Benefits

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.

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.

OPM’s retirement backlog has fallen off the agency’s list of top management challenges

The Office of Personnel Management’s inspector general last month reported that the federal government’s dedicated HR agency faces taller tasks in the form of launching a health insurance program for postal workers and verifying enrollees’ eligibility for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

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?

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.

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.

TSP continues upward trek for third straight month

Each portfolio within the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program saw modest gains in September.

Federal workers will see the largest increase to their health care premiums in recent memory next year

In a year where insurers have expanded coverage for multiple medical treatments, federal employees will see their Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premiums increase by an average of 13.5% in 2025.

Multiple FEHBP carriers will offer 'comprehensive' IVF coverage next year

Biden administration officials said that two nationwide insurers in the federal government’s employer-sponsored health care program will offer $25,000 worth of in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments.

House takes another stab at a bill reimbursing new veterans for emergency care 

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., is hoping a reintroduced version of the RELIEVE Act will finally close the VA’s emergency care coverage loophole after Congress previously dropped the measure from the fiscal 2024 supplemental funding package.

Lawmakers force a vote on eliminating the windfall elimination provision

Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Garrett Graves, R-La., have secured the 218 signatures needed to force a vote on legislation that would kill two controversial tax provisions affecting some feds’ retirement benefits.

Senate advances $3B VA supplemental bill one day before deadline

The chamber approved legislation by voice vote Thursday to provide the Veterans Affairs Department with an extra $3 billion to cover a surge in veterans benefits costs ahead of a potential service disruption.

How did the VA end up with a $3 billion shortfall? Leaders say staff over-delivered

VA officials outlined how a surge in PACT Act claims outpaced initial budget projections in a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, days before a processing deadline affecting the benefit payments of 7 million veterans. 

House passes $3B VA supplemental budget ahead of Friday deadline

The chamber advanced the multi-billion-dollar stopgap bill by voice vote Tuesday evening, giving the Senate three days to pass the legislation to cover a budget shortfall. 

HHS expands health benefits eligibility for 9/11 responders under new rule

The interim final rule, published on the 23rd anniversary of the terror attack, opens eligibility for the World Trade Center Health Program to resolve coverage gaps for Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, responders.

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