Checking The OPM Backlog: Make Sure You Retire on Time This Winter
October 29, 2018
We try to report on the OPM backlog on a regular basis to provide insight into the state of retirement processing and to give employees an idea for what they can expect when they apply for retirement. The Office of Personnel Management has a significant backlog in the number of retirement applications it needs to […]
House Spending Bill Includes a Federal Employee Pay Freeze
September 18, 2018
Late summer signifies the start of budget discussions for the 2019 fiscal year. Along with discussing hot-button issues like education spending and the investment in border security, elected officials are trying to determine if federal employees should receive a raise this year or if they should instate a federal employee pay freeze. There’s good news […]
How The TSP Modernization Act Impacts Your Retirement Options
June 12, 2018
In November 2017, President Trump signed the TSP Modernization Act into law. This TSP bill is meant to increase participation in the government’s 401(k)-style retirement plan and make it easier for current and retired employees to access their funds. Despite the ease of use of the new Thrift Savings Plans, many federal employees are left […]
A 2.6% Military Pay Raise for Military Time is Likely in the 2019 Budget
May 29, 2018
In the modern media era, fake news leads to confusion and frustration. Not only is false information inconvenient, it also has real effects on people’s lives. Over the past few weeks, there has been considerable confusion about the military time pay raise. Service members want to make sure they will be fairly compensated, but worry […]
How The Holman Rule Affects Federal Employees
May 15, 2018
Congressional representatives voted to reinstate the Holman Rule this week, which allows members to propose amendments that reduce the pay of specific federal employees. Members of Congress would be able to reduce pay to one dollar for specific federal workers. This has left many political and economic experts wondering what the Holman Rule is and […]
What’s the Impact of the Federal Retirement Fairness Act?
May 3, 2018
A new bill, The Federal Retirement Fairness Act, is working its way through the congressional process as elected officials look to help employees who were temporary contract workers before they were hired full-time. Temporary workers don’t receive the same federal retirement benefits as full-time employees, and a few years of contract work can set federal […]
Congress Hopes to Reform USPS to Reduce Losses
April 16, 2018
The United States Postal Service in more than an American institution; it’s also a source of thousands of federal jobs. Americans rely on the postal service to transfer important documents and social greetings from friends, while postal workers rely on the USPS to keep them employed and provide care in the form of retirement and […]
Proposed 2.6% Military Pay Raise The Largest in Almost a Decade
March 21, 2018
The Trump Administration released its proposed FY2019 budget last month, which included discussions about federal retirement benefits and pay raises for military employees. The current budget proposes a 2.6% increase in pay for military personnel in 2019, an increase from the current approved military pay raise of 2.4% in 2018. According to the website Task […]
OPM Retirement Backlog Exceeds 20,000 Applications in January
February 20, 2018
The Office of Personnel Management continues to struggle with its extensive retirement backlog, with more than 20,000 applications waiting to be processed for employees across the United States. According to FedSmith, the OPM received 14,590 new retirement applications in January, but it was only able to process 8,638. This deficit of 5,952 was added to […]
What the January 2018 Government Shutdown Means for Employee Pay and Retiree Benefits
February 6, 2018
While many employees returned to work following the end of the government shutdown in late January, questions remained. People wondered if they would get paid, and for what time they would be paid for. Retired workers worried about their benefits and government payments. Everyone wondered if this whole process would be repeated in February, as […]
