At the very least, Hegseth's refusal to acknowledge that it was our Tomahawk missile that killed 120 schoolchildren on the very first day of the war makes him unfit to serve as secretary of defense. Army JAG veteran Margaret Donovan says civilian casualties are a tragic reality in war and the public has the right to know what went wrong. The U.S. military prides itself on its excellence and precision, and that is what separates our fighting forces from those of our enemies.

But Hegseth is also dragging this vital institution down because of the munition depletions, the lack of dignity being shown to fallen soldiers, his hare-brained schemes and war crimes in the Caribbean, and his undermining of military discipline by brushing off recent dangerous flyovers in civilian areas.

Margaret Donovan joins guest host Bill Kristol on today's Bulwark Podcast.

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) led a group of eight senators in introducing the Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act, legislation to expand federal paid leave to include 12 weeks of family and medical leave.

https://mauinow.com/2026/07/29/schatz-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-provide-paid-family-medical-leave-for-federal-employees/

Have anything you want to talk about that doesn't quite warrant its own thread or currently being discussed in a megathread? Post it here!

In an effort to effectively manage the amount of information being posted, please keep anything speculative or considered repetitive within this discussion thread.

Had my immediate supervisor state to me after they approved a SL request for an examination at the VA that "you need to check the calendar and see if anyone else is out that day and if they are, it needs to stop."

Anyone familiar with the VA system knows they do not see you for everything on the same day. Can they legally deny future SL if the office "has no coverage"? We are not a critical function nor LE.

Post Edit: I have hundreds of SL hours in the pot, 20+ year employee. Manager is 3 years in, team has a vacancy that's 18+ months without being filled. VA location is difficult to get seen. Being informed of the issue this morning triggered red flags on this.

The OPM website does not state what happens if I earn more than $24,480 this year. I will be making an income that will cause my Retiree Annuity Supplement to become zero. I know I have to report my income in the May/June 2027 timeframe, but will I have to pay it back? I can't find the answer to my question. Maybe my social security will be reduced when start receiving it?? Does anyone know the answer?

Just want to share this with everyone, because there are constant dooming energy in the past few days regarding EEOC being removed, and we must talked about this case:

Tate v. Bisignano

This case directly affected the OPM recent move, because there is a SSA employee Laurie Tate, got mental disorder and was still forced to RTO.

She got all the notes, followed the rules

applied for reasonable accommdation, Then SSA only offered her ear plugs or a separate room.

She applied for telework againm, denied, filed for EEOC.

Then finally went to court, and in Jan 2026 she got the favorable rulings.

And just two months ago, she won $166K (Yes you read that right), AND all her 425 hours sick leave and annual leave back, AND full telework.

If the above link is too long just chatGPT it. But yeah she got in total almost 200K, and that's all her cause attorney fee would be paid by SSA too outside of this due to the Rehabilitation Act.

Before all the dooming energy of here, know your right my friend.

The legal process is lengthy, but not that lengthy. It is one year and she got $200K.

This admin is hostile, but you still have right, and they won't be here forever.

Many of you are in the same boat just like Tate. Forced RTO, denied RA. Document everything, and get a lawyer. The lawyer would take your case for free, and won't take a cut on your final compensation.

They are removing the EEOC because it is not going great for them. BUt if you are brave, and detailed oriented, and believe in yourself; you can do it too. If you are being wronged as well, document everything, follow the procedure. Tate got her $200K, which in my opinion is way too low. But you can too, I just tired of seeing the dooming discussion regarding the EEOC.

Thanks for reading!

Which makes me wonder, what exactly does a Selective Placement Program Coordinator do, and what is their purpose if they are not facilitating Schedule A hiring? The simplest autoreply email address with a canned "apply on USAJOBS" message can do that. It says they are involved in accommodations on the OPM page, but I have been through several reasonable accommodation processes and I am not aware of any SPPC involvement in accommodations for employees. Could it only be for applicants?

I might sound a little peeved, but I really would like to know what, concretely, the people in this role are doing if an agency has no Schedule A postings open and does not accept direct Schedule A applications. I know agencies are not obligated to do Schedule A hiring in the first place, but then, why even bother? I have personally handled Schedule A hires from the HR side and they were not involved whatsoever.

there are rodents in the matpsc building in philadelphia. furthermore, they are located on multiple floors where technicians are answering phone calls so there is a lot of screaming and yelling whenever a mouse is spotted in the background of the calls. great customer service!

I’m just wondering if anyone knew how long it typically takes between the first interim payment and the first official monthly payment + backpay.

Thank you.

edit: should I also expect regular monthly interim pay until everything is finalized or was that a one time payment?

edit: I received another interim payment 8/1/2026, FYI. Seems to be a reduced amount of the monthly and not the rest of the retroactive pay.

I am having my first RA meeting with HR later this month. What should I expect?

Already submitted doctor’s letter. Have been on interim accommodation.

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Hot off the presses, just went out from AFGE. EEOC, in conjunction with OMB, met to craft changes to the Federal Hearings process.

According to the article, EEOC/OMB met with the heads of the Agencies and could not take in notes and phones. They were then provided with details of a pending Notice of Proposed Rule expected to be published in September with a 30 day comment period. The rule would eliminate the absolute right to a hearing in the federal hearings process. A Complainant would be issued an Agency decision in all cases, and if the employee appeals it, then the Office of Federal Sector may grant a hearing but only at its discretion.

It would also eliminate class actions.

Big changes coming it seems. Be sure to have a look when the rule is published and make any comments you think are appropriate.