With a deadline of next Friday (December 13) for House-Senate budget conferees to produce a spending outline for the remainder of the current fiscal year, there has been no firm indication of what any such agreement would mean to federal employees and retirees. Continue ›

Next Monday (December 9) is the last day of the current open season for electing or changing coverage in the FEHB and FEDVIP programs for 2014. Continue ›

The list of "medically underserved" areas for FEHB program purposes is changing slightly in 2014, potentially affecting enrollment decisions for next year. Continue ›

FEDweek has just updated its free download on the Federal Employees Health Benefits program titled Getting the Most from Your Health Insurance. Continue ›

The open season is also the annual opportunity to enroll in the flexible spending account program, in which employees (but not retirees) can set aside part of their salaries pretax to pay for certain dependent care expenses and health care expenses not covered by insurance, such as copayments and deductibles. Continue ›

While there is no absolute best date to retire, some days are better than others, writes benefits expert Reg Jones. Continue ›

GAO recently examined security of buildings owned or leased by GSA, finding that building managers largely are complying with the guidelines but cited challenges included "employee apathy toward participating in drills,"which in one recent case may have led to employees being exposed to potential hazards when they self-evacuated.For a closer look, go to http://www.fedweek.com/item-view.php?tbl=9&ID=894 in the free info section of our website. Continue ›

The common stock C fund led the TSP in posting a 3.05 percent return in November, followed by the small company stock S fund at 2.49 percent, while the international stock I fund gained 0.75 percent, the government securities G fund gained 0.18 percent and the bond F fund lost 0.35 percent. Continue ›

As commonly happens at this time of year, federal employees are raising questions about the prospects of additional time off without charge to leave around the holidays. Continue ›

In Basaldua v. Dep't of Homeland Security, EEOC Appeal No. 0720090044 (August 22, 2013), the EEOC's Office of Federal Operations (OFO) affirmed the administrative judge's (AJ) finding of discrimination and award of compensatory damages but rejected the [...] Continue ›