Pay & Benefits

Marjorie Taylor Greene retirement launches speculation about congressional pensions

For former members of Congress, pension and health care benefits can depend on your tenure.

Pay & Benefits

Mailbag Week: Retirement applications and processing

A look at common retirement-processing snags, what causes delays and where OPM’s newer systems fit into the picture.

Pay & Benefits

How federal employees over 65 can navigate Medicare, FEHB and TRICARE

Understanding Medicare enrollment, FEHB coverage, and TRICARE can help retirees avoid penalties, save money and coordinate benefits effectively.

Pay & Benefits

Delaying Medicare Part B: Why the penalty isn’t always as bad as it sounds

For federal employees with FEHB coverage, the timing of Medicare Part B enrollment can make a bigger difference than the penalty itself.

Pay & Benefits

OPM’s retirement backlog skyrockets as deferred resignees begin offboarding

The federal government’s dedicated HR agency is sitting on the most pending retirement applications since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pay & Benefits

Growth slowed in most TSP funds in October

Despite a slowing rate of return, last month still marked the third consecutive month in which all portfolios in the Thrift Savings Plan all increased in value.

Pay & Benefits

Cost-of-living adjustments will stay relatively static in 2026

Civil Service Retirement System retirees will see a 2.8% increase to their defined-benefit annuities next year, compared to just a 2% bump for Federal Employees Retirement System annuitants.

Pay & Benefits

Shutdown or not, there are things to do 

The government shutdown has raised lots of questions about the retirement process, and retirement benefits, for federal employees while agencies remain closed. Here are some of the most pressing answers.

Pay & Benefits

What to know when your child ages out of federal health coverage

Children can stay on a parent’s FEHB or PSHB plan until 26, but understanding the 31-day extension, conversion options and Temporary Continuation of Coverage is key to avoiding gaps.

Pay & Benefits

What to expect while you’re expecting (your retirement benefit, that is)

The OPM director uses his weekly updates to detail efforts to replace paper applications, guide employees through the Online Retirement Application system, and address delays and data issues in retirement processing.

Pay & Benefits

Democrats introduce bill to ease TSP withdrawals, loans during shutdowns

The Emergency Relief for Federal Workers Act would clarify that lapses in appropriations qualify federal workers to take a hardship withdrawal from the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program and eliminate the associated 10% penalty in those instances.

Pay & Benefits

TSP funds continue to tick upward in September

For a second consecutive month, all of the funds in the Thrift Savings Plan increased in value.

Management

The end of the ‘Fork in the Road’

A new online retirement system, coupled with record summer claim volumes, has created delays and confusion for federal employees transitioning to annuitant status, even as OPM works to streamline processing and reduce errors.

Pay & Benefits

All TSP funds were back in the black in August

The Thrift Savings Plan’s international investments rebounded last month after lagging behind other portfolios in July.

Pay & Benefits

Bill would give all workers federal-level retirement benefits

A sweeping proposal could extend Federal Employees Retirement System–level pensions to the private sector, reshaping how Americans plan for retirement.

Pay & Benefits

As Social Security turns 90, lessons from the past can guide its future

From hurricane preparedness to policy reform, history shows how learning from past challenges can shape a stronger Social Security system moving forward.

Pay & Benefits

TSP funds post mixed returns in July

While domestic investments in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program posted gains last month, its international fund faltered.

Workforce

Senate panel advances bills to protect whistleblowers, fix CBP workers’ retirement benefits

More than 1,300 CBP officers spent more than a decade contributing toward their retirement annuities for which they were not eligible, due to a mistake the agency made in 2008.