Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Fellows Program Accepting Applications

Title: Federal Government's Premier Fellows Program Accepting Applications

Article Snip: "...The Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF), run by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), attracts and selects the best candidates to develop a cadre of new government leaders, and can lead to a career in government...."

Reference: www.opm.gov
Fellows Program

Monday, September 19, 2011

Federal Employees fear retirement cuts

Title: Feds plan their exits: Interest surges in retirement seminars

Article Snip: "...Many federal employees nearing retirement view the high-five reform as a double whammy. First, it would reduce their pensions by factoring two lower salaries into their pension calculation. Second, a high-five average salary would be further tamped down by pay freezes in effect this year and next..."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com
Federal Employee Retirement,

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Obama to protect much needed Social Security and Medicare

Title: Obama Plan Won't Include Changes to Social Security

Article Snip: "...President Barack Obama's new deficit-reduction proposal will leave out changes to Social Security, and may exclude any increase in the Medicare eligibility age, people familiar with the discussions said Wednesday...."

Reference: wsj.com
Social Security, Medicare,

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Changes in Medicare and Social Security programs on the way?

Title: A Bipartisan Move to Tackle Benefits Programs

Article Snip: "...would support slowly increasing the eligibility age for Medicare to 67 from 65 and changing the formula for cost-of-living increases in Social Security to a less generous one that some economists consider more accurate. ..."

Reference:
Social Security, Medicare,

Friday, September 9, 2011

2012 Federal Employee COLA Update

Title: Retiree COLA Roller Coaster: Going Up

Article Snip: "...government retirees are cautiously looking forward to a cost of living adjustment of around 3.3 percent in their January checks. That COLA, if it holds up, would be the first inflation-catchup federal, ..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
2012 COLA, Federal Retirement COLA, Federal Employee COLA 2012,

Chained CPI may harm seniors

Title: Changes To Inflation Formula Will Clip Social Security Benefits, Study Says

Article Snip: "...the new inflation measure may not deliver to seniors the income protection they need in retirement, especially on the costs of health care...."

Reference: bnet.com
COLA 2012

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Federal default would hurt...

Title: Federal default would hurt county
Article Snip: "...roughly 14,000 federal retirees the National Federation of Federal Employees said live in the county. In all, active federal workers and retirees bring..."
Reference: www.hometownannapolis.com

Monday, July 18, 2011

federal employee organizations want debt ceiling concerns answered

Title: Administration ducks employees’ default questions
Article Snip: "...How will the assets of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund and the G-Fund of the Federal Employees’ Retirement System be impacted..."
Reference: www.washingtonpost.com

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Medicare cuts and and costs increase

Title: Crowley reports on Medicare plan cuts
Article Snip: "...According to Crowley’s report, costs for an average Medicare beneficiary would increase by $520 in the 2012 federal fiscal year (from October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012)...."
Reference: www.queenscourier.com
Medicare cuts,

Monday, June 27, 2011

AARP recognizes benefit cuts in Social Security may be unavoidable

Title: For AARP, A 'Monumental' Shift On Social Security?
Article Snip: "...AARP recognizes benefit cuts in Social Security may be unavoidable in the future. But it wasn't something the organization wanted to see highlighted on the front page of a major newspaper...."
Reference:
AARP

Bachmann for President ...if you don't mind more attacks on Social Security and Medicare

Title: Bachmann formally announces presidential bid in Waterloo, Iowa
Article Snip: "...hypocrisy and shameless self-promotion. Her support for ending Medicare and 'weaning' people off Social Security is proof enough that Michele Bachmann would be a terrible President,” said Martin..."
Reference: hometownsource.com

Monday, June 20, 2011

3.5% Federal Retiree COLA for Jan. 2012?

Title: Retirees Eye 3.5 Percent Raise!
Article Snip: "...federal, military and Social Security retirees are looking at a possible January cost of living adjustment of 3.5 percent..."
Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
2012 COLA, Federal Retiree COLA

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Federal Employee Retirement Now On The Line

Title: Federal Workers Facing More Cuts
Article Snip: "...In March, Senate Republicans Richard Burr and Tom Coburn introduced legislation that would entirely eliminate pensions for government employees. They would still collect Social Security and hold 401k-style accounts.

The White House is unlikely to back such an aggressive plan...
"
Reference: www.kctv5.com
FERS, Federal Retirement,

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

OPM Retirement Processing Backlog

Title: About That OPM Retirement Processing Backlog
Article Snip: "...The Office of Personnel Management is making progress on reducing the backlog in finalizing retirement applications. The time it takes to process a retirement action has improved by roughly..."
Reference: www.fedsmith.com
OPM Retirement Processing

Voters Angry Over Attempts to 'Dismantle Medicare'

Title: House G.O.P. Members Face Voter Anger Over Budget
Article Snip: "...In central Florida, a Congressional town meeting erupted into near chaos on Tuesday as attendees accused a Republican lawmaker of trying to dismantle Medicare while providing tax cuts to corporations and affluent Americans. ..."
Reference: www.nytimes.com
Dismantle Medicare

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Rubio wants to raise Social Security age again

Title: Marco Rubio kicks off media blitz with talk of raising the retirement age for Social Security
Article Snip: "...Indeed many of the reforms are controversial, particularly Social Security. Rubio raised that possibility on the campaign trail last year and then-Gov. Charlie Crist tried to make it an issue but did not get traction...."
Reference: www.tampabay.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Postal Service Early Retirement Incentive of $20,000 offered

Title: 2011 Special Incentive Offer FAQs
Article Snip: "...What are the basic details of the 2011 Special Incentive Offer?

On March 23, 2011, the Postal Service announced a Special Incentive offer for the following targeted groups:

Career non-bargaining employees assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Field Units, including PCES and attorneys
Career non-bargaining employees assigned to Area Offices, including PCES
Career non-bargaining employees assigned to District Customer Service Offices (the offer includes PCES in closing districts only)...
"
Reference: usps.gov

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Will I be eligible for Social Security special retirement supplement?

Title: Will I be eligible for Social Security special retirement supplement?
Article Snip: "...I am a federal employee with 31 years of service. Civil Service Offset, with 10 years CSRS and 21 years in FERS. ..."
Reference: federaltimes.com

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Golden years losing luster

Title: Golden years losing luster
Article Snip: "...Social Security benefits will replace just 28 percent of a recipient's preretirement income in 2030, on average, down from 39 percent in 2002, according to the Center on Retirement Research. The drop will result largely from the increased Medicare payments and higher income taxes Social Security recipients will have to pay...."
Reference: www.bendbulletin.com
Social Security, Retirement,

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Postal Early Retirement 2011

Title: Postal Service to cut 7,500 positions this month, 30,000 by end of year
Article Snip: "...Postal Service will use attrition and early retirement offers to reach that number and is weighing whether to use buyouts ..."
Reference: Federal Times via postalearlyretirement.blogspot.com
USPS Early Retirement Offers