Even though we've lived through a city-flattening blizzard, the advent of a bear market and umpteen presidential debates on TV, the year is still young. You still have time to do some careful planning on the financial front. Jessica Klement, legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin with predictions for what Congress will do to and about the federal workforce this year.
Even though we've lived through a city-flattening blizzard, the advent of a bear market and umpteen presidential debates on TV, the year is still young. You still have time to do some careful planning on the financial front. Joining Federal Drive with Tom Temin with some predictions for what Congress will do to and about the federal workforce this year is Jessica Klement, legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.
David Snell, director of retirement benefits at NARFE, joins host Mike Causey to discuss the new self-plus-one health care option for federal employees, and the backlog in processing retirement applications. December 16, 2015
The health insurance hunting season ends Monday. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey has found a free information source you can use from home or the office.
David Snell, director of retirement benefits at NARFE, joins host Mike Causey to go through the pros and cons of different health plans are available for both retirees and working feds. November 24, 2015
Low inflation makes a cost-of-living adjustment for federal retirees unlikely next year. If that happens it could make almost a million former federal employees a little poorer. Jessica Klement, legislative director for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees association, told In Depth with Francis Rose why Civil Service Retirement System retirees might see an income drop next year
A new plan that would keep the government open through Dec. 11 is beginning to emerge. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) introduced a clean, short-term continuing resolution that does not include language that would defund Planned Parenthood.
Congress has its eye on the G-Fund again. Some members want to change the way the rate of return is figured. One version of the federal budget in the House estimates savings up to $32 billion to fund other programs. But, members of the Employee Thrift Advisory Council are warning those changes could cause people to get out of the TSP altogether. Jessica Klement, legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, joined In Depth with Francis Rose to talk about the proposed legislation.
NARFE's John Hatton and Katie Maddocks from the Federal Managers Association, join host Mike Causey to talk about some of the issues that Congress will tackle when it returns from its summer recess. September 2, 2015
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Congress should starting working now on a budget deal for the beginning of fiscal 2016. A deal is likely to be at the top of the list of priorities when Congress comes back Sept.8. Jessica Klement, legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees association, tells In Depth with Francis Rose, she's already anticipating the challenges when Congress comes back.
With two months to go in the COLA countdown for January 2016, it appears unlikely retirees will get any adjustment next year. The CPI-W will be announced later this month, but all indications say there won't be a COLA in January, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.
Senate leaders agreed in principle to a six-year highway transportation fund bill that doesn’t try to raise money by changing the way the interest rate on the G-Fund is calculated. But Democrats stopped the bill from moving to a full vote because they wanted more time to read the entire bill.
The Senate is working on a long-term highway spending bill that taps billions of dollars from the Thrift Savings Plan to help pay for it. House budget writers say the G-fund is just too good of a deal and they want to base the fund's interest rate on a three month average instead of the current four-year average. Kim Weaver of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board says that would make the G-fund virtually worthless for TSP participants. Jessica Klement is legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. She tells In Depth with Francis Rose that NARFE wants Congress to come up with another solution.
The congressional stalemate over funding a long-term highway bill is reviving fears that lawmakers could raid the Thrift Savings Plan. House Republicans have proposed cutting the G Fund's interest rate to free up $32 billion over ten years.
We know a little more now about both cyber breaches at the Office of Personnel Management. But there are still plenty of questions. David Snell is the director of the federal benefits service department at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. He testified before the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittees on Research and Technology and Oversight last week. He tells In Depth guest host Jared Serbu that he's worried not just about the breaches themselves, but the lack of communication between OPM and the federal workforce since then.