Each snow day costs the federal government $100 million — possibly more during this blizzard, because I’m sure some feds will just take the rest of the week off and give themselves a “snowcation.”

But many telecommuters are expected to work today, according to OPM — even though their physical-commuting colleagues are not. No lost productivity there. So don’t be surprised if Berry cites this blizzard in the future — a lot — while he’s talking about telework.

DC doesn’t get many snowstorms like this one, of course, but we usually get a few snow days each year — and if telework programs could reduce that $100 million in lost productivity, there’s a big potential long-term savings for the federal government.

(Plus, expanded telework would make our jobs easier: It’s tough being journalists who cover the federal government when the federal government is closed!)

The National Weather Service is forecasting more snow — anywhere from 10 to 20 inches — beginning Tuesday afternoon. That forecast, combined with the still-lousy conditions on many roads in the Washington area, led OPM Director John Berry to close the government. OPM hasn’t yet made any decisions on Wednesday. But considering that tomorrow’s winter storm warning is scheduled to run through Wednesday evening, it’s not looking good.

EDIT: Hat tip to Ben Bowman, a producer at Chicago’s NBC5 and proprietor of Ben’s Breakfast Blog, who made this awesome Snowmageddon video last year:

Click here to view the embedded video.

GSA may have to add tauntauns to the federal fleet if this keeps up. And I thought they smelled bad on the outside.

Washington weather predictions are getting worse and worse. The National Weather Service just issued a winter storm warning — which replaces the previous winter storm watch and means they’re pretty sure it’s happening — that says we’re looking at 10 to 20 inches of snow beginning Tuesday at noon. Temperatures are expected to drop from near-freezing into the upper 20s Tuesday night, and the winter storm warning is scheduled to last until Wednesday at 7 p.m.

This is a marked increase from this morning’s predictions of six inches or so. NWS warns that “The combination of snow and strong winds will make travel very hazardous.” As Han Solo said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

The Office of Personnel Management hasn’t made its decision yet on the federal government’s operating status for tomorrow.

Anyone already enrolled in a health, dental or vision plan will stay enrolled in their current plan unless they choose to change or cancel it. But Flexible Spending Accounts don’t carry over from one year to another — enrollees must set up an account again if they want to keep directing pretax money to an account used to pay for medical and other expenses.

Last year’s open season was supposed to run from Nov. 10 to Dec. 8, but OPM extended it through January after Blue Cross Blue Shield tried to impose a controversial $7,500 deductible for out-of-network surgeries. OPM said that was a unique occurence, and doesn’t plan to extend this year’s open season.

• Domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program.
• Federal employees will be allowed to use sick leave to care for domestic partners and their non-biological, non-adopted children.

The memo will also outline benefits for partners of State Department Foreign Service officers, who for the first time will:

• Be able to use medical facilities at posts abroad.
• Be medically evacuated from posts abroad.
• Be counted when State measures a Foreign Service officer’s family size to determine housing allocations.

Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry is speaking with reporters at 3 p.m. on a conference call. Check back here this afternoon to find out what additional benefits, if any, will be included in the memorandum President Barack Obama plans to sign at 5:45 p.m.

And the National Federation of Federal Employees just weighed in on the issue this morning. Though President Rick Brown said he felt better about the issue after talking with Berry last Friday and praised his “good-faith” approach to reform, he also had a warning: Don’t simply warm over leftover proposals from the Bush administration.

Director Berry assured me that this is not an attempt to repackage what we feel are ill-conceived Bush-era pay schemes. . . . [W]e do not expect to see proposals that even closely resemble the so-called pay for performance plans put forward under the previous administration. Everyone agrees that more needs to be done to reward high performers, and we are eager to explore these ideas with the administration.

What do you think? Can pay for performance work in a federal office? Why, or why not? What have your experiences been with such systems?

E-mail me at slosey@federaltimes.com if you’d like to talk. If you’d prefer that your name not be published, that would be fine.

In a statement announcing the Capitol Hill press conference, Berry said:

Telework is good for the environment [and] good for the continuity of government operations. It also shows the commitment of President Barack Obama to provide a work/life program that is improving the quality of life for federal employees.

Check back with Federal Times tomorrow to find out what OPM has planned.

And for employees at agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration or Customs and Border Protection – who could come into contact with travelers who may have contracted swine flu — the memo also includes advice on how to manage such encounters. OPM recommends that when a traveler is coughing, showing signs of a fever, or other symptoms that could indicate swine flu:

• Separate that individual to a private room or other area that is at least six feet away from employees and the public.
• After separating the traveler from others, notify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quarantine station.
• Give the ill traveler a surgical mask to keep him from infecting others.
• If possible, isolate the ill traveler in a room separate from the airspace of others.

E-mail me at slosey@federaltimes.com if you’d like to talk. If you’d prefer that your name not be published, that would be fine.

Update, 4:33 p.m.: Positive reactions so far from federal employee unions. Here’s one from the American Federation of Government Employees.

Whipple thanked Obama for the appointment in a statement issued this morning:

I am humbled to have been designated by President Obama to serve as the acting director of OPM, an agency it has been my pleasure to serve for the past eight years. I look forward to leading OPM until the president appoints and the United States Senate confirms the next director.

So while it looks like Berry is indeed in the running, OPM is not as close to having a new boss as we thought yesterday.

But what about people who made a choice before learning of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s controversial billing system, and now want to change their plan? Are they out of luck?

Don’t worry, said Michael Orenstein of the Office of Personnel Management. Even if you’ve already chosen a plan, you can change your mind as many times as you want until January ends. So take your time, weigh your options, and make the choice that best suits you.

Update: Enrollees also may still change their dental and vision plans and make changes to their flexible spending accounts.

And House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., issued a statement on Dec. 9 thanking OPM for being flexible:

Choosing a health insurance provider is a very important decision. OPM made the right judgement call in allowing a belated enrollment option so that employees can be confident in their choice of coverage. While employees should not expect major changes to health plans, they should take this opportunity to review their insurance options and look closely at the terms and costs.

The reductions are based on cost-of-living surveys OPM conducted in 2006.

And the COLA in those cities could drop even further. OPM in August proposed reducing the allowance to 22 percent. That reduction would not occur until December 2009 at the earliest.

The COLA for federal employees in other parts of Alaska will remain unchanged at 25 percent.