COLLEEN & SCOTT ADAMSON
This has been a great job for me, because it is not physically demanding, I do not have to travel a lot, and the benefits are great for someone with CF.
Careers–Good and bad choices
Working for the Federal Government–Summer 2003
BY COLLEEN ADAMSON
I currently work for the U.S. Federal Government, and I really think it is a great place to work for someone who has cystic fibrosis (CF) and a transplant. I’m not saying that working for the Federal Government is better than working somewhere else; I just want to relate my experiences working there and what I think some good benefits are for people with CF.
I started working for the Federal Government when I was in high school, as a secretarial aide. I worked 10 hours a week, going to work after school every day. I also worked for the Federal Government during summers when I was in college, as a student aide, working on computer programming. I started working for the Federal Government full time after college as well, and I’m still there 10+ years later. I am an Operations Research Analyst specializing in cost analysis, which means that I estimate what it’s going to cost to develop, produce, operate, maintain, and dispose of various government systems, like ships and aircraft. This has been a great job for me, because (among other things) it is not physically demanding, I do not have to travel a lot, and the benefits are great for someone with CF, in my opinion. Here are some of the highlights:
Leave: When you work for the Federal Government, you earn 13 days of sick leave per year. You also earn 13 days of annual (vacation) leave per year, and that number goes up the longer you stay with the Federal Government: once you have been there for three years, you earn 19.5 days per year, and once you have been there for 15 years, you earn 26 days per year! Believe me, I’m counting the days until I reach that point! Federal Government employees also get 10 paid holidays each year. Another good benefit is the various forms of leave donation programs that are available. I personally have been a recipient of donated leave, so I know firsthand what a great program it is. When I was very sick prior to my transplant, I received almost 2,000 hours of donated leave. This is annual leave (not sick leave) that Federal Government employees can donate to a co-worker who has run out of their own leave (both sick and annual). As I said, this is a great program and can really save someone’s career, like it did mine. It’s nice to know that these programs exist and that there are Federal Government employees who care enough to give up their vacation time to help you out. Unfortunately, it is not universally available within the Government. You need to check with each particular office to see if they offer such a plan.
Pay: Well, I’m sure you’ve all heard on the news or read in the papers that Federal Government employees don’t make much money, or at least not as much as their private industry counterparts. This may be true in some fields, but I believe the Federal Government is very competitive in a large number of fields. But, Federal Government employees usually get a raise every year, which makes Federal employment a lower risk proposition. We also get locality adjustments based on where we work. For example, I live in the Washington, DC, area, which has a relatively high cost of living, so my salary reflects that. I’ve never had to worry about not having enough money for medical bills, prescriptions, etc., so I think that says a lot right there, since as we all know, having CF and now a transplant is not cheap!
Health Insurance: The Federal Government employee health insurance plan is pretty good in my opinion. There are many plans to choose from, including both Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). The Federal Government pays 72% of the average premium toward the total cost of your premium, and you pay the rest. For example, I pay approximately $90 per month for my premium, which doesn’t include co-pays, etc. There is no waiting period, required medical exam, or age/physical condition restrictions. The Federal Government health insurance plans have gotten more expensive over the years, but they still are pretty reasonable compared with others that I have heard about. I’ve never had a problem seeing the doctors I wanted or needed to see, and again my health care costs have not been outrageous. My health insurance even paid the entire hospital bill for my transplant! In fact, when talking to the financial person in the transplant clinic prior to my transplant, she said that the BC/BS Federal Employee Program (which is what I have) was one of the best health insurance programs she has come across in terms of coverage for transplants.
Life Insurance: I think it goes without saying that people with CF find it hard to get life insurance. With the Federal Government, there is no underwriting, so you can get life insurance with no medical examination or medical paperwork to fill out. All you do is fill out a beneficiary form and you have it, and you can also determine how much life insurance you want. Again, cheaper life insurance is available from private companies, but probably not for someone with CF.
Retirement: The Federal Government has a retirement plan called the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). This is a program where Federal Government employees contribute pre-tax dollars to multiple investment options, similar to a 401(k) plan. Additionally, the Federal Government matches your contributions up to 5% of your pay. Also, when you retire from the Federal Government, you keep your health and life insurance, a big plus for people with CF.
Other benefits that I have taken advantage of are Flexible Work Schedules and Telecommuting. For example, many offices will let you work eight nine-hour-days, one eight-hour-day, and then get every other Friday off. This comes in handy for doctors’ appointments, so you don’t have to use sick leave. Telecommuting is a nice option if you don’t feel well enough to go into work, but you can work from home – again, you are saving your sick leave. Other benefits include Family Friendly Leave Policies; Employee Assistance Program (EAP); Part-Time & Job Sharing Positions; Child & Elder Care Resources;
Adoption Information/Incentives; Child Support Services; Nursing Mothers Program; On-site/near-site Day Care; Day Care Tuition Assistance; and Child care/Elder care support groups.
These are the benefits that I am familiar with and the ones that I think are important to have if you have CF, but this is not an exhaustive listing. Again, this is my understanding of the benefits and readers should check with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or their specific office for the official details. For more information about working for the Federal Government and the benefits available, please go to www.usajobs.opm.gov.
Of course, the biggest benefit that I have had from working for the Federal Government is that’s where I met my wonderful husband Scott! I met him the first week on the job with the Navy, more than 10 years ago. How’s that for job satisfaction?
Colleen is 34. She had bilateral lung transplant on July 3, 1998. Colleen is a Director of USACFA and her email address is: cadamson@usacfa.org