Retirement
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For the third month in a row, the Office of Personnel Management failed to meet its monthly goal for processing retirement claims. OPM's backlog now sits at 25,601 claims, up slightly from June. OPM blames its reduced processing power on the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration. To comply with the budget shortfalls, OPM was forced to suspend overtime for its employees in its Retirement Services division starting April 28.
August 05, 2013 -
The Office of Personnel Management now estimates it will not be able to clear a longstanding backlog of retirement claims until next summer. OPM Associate Director for Retirement Services Ken Zawodny told Federal News Radio the suspension of overtime in late April has left the agency essentially treading water when it comes to processing retirement applications.
August 05, 2013 -
How can you tell the difference between a current government worker and a retired civil servant? One of them is smiling, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Think about it, prices have gone up, taxes have gone up, health premiums have gone up -- but feds at the Pentagon, HUD, Interior and other agencies haven't had a raise in three years.
August 05, 2013 -
The Senate postal reform bill calls on the Office of Personnel Management to change the way it calculates how much the U.S. Postal Service must pay into the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Civil Service Retirement System. The change could result in a $6 billion surplus for the debt-burdened USPS.
August 02, 2013 -
Members of the House have doubts about the Labor Department's proposal to set a uniform benefit rate for FECA beneficiaries. A GAO study found that such propositions will decrease benefits to injured workers with dependents. FECA benefits would also align more closely with Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) benefits once injured workers reach retirement age.
July 11, 2013 -
You don't have to be popping 50-plus vitamins or checking out the early-bird dinner special to be excited by the government's new phased retirement program, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. It has some potential benefits for both beginning feds and people in mid-career too.
July 11, 2013 -
Federal benefits expert Bob Braunstein will answer your questions about phased retirment. July 10, 2013
July 10, 2013 -
The idea of easing into retirement working three or four days a week is appealing to a lot of people. Now it is a reality for thousands of government workers, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But does the new phased retirement program make sense for you? And are you even eligible?
July 10, 2013 -
OPM processed just 8,683 claims last month — about 2,800 fewer than it had initially expected to. That's the second month in a row OPM fell behind in processing monthly claims according to new OPM data. The agency was forced to eliminate overtime for employees in its Retirement Services operation at the end of April because of the automatic budget cuts.
July 05, 2013 -
NARFE legislative director Jessica Klement and Federal Times writer Stephen Losey, join host Mike Causey to talk about the self-plus-one health plan option and the chained CPI. July 3, 2013 (This show originally aired May 29, 2013)
July 03, 2013 -
The No. 1 complaint people have after retiring is how long it takes them to get the first full annuity payment. Depending on a lot of things it can take anywhere from a couple of months to more than a year.
July 02, 2013 -
There are some things that many of us only do once. That includes retiring and dying. So it pays to get it right the first time, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
July 01, 2013 -
John Grobe, president of Federal Career Experts, will answer your calls and emails about possible changes to your pay and benefits package. June 26, 2013(This show originally aired June 12, 2013)
June 26, 2013 -
We've been hearing for a dozen years about the upcoming federal retirement tsunami, when thousands of baby boomers with years of technical expertise leave the federal service for the golf courses and RV parks of retirement communities. But timing the retirement wave can be tricky.
June 21, 2013 -
On this week's Your Turn program, Mike interviews Paul Forte with Long Term Care Partners and retirement expert Stan Hinden. (This show originally aired June 5, 2013.)
June 19, 2013