Pros
Great benefits. VERY liberal leave policy, federal holidays are paid time off, guarnteed pay increases, and management is forced to be accomidating of work/life balance due to the AFGE union. You stay "busy" if you're like me this is one of the aspects I enjoy most. I like that I never have a "down" moment and always have to be working. Co-workers are great. You get a feeling that you're a member of a team. You get to feel as though you are making a difference in people's lives/helping them make decisions that will effect them/their families in powerful ways.
Cons
If you're not able to multi-task and prioritize workloads this not the place for you. You also have to have the ability to adapt and think quick on your feet as laws are ALWAYS subject to change. Promotion from within is non-exsistent. You HAVE to be willing to relocate. This has been the most frustrating job I have ever dealt with for that reason. You literally can have exemplary performance appraisals, be a "leader" and demonstrate you are good at your job only to be turned down for positions/not offered promotions. Management sort of forces you to make "big moves" ie relocate/apply for other positions - only to be upset and become downright hostile when you actually start making those moves. The agency is doing a lot of "outside hires" to get as many bodies in the building - usually the new hires are people with less experience and recent college graduates. College grads seem to burn out the most quickly. Of the 2 recent hires our office had - 1 of them left within 3 months after being hired and the other hire has been on E-PAD (for 2 years now). I had 2 "exemplary" ratings on my last performance appraisal and I asked my District Manager recently how long it will be before the possibility I will be promoted he said at least 2 years with the possibility it could take 5. (I have been working here for 5 years)!!! I literally broke down crying as I have a 2 year old I have to support. It is beyond frustrating to know that you are GOOD at your job and management will hire a recent college graduate rather than promote you....and not only that they further insult you by saying you need more "training" but the person they are willing to hire has ZERO training and job experience. The culture of this agency is really messed up for that reason - most employees are burnt out, hopeless, and frankly don't care about the quality of their work for that reason (after being here for 5 years I understand why). If you can start out in this agency try to start out as a Claims Specialist - they go to a GS-11. A Customer Service Representative only maxes out at a GS-8. I dream of being a Claims Specialist as most of the analytical stuff comes easy to me - but right now I am stuck as a CSR with no end in sight. I literally walk into my office feeling so depressed and negative lately as I feel as though my dreams are being mocked on a daily basis by management. And they continue to pay me poorly - yet expect me to be a "work horse" for my unit in doing most of the workloads.