Employee Benefits

 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers its employees a wide array of benefits.

Salary Information

Each job is posted at a certain grade level, and that grade level determines the amount of pay based on the Federal Pay Scale. The majority of the positions are based on the General Schedule Locality Pay Tables which vary according to region. Other positions may include those for employees who are members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and are paid according to the Locality Rates of Pay for Members of the Senior Executive Service.

For specific salary information, please see the links at the bottom of this page.

Retirement Information

Employees hired on or after January 1, 1984 through December 31, 2012 are covered automatically by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

Employees hired on or after January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013 are covered automatically by the Federal Employees Retirement System – Revised Annuity Employee (FERS-RAE). 

Employees hired on or after January 1, 2014 are covered automatically by the Federal Employees Retirement System – Further Revised Annuity Employee (FERS-FRAE). 

FERS is a three-tiered system which includes the following:

Social Security

All FERS employees pay the full Social Security tax (6.2%). The Social Security system has three cash benefit components:

• Retirement program
• Disability program
• Survivor benefits program

Basic Annuity Component

All FERS employees pay 0.8% of their basic pay towards their retirement plan. 

All FERS-RAE employees pay 3.1% of their basic pay towards their retirement plan.

All FERS-FRAE employees pay 4.4% of their basic pay towards their retirement plan.

You must have at least 5 years of creditable civilian service for retirement benefits. 

Survivor and disability benefits are available after 18 months of civilian service.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)

Annual IRS limits apply to TSP contributions, to include catch-up contributions for employees 50 years of age and older.

Contributions can be made to one or more of the following TSP investment funds:

• Government Securities Investment ( G ) Fund 
• Common Stock Investment ( C ) Fund 
• Fixed Income Investment ( F ) Fund 
• Small Capitalization Investment ( S ) Fund 
• International Investment ( I ) Fund 
• Life Cycle Investment ( L ) Fund

Regardless of whether a FERS, FERS-RAE, or FERS-FRAE employee participates, the Government will contribute 1% of the employee’s bi-weekly salary into their TSP.  The Government will also contribute dollar for dollar on the first 3% of the employee’s contribution and 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2% of the employee’s contribution (maximum 5% match). Traditional contributions are tax-deferred while Roth contributions are subject to Federal and State tax.

For more information please visit the Thrift Savings Plan website at www.tsp.gov.

Health Insurance Information

• Government-subsidized Premiums: Government pays up to 73% of plan's total premium
• Options to Select Among: Fee-For-Service, Health Maintenance Organizations, Point-of-Service, Consumer Driven Heath Plans, and High Deductible Health Plans  
• No Physical Examination or Waiting Period
• Opportunities to enroll in a different plan which meets your current insurance needs are during the Annual Open Season or within 60 days of a qualifying life event
• Optional coverage for family members

For more information on federal employee health benefits, please visit the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) homepage at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/

Life Insurance Information

• Government-subsidized Premiums (the Government pays one-third of Basic only)
• Variety of Options Available
• No Physical Examination or Waiting Period (within 60 days of hire and qualifying life event or during FEGLI Open Season)
• Insurance Coverage Automatically Escalates as Salary Increases

For more information on federal employee group life insurance benefits, please visit the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Homepage at www.opm.gov/insure/life/.

Work Schedules

CMS has established and supports a variety of flexible work arrangements that enables employees to balance work with their personal and family life.

Flexible Work Schedule

A flexible work schedule (hereinafter referred to as "flextime") is defined as an 8 ½-hour (or less, if part-time), 9 ½-hour or 10 ½-hour work schedule, Monday through Friday, in which an employee is allowed to vary his/her arrival time on a daily basis within the Agency’s established arrival times. A full-time employee on a 9 ½-hour flextime schedule works eight, 9 ½-hour days, one 8 ½-hour day and one non-work day during the biweekly pay period. A full-time employee on a 10 ½-hour flextime schedule works eight, 10 ½-hour days and two non-work days during the biweekly pay period.  In Central Office, employees may report for work anytime between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Regional Office reporting times may vary.

Compressed Work Schedules (CWS)

"5-4/9" and "4/10"

These are work schedules whereby employees complete the 80-hour basic biweekly work requirement in less than 10 workdays. CWSs are fixed schedules. There is no employee flexibility in daily reporting/departure times. Under a CWS, employees select a fixed daily arrival/departure time in accordance with Central/Regional Office established reporting hours.

"5-4/9" CWS

An employee works 8 (eight) 9-hour workdays and 1 (one) 8-hour workday with one scheduled day off during the 2-week pay period.

Employees who work a 9 ½-hour flextime schedule must report for duty between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. On their 8 ½-hour day, employees must report for duty between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.  For Regional or Satellite Office locations in the Pacific Time zone, employees must report for duty between 6:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on their 8 ½-hour day.

"4/10" CWS

An employee works 4 (four), 10-hour workdays each week of the pay period with one scheduled day off each week of the pay period.

Employees who work a 10 ½-hour flextime schedule must report for duty between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

Credit Hours

Credit hours may be earned by those employees working on any of the Agency’s flextime schedules.

Credit hours are hours that an employee elects to work, subject to advance Management approval, and under a flexible work schedule that are in excess of an employee’s basic work requirement so as to vary the length of a subsequent workweek or a workday.

Credit hours may be earned in 1/4- hour increments.  A full-time employee can accumulate and carry over from one pay period to another a total of no more than 24 credit hours. A part-time employee can accumulate and carry over from one pay period to another a total of no more than one-fourth of the hours in such employee’s biweekly basic work requirement.

Leave & Holidays

• 10 Paid Holidays
• Up to 104 Sick Leave Hours Per Year (depending on tour of duty)
• 13 to 26 Vacation Days Per Year (depending on length of service and tour of duty)

Annual Leave

• Less than 3 Years = 104 Hours of Annual Leave Each Year
• 3 to 15 Years = 156 Hours of Annual Leave Each Year
• Greater than 15 Years = 208 Hours of Annual Leave Each Year

Employee Assistance Program

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a professional counseling and referral service designed to help employees with their problems on and off the job. It is free, confidential within the limits of the law, and voluntary.