Expert’s View

Years ago retiring federal employees were allowed to elect to have their retirement contributions paid to them in a lump …More

In the private sector it’s called COBRA. In the federal government it’s called Temporary Continuation of Coverage. In both cases …More

One of life’s greatest fears is that you will be unable to care for yourself because of chronic mental or …More

When you came to work for the government, you were automatically covered under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance program …More

Last week I went over the basic rules governing the FEHB program for federal employees. This week I want to …More

This week I’m starting a series that covers the two most-used insurance programs for federal employees and retirees, the Federal …More

An interesting feature of OPM’s Federal Employees Benefits Survey was its examination of the health plan priorities of Baby Boomers, …More

Last week I showed you the level of importance that federal employees who were surveyed put on key benefit programs …More

OPM’s Federal Employee Benefits Survey gathered data from a sampling of current federal employees. Of particular interest is the importance …More

The Office of Personnel Management recently released results of the latest Federal Employees Benefits Survey which, in their words, “is …More

I had thought the fact that federal employees who attended one of the military service academies were entitled to get …More

In the last two weeks we’ve looked at how you can increase the two main elements of your retirement benefit …More

If you are not financially ready to retire when you reach eligibility to retire, a common response is to continue …More

In my previous series focusing on retirement eligibility, I pointed out that the decision to retire is not just a …More

Over the last four weeks, I’ve written about the pluses and minuses of staying in the federal government during this …More

A unique feature of the FERS retirement system is the MRA+10 provision. It allows employees to retire at their minimum …More

Last week I wrote about immediate retirement under CSRS and CSRS Offset. This time I want to review the immediate …More

While the number of CSRS and CSRS Offset employees is declining, there are still plenty of you on the rolls. …More

From time to time, events cause a spike in anxiety among federal employees and retirees. We are currently in such …More

Here’s question retirees turning age 65 often ask: “Since I paid for Medicare Part A when I was working, do …More

As a rule, you have to be age 65 or older to be eligible for Medicare. However, Medicare coverage is …More

Over the last two weeks, I’ve explained the five-year rule, which determines your eligibility to carry your FEHB coverage into …More

Last week I filled you in on three basic elements of the Federal Employees Health Benefits program: enrollment, premiums and …More

One of the most important benefits for federal employees, retirees, family members and survivors became law on September 28, 1959. …More

Does this sound familiar? I served on active duty in the armed forces, so that will increase my civil service …More

Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are one of the benefits that makes retirement financially viable for federal employees. However, there are some …More

On federal personnel matters, there is always an abundance of fictions that masquerade as facts. Years ago, these were minor …More

In the last three articles on life events, we focused on the benefits impact of marriage, children, and divorce. Let’s …More

This is the third in a series of articles about life events and how they might affect you. I started …More

Last week we looked at the benefits available if you get married and how to make adjustments in your designations …More