Protecting your retirement benefits in 2018

Groups that represent federal workers, managers, postal workers and retirees are concerned that the federal retirement program will again be nominated for major cuts that could hurt current and future workers and retirees.

For much of the 2017 legislative year, Congress—almost exclusively House Republicans—pushed major changes for both the FERS and CSRS programs. They ranged from making FERS workers pay more for their benefits, to elimination of cost of living adjustments for current and future FERS retirees and diet COLAs for CSRS retirees.

None of the above happened, although the threats were very serious at the time. And they will come back as issues. Groups representing feds and retirees are trying to mobilize their members—and recruit lots of new ones—to tell politicians to keep their hands off long-promised federal retirement benefits.

Today at 10 a.m. on  Your Turn, Jessica Klement,  staff vice president for advocacy at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, will talk about the save-the-benefits effort and what you can do about it. She’ll also give us background on what was threatened—but didn’t happen—last year and talk about why 2018 may be different. And not as forgiving.

You can listen live at www.federalnewsradio.com or at 1500 AM in the D.C. area. If you have questions for Jessica Klement, send them to me before showtime at: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.