Pay & Benefits

Weighing the costs and trade-offs of suspending FEHB for Medicare Advantage

COMMENTARY | An analysis of two markets shows some commercial plans provide the lowest estimated yearly costs, but federal annuitants must consider the required trade-offs like prior authorization and provider access.

Pay & Benefits

TSP funds returned to growth in April

Each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished last month in the black.

Pay & Benefits

Sorting through Medicare myths in federal retirement decisions

Common assumptions about Part B, IRMAA and FEHB coordination can obscure how coverage and costs actually play out over time.

Pay & Benefits

House GOP on Trump’s 2027 pay freeze: ‘That’s politics’

Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee last week beat back multiple attempts to increase federal workers’ pay next year and restore their workplace rights.

Pay & Benefits

They did everything right and still haven’t been paid

Months after retiring, some federal workers are stuck in a bureaucratic maze with no checks, no answers and no clear end in sight.

Pay & Benefits

DHS to again stop paying employees in May if shutdown continues

Republicans took a new step on Tuesday to end the 67-day standoff, but there is still no immediate end in sight.

Pay & Benefits

OPM proposes hazard pay for more federal firefighting activities

Under recently unveiled regulations, federal wildland firefighters would be eligible for a 25% increase in pay when they work on prescribed burns, a proactive tool to mitigate the risk of wildfires.

Pay & Benefits

Senators demand OPM withdraw plan to access feds’ medical records

More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers warned that a little-scrutinized proposal to collect claims-level data related to the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs could violate federal law and doctor-client confidentiality.

Pay & Benefits

When retirement calculations don’t move on the same timeline

Retroactive pay changes and delayed annuity adjustments underscore how federal retirement processing often depends on timing, coordination, and most importantly, patience.

Pay & Benefits

VA's failure to use its new authority to boost pay for doctors draws bipartisan criticism

Department officials, including those in the Trump administration, have long complained that legal pay caps are hurting retention and veteran care.

Pay & Benefits

How to ensure your federal retirement benefit is correct

OPM processed more than 33,000 retirement claims in early 2026. Learn how your FERS benefit is calculated and how to verify your creditable service.

Pay & Benefits

OPM to FEHB carriers: Cut costs, MAHA style

In the federal HR agency’s annual letter to insurers, officials called for the end to cash incentives for childhood vaccine adoption and urged insurers to require therapy before prescribing GLP-1 drugs to combat obesity.

Pay & Benefits

DHS employees to begin receiving paychecks this week

The Homeland Security Department is still shut down but Trump has ordered immediate back pay anyway.

Pay & Benefits

OPM leans into 'well care' as it reshapes federal health plans for 2027

OPM’s annual guidance to federal health plans outlines a shift toward preventive, whole-person care in 2027, along with changes to coverage, obesity treatment and gender-affirming care.

Updated Pay & Benefits

Trump’s budget calls for 2027 pay freeze

Though the president’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal calls for a 7% pay raise for military service members, it fails to mention civilian federal employee compensation.

Pay & Benefits

Trump says he’ll pay all DHS workers after House again fails to end 48-day shutdown

The House was expected to pass the Senate’s measure funding most of the Homeland Security Department through September on Thursday morning, but didn’t take action.

Pay & Benefits

Traveling soon? What federal health plans actually cover

Peak travel season is here, but most federal workers don't know what happens if they need care abroad. From upfront costs to medical evacuations, here is what your FEHB plan does and doesn't cover when you are out of the country.

Pay & Benefits

Most TSP funds tumbled in March

The federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program was not immune to the economic headwinds brought on by President Trump’s war with Iran.

Pay & Benefits

TSA workers receive back pay after 4-week delay as DHS shutdown continues

The Homeland Security Department has been shuttered for 45 days as Congress remains at an impasse, making it the longest government shutdown in history.

Pay & Benefits

The Social Security clock is ticking faster than expected

The Social Security problem isn’t new, but the timeline just got shorter, and the fixes are still the same.