Reporting to Work
Location
Hours of Work
Transportation
Transit Benefit Subsidy
Parking
Car Pool
Pay Schedule
Benefits
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP

Other Programs

Awards

Telework

Training Opportunities

Performance Management

The main Commerce Building (Herbert C. Hoover Building) is located at 14th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. The main entrance is on 14th Street in the middle of the block. Commerce also has offices in the Ronald Reagan Building that is located directly across the street from the main entrance of the Commerce Building. Other Commerce employees are located outside of Washington DC, but in the metropolitan area employees are also located at 1099 14th Street NW (Franklin Court Building, Suite 4100W) and 1441 L Street NW (the Bureau of Economic Analysis).

Parking is difficult and expensive and unavailable except for senior officials, employees with physical disabilities and vanpool drivers.
http://home.osec.doc.gov/oas/service.htm#Parking-HCHB

Car Pool
Subsidized parking spaces are available in private garages located on 14th, 10th and 7th streets in DC. Because of the available space limitation in parking garages, you may have to join an existing car pool. Car pools must include at least three members with one of the members employed by the Commerce Department. Commerce employees may request a parking space by submitting a CD-307, Carpool Application Form, to the Office of Building Management (482-2459).

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB)
As a new employee, you have 60 days to enroll in a health plan or not to enroll. However, it is to your advantage to make this election soon in order to be covered in case of an accident or illness. If you don’t make an election, you are considered to have declined coverage.
http://www.opm.gov/Insure/health/enrollment/new_employees.asp

Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
The new Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) is available to eligible Federal and Postal employees, retirees, and their eligible family members on an enrollee-pay-all basis. This new Program allows dental and vision insurance to be purchased on a group basis which means competitive premiums and no pre-existing condition limitations. Premiums for enrolled Federal and Postal employees will be withheld from salary on a pre-tax basis.
http://www.opm.gov/insure/dental/chooseindex.asp

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a tax-favored program offered by employers that allows their employees to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars. By using pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses, an FSA gives you an immediate discount on these expenses that equals the taxes you would otherwise pay on that money.
http://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/SummaryOfBenefits.asp#WhatIsFSA

Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI)
FEGLI is the government’s life insurance coverage for eligible employees. Through FEGLI, you have the opportunity to participate in this group plan that offers reasonable rates and the convenience of payment through payroll deductions. Starting your first day of work, you are automatically covered by Basic Life Insurance unless you waive this coverage. However, if you want one of the other insurance options, you must sign up for it.
http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/new_employees.asp#fegli

Designations of Beneficiary
If you die while you are a Federal employee, FEGLI payments will be made in a particular order set by law, as well as any unpaid salary and your Thrift Savings Plan funds. There may also be lump sum payments due from your retirement program. Standard rules for each program determine who is eligible to receive these payments. If you are satisfied with the order of payment under that program’s rules, you do not have to take any action. But if you want these funds to go to someone else, you need to file a Designation of Beneficiary for that program.
http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/reference/handbook/Designt2.asp- designation of beneficiary

Long Term Care Insurance
If you’re newly employed in a position that conveys eligibility for FEHB coverage, you can apply for long term care insurance, even if you don’t enroll in the FEHB Program. If you apply for long term care insurance coverage within 60 days of being hired, you only have to answer a few questions about your health using the abbreviated underwriting application. You can still apply for the insurance after those 60 days, but then you would have to use the full underwriting application, which contains more questions about your health.
http://www.ltcfeds.com/

The TSP is a retirement and investment plan (the government’s 401k) for Federal employees. As a new employee, you will need to determine how much money you want to designate to the Thrift Savings Plan and how you want the money to be invested.
http://www.tsp.gov/

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