations. There are no medical examinations or restrictions for pre-existing conditions under any health plan. The cost is shared between you and the government with the government paying approximately 72% of the total premium. In addition, you can use pre-tax dollars to pay for your share of the premium that is paid through payroll deductions. For more information about FEHB, visit the website (http://www.opm.gov/insure).

Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA)

HCFSAs set aside money, on a pre-tax basis, for many health costs that are not otherwise covered by your health plan. For more information, visit the website (http://www.fsafeds.gov ).

Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI)

FEGLI offers low rate life insurance with optional coverage for your spouse and children. Premiums are shared between the employee and the government. You can choose the amount of coverage to meet your individual needs. For more information, visit the website (http://www.opm.gov/insure).

Education and Training

Employee development and training are strongly encouraged. This can be done in a number of different ways – in the classroom, through developmental assignments, with a mentor and by attending conferences. The government will pay for training that enhances your skills on the job.

The Office of Water also sponsors the Water Careers Program, a professional development program that includes career planning, training, on-the-job growth and rotations, and one-on-one mentoring. Download a copy of the Water Careers Fact Sheet (MS Word, 45 KB)

Paid Time Off

Ten Paid Holidays Per Year
Annual Leave
Sick Leave

Ten Paid Holidays Per Year

New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King’s Birthday
President’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Annual Leave

You will earn annual leave every biweekly pay period based on length of service:

4 hours per pay period for your first 3 years of federal service.
6 hours per pay period for 3-15 years of federal service.
8 hours per pay period for more than 15 years of federal service.

You may carry forward 240 hours of annual leave to the next leave year.

Sick Leave

You will earn sick leave at the rate of 4 hours per biweekly pay period regardless of time in service. You will carry forward all unused sick leave from year to year.

Quality of Work/Life

The Office of Water is sensitive to the need to balance career and family. We offer a variety of programs to meet these needs:

Flexible work schedules
Transit subsidy
Fitness center
Childcare center
Childcare Tuition Assistance Program for qualifying employee
Leave bank for catastrophic leave demands

Retirement

The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is the retirement plan for those entering Federal service under a permanent appointment. FERS benefits are portable and allow employees to take an active role in securing their futures. FERS is a three-tiered plan composed of the following components:

Basic Benefit Plan: Establishes an annuity amount based on an employee's age, years of Federal service as of the effective retirement date, and average highest salary attained over a 3-year consecutive period. Disability benefits and benefits for survivors of federal employees and retirees are also provided.
Social Security: Benefit payments made from the Social Security Fund at retirement are based on an employee's age, type of benefit applied for, and earnings history from social security-covered wages.
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): The TSP is a tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) plans offered by private employers. Employees participating in the TSP can choose from several investment plans, including government securities, common stock funds, bond index funds, small capitalization stock funds, and international stock funds. The government contributes to the employees TSP. TSP now accepts rollovers from other 401(k)/qualified retirement plans.