No Changes Sought in Retirement

Also notable is what the budget does not propose. There are no planned changes in the required retirement contributions by employees, an idea the White House supported in budget plans for several years and then dropped—although it accepted increases initiated by Congress affecting only employees hired after a future date. The plan also contains no recommendation to use the “chained” consumer price index that likely would result in smaller future increases to Social Security, federal retirement and several other benefits linked to inflation, and no proposal to cut back the “special retirement supplement” that is paid to many who retire under FERS before age 62 when Social Security can start. The administration similarly has stopped supporting those ideas. However, all could arise in the upcoming congressional budget plan. The budget does meanwhile include a proposal to improve coordination of disability benefits between OPM and SSA to reduce duplication.