Benefits

Federal News Network is soliciting your questions about your pay, benefits, retirement and other topics during the government shutdown.

In today’s Federal Newscast, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is asking the Office of Personnel Management how it’s making sure federal employees furloughed due to the government shutdown are still receiving healthcare coverage.

Two weeks after the cut off, DoD now says more than 400,000 service members signed up for the blended retirement system (BRS) and 150,000 new service members were automatically enrolled in the program.

The Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday clarified that agencies should restore previously-scheduled annual leave lost in 2018 due to the government shutdown.

In today’s Federal Newscast, a bill introduced by Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) would authorize congressional payroll administrators to dock pay for members of Congress for as long as a government shutdown continues.

Regardless of age, experience, grade, location or job federal workers today fall into one of two categories, neither of which is good.

Faced with a partial government shutdown with no certain end in sight, the Agriculture Department has come up with a budgetary workaround to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue to be paid out through February. 

All funds except the fixed income investment F fund and the government securities investment G fund showed negative returns month-over-month in December.

Among those stuck at home are people who were about to retire or had already filed their retirement papers. Federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan had some answers on the potential delay for benefits.

Look back at the most popular columns from senior correspondent Mike Causey this year. Readers were most interested in updates on the Thrift Savings Plan and a potential pay raise for federal workers in 2019.

Host Bob Leins, CPA welcomes Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director at NITP, and Mike Causey of Federal News Radio, to talk about the best dates to retire.

If you are like most federal workers and retirees the health insurance open season that ended earlier this month was just a big yawn. But there will another individual open season next year if you have a qualifying life event.

The Office of Personnel Management has updated guidance on what federal employees impacted by a potential partial government shutdown should expect over the coming holidays.

DoD says roughly 15,000 state-side personnel will receive cost of living adjustments in 2019, down from 28,000 this year.