United States Environmental Protection Agency Issue No. 13 October 25, 1982 Page ^9 v>EPA TIMES A PUBLICATION FOR EPA EMPLOYEES Personnel The EPA Hotline HEALTH BENEFITS OPEN SEASON: NOVEMBER 22-DECEMBER 10 A Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) "open season" will be held November 22 through December 10, during which time eligible employees may make changes in their health benefits enrollment or enroll if not already participating. Changes made during this period will become effective on the first day of the first pay period of 1983. The first 1983 EPA pay period begins Sunday, January 9. The Office of Personnel Management has announced that 1983 benefits for most plans will be equivalent to those currently offered. Premium rates are expected to rise, however, an average of 24 percent, with only a few plans actually decreas- ing premium rates. (See back page for the unofficial 1983 rates for some of the more popular insurance carriers.) Plan brochures and rate charts will be available in early November. Employees will want to closely review these mate- rials as rate increases, like benefits, are not uniform. LIFE INSURANCE If you have life insurance under the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Pro- continued on page 52 EPA's Hotline program, a means by which employees and the public can report fraud, waste, or abuse of Federal regulations, seems to be doing its job well, according to the Inspector General's Office. The number of calls received by the program to- taled 95 in the six-month period ending September 30. The Hotline numbers (FTS 382-4977 or toll-free 800-424-4000) have been repeatedly publicized this year, in a memo to employees last July, a pay stub message that month, and numbers on the inside cover of the Autumn 1982 EPA phone book. In addition, a national newspaper also printed the EPA number along with those of other Federal agencies this year. Matthew N. Novick, Inspector General, wants to remind EPA employees that they are specifically protected by law from disclosure of their identity without their permission when they make a comnlaint. They also are protected against any reprisal for providing information to the IG. These safeguards have helped to encourage people to make more use of the service when they suspect or have definite knowledge of wrongdoing in government operations. ------- 50 Merit Pay Ranges for October 1982 (increases Under the Merit Pay (GM) system, the annual GM employee sa~ary adjustments, effective each October, are based on two important factors: the employee's position in his or her respective grade range, and the employee's performance rating. Box A explains how the grade ranges are divided into quartiles for the purpose of making Merit Pay determinations. Box B defines the span of possible percentage increases for employees in each quartile, based on their adjective ratings. The ranges in Box B include the guaranteed half of the 1982 annual comparability increase. The low and high ends of the grade range increase by full comparability each year arid, are equal to steps one and ten, re- spectively, of the General Schedule. By -law, no employee may earn less than the minimum salary for the grade, nor more than the maximum. Half of the comparabil- ity increase (2%), which is guaranteed to all GM employees, will be reflected in paychecks received October 26, 1982. For ."employees already at the Congressional pay cap of $57,500, the 2% increase will ;b'e documented as an official paper increase, not payable by law until such time as tne Congressional pay cap is raised. Final FY 1982 Merit Pay decisions will be com- municated to GM employees by December 2; and merit increases, where appropriate, will be awarded by December 21, 1982, retroactive to October 3, 1982. & SALARY QUARTILES IN DOLLARS (FY 1982 PAY SCHEDULE) GM QUARTILE DOLLAR RANGE Grade 15: I II III IV 46,685 50,187 53,688 57,189 - 50, ; - 53,6,1 - 57,188 - 60,689 Grade 1 : I II III IV 39,689 42,666 45,643 48,620 - 42,665 - 45,642 - 48,619 - 51,596 Grade 13: I II III IV 33,586 36,107 38,627 41, 147 - 36,106 - 38,626 - 41, 146 - 43,666 * The maximum rate of basic pay legal- ly payable to employees under this schedule may not exceed the rate pay- able for level 5 of the Executive Schedule, currently $57,500. B MERIT PAY MATRIX--OCTOBER 3, 1982 At 4.0$ Comparability (Including Guaranteed 2%) Ad jec tive Rating Exceeds Minimally Quartile Outstanding Expectations Satisfactory Satisfactory Unsatisfactory I 8.5 7.2 4.0 2.0 2.0 to to to to to 12.4 + 9.8 + 7.2 minimum minimum of pay of pay range range II 6.5 5.6 4.0 2.0 2.0 to to to 9.2 + 7.4 + 5.6 III 6.0 5.2 3-3 2.0 2.0 to to to 8.4 + 6.8 + 5.2 ( IV 4.5 4.0 2.6 . to to to 2.0 2.0 6.0 + 5.0 4.0 ------- R&D Announces Personnel Changes 51 Dr. Herbert L. Wiser Courtney Riordan, Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Develop- ment, has announced several personnel changes in his Headquarters staff. Dr. Herbert L. Wiser has been named Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Research and Development; Donald J. Ehreth as Acting Director, Office of Environ- mental Engineering and Technology; and Erich W. Bretthauer has been appointed Director, Office of Environmental Pro- cesses and Effects Research. Dr. Wiser began his career at the Agency in 1971 as Director, Processes and Effects Division, Office of Research and Monitor- ing, and was subsequently Deputy Assist- ant Administrator for Environmental Sciences, Office of Research and Dev- elopment. Earlier he was Chief Scientist and Measurement Systems Division Manager, Electro Optical Systems, Xerox Corpora- tion 1965-1971. He has also served as Senior Scientist and Physicist, as well as Radiation Systems Department Manager, Hughes Aircraft Company 1956-1965- Dr. Wiser holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland and an A.B. in Philosophy of Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Ehreth has served as Acting Director, Office of Environmental Process and Effects Research, Office of Research and Development since 1980. Earlier he had been Deputy Director, Criteria and Stan- dards Division, and Chief of the Water Quality Analysis Branch, Office of Water and Waste Management 1978-1980. He also served as Manager of the Municipal Waste Water Research Program 1972-1978. Prior to his Federal employment, Ehreth was Project Manager for Special Materials R&D, Section Head of the Material and Chemical Test/ Analysis Laboratory, and Project/Test Engineer, Atlantic Research Corporation 1963-1972, as well as Re- search Project Engineer, Hercules Chemical Corporation 1961-1963- He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of North Dakota and a Masters of Engineering Administration from George Washington University. Bretthauer began his career at EPA as Chief, Contract Monitoring Methods Branch, and subsequently was Chief, Methods Dev- elopment and Analytical Support Branch, as well as Director, Monitoring Opera- tions Division, EPA, Las Vegas. He served on special detail with the U.S. Radiation Policy Council 1980-1981. He also served for six months on a Congressional Fellow- ship, U.S. Senate in 1981. Since June 1981, he has been detailed to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Bretthauer received an M.S. and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Nevada and is a graduate, of the Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia. Donald J. Ehreth Erich W. Bretthauer ------- 52 EPA Region 4 Employee Honored Ronnie D. Wilson, a Freedom of Information Officer with EPA's Region 4, has been named one of Georgia's five Outstanding Young Men for 1982 by the Georgia Jaycees. Wilson, 33, has been active in the Spina Bifida Association of America and is National Second Vice President and Chairman of its Financial Development Committee. Spina Bifida is a disease of the spine, and the Association seeks to raise funds for research and treatment. The citation also honored Wilson for his service with EPA and as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves. He earlier received a Certificate of Award from EPA and Meritorious Service and Humanitarian Service Medals from the Army. A graduate of Arkansas State University, he received a law degree from Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta. He was nominated for the Jaycee award by the Riverdale, Ga., chapter which honored him last January as its Citizen of the Year. PERSONNEL (Continued) gram, you may want to review your designation of beneficiary. Unless you specifically name an individual, this Federal Program will distribute your life insurance in an order established by law... The automatic order of precedence is: (1) your widow or widower; (2) if no widow or widower, your children; (3) if no chil- dren, your parents; (4) if no parents, your estate; (5) if no estate, your next of kin. If you wish the proceeds paid in some other way, you may name one or more other beneficiaries. If you do name a benefi- ciary, however, remember to keep it current through periodic review so that it reflects changes in family status. Also keep in mind that should you transfer to another agency, any desig- nation on file is auto- matically cancelled. If you want to name or change a beneficiary, ask Personnel for Standard Form 2823, "Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program Designation of Beneficiary." SOME 1983 BIWEEKLY PREMIUM RATES (EMPLOYEE PORTIONS) Carrier Blue Cross/Blue Shield (+/- change) Aetna (+/-change) Government Employees Hospital Association High Family High Self Low Family Low Self $5^.50 $25.36 $14.84 $5.55 (+12.73) (+5.62) (+4.31) (+1.93) $26.88 $18.78 $14.63 $6.05 (+11.22) (+6.36) (+3.25) ( + 1.31) $13.65 $6.48 (+.65) (-.86) The EPA Times is published every two weeks by EPA's Office of Public Affairs, A-107, Washington, D.C. 20460, to provide current information for all EPA employees. It is punched with three holes for binding for future reference. ------- |