Pay & Benefits
Your Open Season Q&A
Open Season begins on Nov. 11 for active and retired federal and postal employees. Let's get you ready.
An employee group is miffed by the new Postal Service insurance program’s Medicare Part D coverage
OPM said that they were restricted in how they provide prescription drug benefits to Medicare-eligible enrollees in the new Postal Service Health Benefits Program, but at least one employee association disagrees.
Updated
OPM doesn’t have documented customer experience plans for the Postal Service’s open season, OIG says
The HR agency has developed contingencies if there is a surge of customer experience requests during the Postal Service Health Benefits System’s first open season, but a new report claims that those plans aren’t either defined or comprehensive enough for the multi-agency operation.
Revisiting the WEP and GPO
How the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset cause substantial, and often, unfair reductions in Social Security benefits for CSRS retirees.
Why federal workers should consider an HSA
COMMENTARY | There is something exciting about having a health insurance plan that can reduce your taxes while also providing tax-free investment growth.
A Senate bill targeting teleworkers’ locality pay now has its companion in the House
Legislation introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., would bar federal workers from receiving locality pay if they telework at least once per week, a move that could amount to a 30% pay cut for many feds.
More than 200K postal employees are in line for a 5% raise spread over three years
The agreement took 20 months of negotiations but some workers think the raises are insufficient.
Biden administration forgives $4.5B in student debt for public service workers
The president said that more than 1 million public servants to date have had their federal student debt canceled.
10 important facts about Medicare
Some things you need to know when approaching Medicare eligibility.
New bills want to provide Gold Star survivors with better benefits, make it easier for former feds to return
The Gold Star Spouse Healthcare Enhancement Act aims to provide fallen service members’ partners with lower health care costs for longer, while the Return USA Act looks to create an on-ramp for former employees to return to federal service.
OPM sets up leave transfer program for feds impacted by Milton
Federal workers will soon be able to donate unused leave to their colleagues who need time to recover after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida Wednesday.
Featured eBooks
Time for the fall deadlines
A checklist to help you prioritize as you sort through your federal retirement and insurance benefits.
Cost-of-living adjustments will decline for federal retirees again in 2025
For the second straight year, former federal workers will see a smaller increase to their defined-benefit annuities in January, with FERS retirees set for a 2% increase and CSRS annuitants a 2.5% bump.
A closer look at 2025 FEHB premiums
Open Season is just a few weeks away, and costs are increasing this year. What does that mean for federal employees?
OPM moves to standardize General Schedule, blue collar locality pay areas
For years, federal employee unions have bemoaned that the pay systems’ differing maps of high-cost regions created pay inequity within agency workforces.
Lawmakers consider making military leave more equitable for feds with non-traditional work schedules
Currently, the annual cap on paid leave available to federal employees associated with their service in the National Guard is 15 days, which advocates say works well for traditional weekday work schedules but not for employees who frequently work weekends.
End-of-year retirement planning for federal couples
Spouses who both work for the federal government can have some unique quandaries when it comes to planning for their retirement and health care benefits.
Labor Department sets 2025 federal contractor minimum wages
In a pair of filings in the Federal Register Monday, Labor Department officials set the range of minimum wages for contractors between $9.30 per hour for tipped workers to $17.75 per hour, depending on the job type.
OPM announces leave transfer program for feds affected by Helene
Federal employees will soon be able to donate unused leave to their colleagues who need time to recover after Hurricane Helene caused widespread destruction across the Southeast.
VA proposes grant program offering vets legal services to help obtain benefits
The department’s goal is to assist former service members who were discharged under other than honorable conditions but could still be eligible for VA benefits.
