Blog

26 Mar

What Really Happens When You Submit Your Retirement Paperwork

Many people wonder what really happens when you submit your retirement paperwork. Let’s take a look and briefly explain the procedures.
When your retirement paperwork is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management they will notify you when it is received and provide you a claim identification number. This number is seven digits in length and is preceded by the letters “CSA”. You must use this claim number when you contact OPM about your retirement annuity.
Specifically when OPM begins to […]

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19 Mar

The President of America’s Largest Federal Employee Union Steps Down Due to Sexual Harassment Charges

J. David Cox, the National President of the American Federation of Government Employees, had been accused of making unwanted advances and sexually harassing union employees repeatedly in 2019. He was forced to resign after new charges came against him this month.
He has been on leave ever since the Bloomberg Law wrote a list of allegations pending against him back in October. Working IDEAL has been engaged by the AFGE for independently investigating the workforce culture and claims against him […]

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09 Mar

Incentives For Retirees In Good Shape

If you’re looking to spend your retirement in good shape and health, there are a number of federal health plans that provide you incentives for remaining in good shape both before & after your retirement.
These incentives may be either cash or normal credit, which can be utilized for medical expenses. They may also be used for meeting insurance-related expenses like coinsurance, copayments, or deductibles.
In order to derive maximum benefits from these programs, we recommend that you start early. You […]

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05 Mar

Defense Secretary Esper Unsure On Starting New Collective Bargaining Rules

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Wednesday that he was still thinking about his next move that has to do with a recent Presidential order that wants to take away the union bargaining rights of military-civilian employees.
When questioned by lawmakers about its possible impact on the Pentagon’s civilian workers, he said that he had no play in this decision. In a recent memo, President Trump said that he would be giving the Defense Secretary the power to exempt […]

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26 Feb

Hike Rates from USPS

The US Postal System is likely to raise its rates as it seeks to implement a new system that ties price hikes to increases in costs. Regulators have issued a new proposal where the existing system is to be overhauled completely.
The Postal Regulatory Commission isn’t ready to relinquish the authority to fix the rates of the services offered by the US Postal System, something that the latter’s management has repeatedly requested.
This new proposal seeks to link the USPS’s price […]

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18 Feb

The TSP Ended With a BANG

The 401(k)-style retirement savings program of the federal government has completed 2019 with a bang as every fund increased in value this year. Except for a single portfolio, all the others saw net positive results in 2019.
The I Fund led the rally for the Thrift Savings Plan in December, which saw an increase of 3.24% during the month of December. The fund grew 22.47% in 2019 alone.
The F fund was the sole TSP portfolio, which ended December with a […]

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11 Feb

Good News for Federal Workers

While this year started off with a government shutdown that was the longest ever in US history, it ended well for federal workers. Apart from a generous pay raise, Pres. Trump also decided to provide increased federal benefits to government employees – twelve weeks of fully paid parental leave in the event of the birth, fostering, or adoption of children. However, there were a few bad and good changes as well. Here is the complete rundown:
Paychecks are going to […]

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03 Feb

Federal Agencies Are Now Requiring an Updated Management Model

Government agencies are now dealing with important performance issues, which can be pointed to the society and attitude that the present civil service culture has formed, the reliance put on old ways of doing things and policies, and an older workforce. Most of the time good leadership is needed for dealing with these issues. The good news is that recent success stories continue to confirm that it is possible to have good work performance.
There are many obstacles blocking the […]

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27 Jan

New Government Plans: Elevate and Elevate Plus

The FEHB Program has made the decision to offer out two governmentwide indemnity plans: Elevate Plus and Elevate, which is to be controlled by GEHA. This will be the first move in more than 30 years.
Even though, to say they are ‘indemnity’ plans may not be accurate. Although they do look like typical indemnity plans, these new plans come under a new fee-for-service category. Unlike conventional indemnity plans that don’t use doctors’ networks and pay out set percentages of […]

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14 Jan

Delaying Retirement

There are many people who choose not to retire despite turning 65. Millie Parson, a notable FBI employee retired at the age of 88 after working for over 62 years. She lived for another 11 years in retirement till the age of 99. There is also Emil Corwin, who started at the US FDA till the age of 74 and the retired at 96. Corwin passed away shortly before turning 108 years old.
Not everyone is thinking about working for […]

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