Expert’s View

Here we go again. Retirees, survivors and Social Security beneficiaries are facing a second year without a cost of living …More

Few benefit programs are as static as the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program. Except for rare and unpredictable open …More

As the Klingons in Star Trek are fond of saying, "This is a good day to die." I’m here to …More

Dear FERS employees, something happened while you were sleeping. Beginning with the first pay period on or after October 1, …More

It’s Open Season again, a time when federal employees and retirees who are enrolled in the FEHB can change their …More

News flash! OPM is taking forever to process retirement applications and the luckier ones are receiving only a portion of …More

Having written two straight columns about survivor annuities, it occurred to me that you might not be aware of another …More

A frequently asked question from retirees is this: "What happens to my annuity if I marry or remarry after I …More

A recent court case may serve as a wake-up call on how to word separation agreements and divorce decrees. On …More

There are always rumors floating around that federal employees fall for. It isn’t because they are stupid but because they …More

Back on June 9, I wrote about a provision in the health care reform law enacted early this year to …More

The annual health benefits open season is on the horizon. It runs from Monday, November 8 to Monday, December 13. …More

After having led you through the thicket and into retirement in my previous articles, it may seem impertinent to send …More

Now we’ve come to the key question that’s been on your mind all along. How much money will I get …More

Last week I talked about what’s included in basic pay, and what isn’t. Because your annuity will be based in …More

Besides age and length of service, a key ingredient in computing an annuity is the amount of your basic pay. …More

Last week I surveyed some of the most common types of civilian employment that are considered to be creditable for …More

Last week I wrote about the requirements you need to meet in order to retire. One of those elements was …More

It’s back to basics, folks. What with legislative changes altering the landscape, you’ve raised a lot of questions about retirement. …More

OPM has issued regulations setting new policy regarding who is considered to be a family member or immediate relative for …More

Most retirees know that if they return to work for the government, the odds are good that the salary of …More

I’ve received a lot of e-mails from irate employees who have made (or are making) deposits to get credit for …More

In 2000 the Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage Corrections Act became law. It was designed to allow the correction of problems …More

While I was ginning up last week’s article about Option C insurance, I got to thinking about two features of …More

My article on legislation that would allow dependent children to be covered by their parent’s FEHB policy up to age …More

Last week I wrote about the status of legislation that would allow dependent children to be covered by their parent(s) …More

Since enactment of the national health insurance reform law in March, there’s been a steady stream of questions regarding when …More

It’s a well-known fact that when money is in short supply, training is one of the first things to go. …More

If you didn’t know it already, many federal civilian employees who are members of the reserve forces of the United …More

Have you ever made deposits to get credit for active duty military time or non-deposit civilian service, or made redeposits …More