Pay & Benefits
VA moves survivors’ help office, again, to make it easier to get benefits
The department is seeking to reverse a 2021 decision by the Biden administration that placed the Office of Survivors Assistance under the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Pay & Benefits
Don’t get stuck with a tax bill in retirement: The federal retiree's guide to tax withholding
While tax withholding is automatic while working, retirees face the responsibility of ensuring their income is withheld for federal and state taxes. With that in mind, here are some options to be aware of.
Pay & Benefits
New rule would change the reamortized debt formula for Thrift Savings Plan loans
A proposed rule from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board could recalculate how federal employees repay accrued interest on loans from the government’s 401(k)-style retirement plan.
Pay & Benefits
House legislation seeks to add protections for probationary employees
A bill from a newly-minted representative from Maryland is one of several proposed bills in response to the ongoing federal workforce reductions.
Pay & Benefits
How tariffs and inflation may affect your TSP
Though the upheaval of tariff policy has riled the markets, here's what to consider for the potential impacts on the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program.
Pay & Benefits
Efforts to boost VA recruitment and promote BOP mental health get another push from House members
A pair of House bills seek to address personnel challenges within the Veterans Affairs Department and the Bureau of Prisons by offering new incentives and additional screenings, respectively.
Pay & Benefits
Stopgap bill includes permanent pay raises for firefighters
Federal wildland firefighters secured new special salary pay tables at all levels through the six-month continuing resolution package after Congress spent 2024 averting numerous pay cliffs.
Pay & Benefits
Your guide to pay and benefits during a shutdown
Congress has just days to reach agreement on a deal to keep federal agencies open past Friday.
Pay & Benefits
A pair of House bills aim to give fired feds relief
Legislation from Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., and Derek Tran, D-Calif., seeks to secure benefits for federal employees recently fired by the Trump administration and help get some of their jobs back.
Pay & Benefits
Bipartisan bill returns to help feds and postal workers close retirement gap
A bipartisan group is again pitching legislation that would allow some federal and postal employees who began their careers as temporary workers to contribute to their federal retirement accounts for those years.
Pay & Benefits
Senate Dem reintroduces Equal COLA Act, and more
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
How new executive orders will impact FEHB coverage next year
Pay and benefits news you may have missed.
Pay & Benefits
Can I afford an early retirement? 4 things to consider before making the leap
COMMENTARY | From return-to-office mandates to the reappearance of Schedule F, many feds may be finding themselves on a fast track to retirement whether they wanted it or not. But are they financially prepared? What planning should be done before considering an early federal retirement?
Pay & Benefits
OPM unveils its major plans and policy goals for federal health care in 2026
The Office of Personnel Management's 2026 Federal Employees Health Benefits program roadmap focuses on cutting red tape for feds and retirees while staying committed to key health care priorities—here’s what it could mean for you.
Pay & Benefits
Feds affected by L.A. fires are eligible for paid leave transfers
OPM is allowing federal employees to donate their paid leave time to fellow feds impacted by the ongoing wildfires in California, a practice becoming more commonly deployed during increasing natural disasters.
Pay & Benefits
Congressional Republicans dial up multiple bills to cull telework flexibility
The 119th Congress has started early on reintroducing or debuting new plans to reduce telework capabilities at federal agencies.
Pay & Benefits
The forgotten keys to agency performance: Senior Executives
COMMENTARY | To help agencies better address their performance management, it could be time to take a fresh look at senior executives, and how they are compensated.
Pay & Benefits
VA omnibus bill including community care and pay waiver updates heading to Biden’s desk
A compendium of bills packaged into the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act features veteran educational assistance funding, community care improvements, increased funding for veteran homelessness providers and more.
Pay & Benefits
OPM extends postal open season enrollment and beefs up customer service
The agency shifted its original deadline for U.S. Postal Service employees and beneficiaries to enroll in the new health insurance exchange to help provide “ample time” to make selections while offering additional customer support.
Pay & Benefits