Benefits
Feds find open season 'unpleasant'—but may miss thousands in savings
Federal enrollees have until Dec. 9 to make changes to their health coverage ahead of substantial premium increases.
Infertility benefit coverage from FEHB plans in 2025
Federal employees will have even more options for plans offering IVF coverage, including another national PPO plan.
GSA issues update to rules governing relocation expense reimbursement following real estate lawsuit
A recent deal to settle multiple lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors has changed how real estate agents are compensating, necessitating a tweak to how agencies reimburse federal workers who must relocate for work.
Most TSP funds took a tumble in October
Only two portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended last month in the black, ending a three-month run of gains.
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.
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 FEHBP 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.
