Pay & Benefits
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Insurance expert Walton Francis will answer your questions and emails about federal benefits. December 5, 2012
December 05, 2012 -
The health-insurance hunting season ends next Monday. When shopping around, this is a case where it pays to go postal if you can, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
December 05, 2012 -
Benefits consultant Walton Francis offers top tips for federal employees considering a new health plan. Open Season runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 10.
December 03, 2012 -
For most federal workers and retirees going over the fiscal cliff in January isn't the problem du jour. If you or a family member gets really sick, or has a serious accident in the new year that is reality, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. That, rightly so, will be your No. 1 problem. And whether you come out of it alive and kicking or financially strapped could depend on what you do between now and next Monday.
December 03, 2012 -
As federal employees weigh health plan options during Open Season, federal benefits consultant Ed Zurndorfer advises feds not overlook flexible spending accounts.
November 30, 2012 -
Did you hear about the secret retirement- incentive plan in Congress? It would give you a cash buyout, and add five years to your age and years of service in order to boost your annuity. It is perfect in its simplicity except for one vexing detail - it's not true, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 30, 2012 -
Long before there was the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, there was the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, which actually became a model for the new health-care law, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 29, 2012 -
Walton Francis, author of the Consumer's Checkbook Guide to Federal Health Plans, will provide tips on what to look for when choosing your health benefits. November 28, 2012
November 29, 2012 -
Not to put a damper on things but you have less than two weeks to pick your health plan and less than a month until the end of the world. We can help you big time with the first deadline, but when it comes to the Mayan calendar warnings, you are on your own, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 28, 2012 -
Disabled federal workers with dependents would be among the hardest hit by proposed changes to federal workers' compensation benefits, according to an analysis by the Government Accountability Office. The Labor Department has proposed setting a uniform level of compensation — 70 percent of the pre-injury salary — regardless of dependents and further reducing benefits to 50 percent when employees reach retirement age. But in its report which simulated those proposed changes, GAO raised concerns about the effects on beneficiaries.
November 27, 2012 -
Wouldn't it be great if you could get Jimmy Choo shoes or Savile Row suits at Payless Shoes or Wal-Mart? The hitch is you can't, and it's a reality federal workers and retirees need to consider when picking their 2013 health plan, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 27, 2012 -
Whether your family consists of just a husband or you have 18 dependents, a family is a family as far as Uncle Sam is concerned. And that ticks off couples who resent paying the same health premiums as those charged a large family, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Is that right?
November 26, 2012 -
Under temporary rules issued by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, feds can continue to contribute to their Thrift Savings Plan. FRTIB will waive a rule that prevents contributions for six months after taking a hardship withdrawal.
November 23, 2012 -
In inspirational movies, a heroic general often says things like, "failure is not an option." And that's silly, of course, because failure is always an option and that's especially true for millions of current and former federal workers - some of whom are sleepwalking their way through the health insurance hunting season, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 21, 2012 -
When it comes to picking a federal health plan, two cannot live as cheaply as one - you want to be the Lone Ranger, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
November 20, 2012