With all due respect to the economy, the Bush-to-Obama transition, the fate of the Redskins and the controversy over Britney Spears next career move, the “real” topic de jour in many federal offices is this: December 26th.

Many, many feds want to know if the White House will give non-emergency feds the day off (with pay) after Christmas? Will Friday the 26th be a bonus holiday?

Answer: Don’t know.

In the past, when Christmas has fallen on a Thursday, feds typically got a bonus holiday on the 26th. And the announcement usually isn’t made until well after Thanksgiving. Often as late as mid-December, which it isn’t yet.

But that was then.

A number of feds have e-mailed asking me to get tough with the White House: Sir, don’t make me pull this website over and come down there!

Right!

Seriously folks, the bonus holiday issue is probably (and understandably) low down on the list of White House priorities about now. There is the nuclear thingee with North Korea and Iran. Who to pardon? The growing tensions between nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan. The economy. The fact that GM, Ford and Chrysler executives either drove or were forced to fly coach (yuck!) to Washington so they could beg for a bailout. Stuff like that.

That said, we’ve had tons of e-mail queries about the bonus holiday – almost eclipsing questions about health insurance. Some of them are fueled by a bogus bonus report, from a union newsletter in Detroit. It announced that the holiday was a done deal. Problem: It was talking about what happened in the year 2003, when feds got a bonus holiday. This, close observers will note, is the year 2008.

For the latest on the potential bonus holiday, click here.

To see what happened in the past when Christmas was on a Thursday, click here

Health Insurance Hunting Season

Monday C.O.B., is the deadline for you to pick your 2009 federal health plan. If you don’t change, you will remain in your current plan. That might be okay, unless your health plan’s premiums are going up big-time, or there have been major benefit changes. Both apply to Blue Cross standard option coverage of surgical and maternity benefits for policy-holders who go out of network for services. The BC standard option is far and away the most popular health plan in the FEHBP. Especially with retirees.

To get expert advice on the best-buys for singles, couples, families, retirees with and without Medicare and how to protect your coverage in retirement we’ve archived a series of columns that should help you decide. Check them out:

General Info & Blue Cross Info: Health Plan Mysteries Solved

Married With Kids: titled same

Single Coverage: Happiness is Being Single… Up to a Point

Listen Up: We’ve also archived recent Your Turn radio shows in which health insurance expert Walton Francis talks about best buys. Francis, who testified yesterday in a House hearing on the Blue Cross changes, also has advice for feds with and without Medicare. And he talks about how some retirees can save money by “suspending” (but not dropping) their FEHBP coverage. Listen a little, learn a lot. You can start by clicking here.

Nearly Useless Factoid

According to LiveScience, researchers who watched food-related behaviors at 11 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets across the United States found a series of habits among the “heavier patrons,” including using a fork instead of chopsticks. Sure, they may think of the habits as indicators of obesity. I like to think of them more as “Tips for Winning at the Buffet.”

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

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