Q. I thought Congress passed a bill last year that allowed federal employees, who were close to retirement, to continue working for their agencies on a part-time basis. I thought each agency was supposed to come up with a plan tailored to its own employees. I work for the Department of Labor and have yet to see such a plan. I’m eligible for retirement now but would not mind working part time for a couple more years. I’ve talked to management and to the union, but no one seems to know what is happening with the part-time initiative. Do you have any information?
A. Agencies are still waiting for the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations. Even after that happens, it will take some time for agencies to devise their own plans for implementing the phased retirement option.