Federal Employee Benefits

NETL is an employee-friendly workplace. To help employees deal effectively with personal or family-related pressures while minimizing the disruptions such pressures can cause at the work site, NETL provides:

Flexible Work Schedules
Most employees at NETL are eligible to participate in the Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) Program. Under this program, the work day may start as early as 6:00 a.m. and end as late as 6:00 p.m. at Albany and 7:00 p.m. at Morgantown, Pittsburgh, and Tulsa. Employees can earn up to 20 credit hours per pay period and can accumulate up to 24 hours that can be used to adjust a work schedule or taken as leave in the future.

Annual Leave 
All career employees earn vacation or "annual leave." The amount earned varies with the length of Federal service. Employees earn 13 days of annual leave each year the first three years of employment; 20 days after 3 years and 26 days after 15 years.

Sick Leave
Regardless of the length of service, employees earn 13 days of sick leave each year for their own use or to use for the care of an ill family member.

Family and Medical Leave
Family and Medical Leave Act grants most Federal employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to allow them to take care of family and medical needs.

Holidays 
Federal employees receive 10 paid holidays per year.

Promotions 
Employees may be eligible for promotion to the full performance level if they demonstrate the ability to perform duties of progressive responsibility.

Awards 
NETL offers an incentive awards program intended to encourage high productivity by acknowledging superior performance.

Retirement
Almost all new employees hired after December 31, 1983 , are automatically covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), a defined benefit plan. Employees are vested after five years.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 
The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986 established TSP to provide a tax-deferred retirement savings plan for Federal employees. DOE automatically contributes one percent of an employee's salary, matches an employee's contribution of the next two percent of salary, and contributes 50 percent of the employee's contribution of the next 2 percent salary.

Life Insurance 
Federal employees have the opportunity to select low-cost life insurance coverage.

Health Insurance
Employees can enroll in one of a variety of health plans.  DOE contributes two-thirds of the cost of the premiums, and the employee pays the remaining one-third of the cost.

Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program 
Employees, their spouses, and some family members have the option of choosing different long-term benefit periods and daily benefit amounts.

Dental and Vision Insurance
Employees have the option of choosing supplemental dental and/or vision insurance.  Employees pay the entire premium from pre-tax monies.  

Training Opportunities 
DOE is committed to improving workforce performance related to its mission by using a systematic approach to assessing, planning, delivering, and evaluating training. This includes formal and informal training, education, and development or other learning assignments.

Child Care 
On-site facilities in Morgantown and Pittsburgh allow employees to leave their children during working hours. Fees vary by location and age of the child.  

Physical Fitness/Health Services 
NETL encourages employees to maintain their physical well being. NETL sites feature employee-sponsored and supported fitness centers and frequently conduct wellness programs.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) 
EAPs support employees who have performance or conduct problem or conflicts with supervisors or coworkers, or whose health, personal, or family circumstances could affect job performance or workplace behavior.

Leave Transfer Program 
This program allows employees to donate their annual leave to fellow employees who are experiencing a medical emergency and who have used up their own sick and annual leave and would otherwise be in a non-pay status.