OPM contractor mails federal retirees post cards with social security numbers visible

Title: OPM contractor accidentally exposes retirees' Social Security numbers

Article Snip: "...OPM realized what had happened Oct. 29 and began trying to recover them. Because of other errors in the data files, the postcards were mailed to government agencies — and not to the retirees, as intended — in 150-card stacks. The IG report said that all but 650 postcards were found at those agencies...."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com

Early retirement buyout incentive for postal mail handlers

Title: Mail Handlers to be offered retirement incentive

Article Snip: "...The monetary incentives included in the MOU will be available (with certain restrictions) to all Mail Handlers who are currently eligible for regular retirement, voluntary early retirement, and all other employees who may wish to separate from the Postal Service. Any Mail Handler wishing to participate in this retirement incentive offer must do so no later than July 2, 2012..."

Reference: National Postal Mail Handlers Union
Early retirement incentive, Mail Handler Buyout, Postal Buyout Incentives, Postal Retirement Incentive, Voluntary Early Retirement (VER)

Social Security Benefits & Taxes

Title: Social Security Benefits & Taxes

Article Snip: "...paying income taxes on your “contributions” you are ready to retire and collect the benefits—only to find out that they may be taxable! It doesn’t seem fair, does it? Well, here’s how..."

Reference: socialsecuritynewsgroup.blogspot.com
income taxes, social security benefits

$20,000 early retirement incentives to 21,000 postmasters

Title: Postal Service drops plans to close thousands of post offices, proposes reduced hours

Article Snip: "...“If the House bill came to the floor, there would have been an uprising in both parties,” said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who has joined forces with Rep. Michael G. Grimm (R-N.Y.) in fighting the closures...."

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
early retirement incentives

Rep. Issa feels returning Postal Service money is a bailout

Title: GOP lawmaker calls Senate postal bill a '$33 billion bailout'

Article Snip: "...Senate bill would return some of the money that the USPS overpaid into its retirement fund, and require some of that money to be used to pay for the early retirement of thousands of USPS workers. It also delays for two years plans by the USPS to start closing offices...."

Reference:
S. 1789, Rep. Issa, Postal Buyout Incentives, USPS early Retirement,

Postal retirement incentives for about 100,000 in near future?

Title: Congress to make key vote on post office closures Tuesday

Article Snip: "...Postal Service to recoup $11 billion in retirement benefits already paid for future retirees and direct that money toward incentives for about 100,000 employees to retire in the near future. ..."

Reference: www.mitchellrepublic.com
Postal retirement incentives, USPS early Retirement,

Pension reform and the Postal Service

Title: Senate, letter carriers consider Postal Service pension reform

Article Snip: "...the Senate began considering the 21st Century Postal Service Act, which would allow for cash buyouts up to $25,000 among incentives to get as many as 100,000 postal employees to retire early. The previous pension overpayment is because of a federal law requiring it to prefund ..."

Reference: www.pionline.com

Thrift Savings Plan--essentially, the 401(k) plan for federal government workers

Title: The Government's Retirement Plan Has Appeal, and a Few Holes, Too

Article Snip: "...In a recent survey, 86% of the government workers who participate in the Thrift Savings Plan--essentially, the 401(k) plan for federal government workers--said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the plan. ..."

Reference: morningstar.com
TSP, Federal Employee Retirement,

Maximize your Social Security Benefits

Title: The Impact Of Claiming Age On Monthly Social Security Retirement Benefits: How Knowledgeable Are Future Beneficiaries?

Article Snip: "...For example, very few knew the number of years of highest earnings that are used to calculate benefits...."

Reference: www.aarp.org
The Impact Of Claiming Age On Monthly Social Security Retirement Benefits: How Knowledgeable Are Future Beneficiaries?

Would Postal plan destroy the FEHBP for all federal employees?

Title: Democrats skeptical of USPS push to sponsor own healthcare program

Article Snip: "...“In destroying the FEHBP, the USPS would disrupt the health insurance of 8 million Americans..."

Reference: thehill.com
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), Threat To FEHBP, destroy the FEHBP,

Interior Department is developing a plan to cut almost 5,000 jobs

Title: Interior Department planning for 7% staffing cut

Article Snip: "...The Interior Department is developing a plan to cut almost 5,000 jobs by September 2013, according to a memo this week from a top agency official, but a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget downplayed the likelihood that the plan will take effect...."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com
federal job cuts, Department of Interior, Interior Department,

Federal agency plans to grant buyouts and early-outs

Title: IRS offers targeted buyouts to employees in enforcement divisions

Article Snip: "...The early retirements and buyout offers will be offered to employees in three enforcement areas..."

Reference:
www.federalnewsradio.com

Possible Postal Buyout Incentives and Early Retirements as USPS Announces Mail Processing Plant Closures

Title: Huntsville Mail Processing Facility located on Wall Triana to Close

Article Snip: "...Postal officials also stated that the U. S. Postal Service is also considering early retirement programs and possible buyout incentives to reduce the number of postal employees...."

Reference: Rocket City

Early Retirements and Buyouts may be offered to few in Justice

Title: The 2013 budget request: agency by agency

Article Snip: "...employees will have to leave Justice if they cannot find jobs elsewhere in the department, and they will be offered buyouts and early retirements. ..."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com
Federal Buyouts, Federal Buyouts, early retirements,Justice Department Buyouts,

Federal Retirement Cuts Bill Passes House Panel

Title: Lawmakers insert federal pension provisions in highway bill

Article Snip: "...a high-five average salary calculation for annuities rather than the current high-three average pay calculation. The current Federal Employees Retirement System-defined benefit pension is calculated by taking the retiree's three highest salaries and dividing it by years of service and a variable pension accrual rate. ..."

Reference: www.govexec.com
Federal Retirement

Federal agencies offering buyouts or early outs continues to grow

Title: A new wave of federal workers is poised to emerge

Article Snip: "...Meanwhile, the roster of federal agencies offering buyouts or early outs continues to grow. In fiscal 2010, OPM gave 14 agencies permission to offer buyouts. Twelve were allowed to offer early retirements. In fiscal 2011, OPM gave 12 agencies permission to offer buyouts and twelve were allowed to offer early retirements...."

Reference: www.bizjournals.com
Federal Employee Buyouts, early outs,

Retirement services backlog being addressed

Title: OPM tackles retirement backlog with more staff, better technology

Article Snip: "...The Office of Personnel Management is trying to tackle its retirement services backlog with more staff and upgraded technology. ..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com

State Department warns that "concrete steps" must be taken...

Title: US mulls closing embassy in Syria as security worsens

Article Snip: "...
State Department warns that "concrete steps" must be taken, expresses concern about "deteriorating security situation in Damascus"; US official: Syrian gov't doesn't ..."

Reference: www.jpost.com

Federal Employee COLA Update

Title: 2012 outlook eases slightly with COLA’s return

Article Snip: "...After two years of no increases, COLAs are back. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 3.6 percent...."

Reference: federaltimes.com

Federal retirement question

Title: Four retirement options

Article Snip: "...Q. I am a 58-year-old letter carrier covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System with 27½ years of s..."

Reference: federaltimes.com

Federal Retirement Estimate

Title: Federal Ballpark E$timate®

Article Snip: "...The Federal Ballpark E$timate can be used by employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), CSRS-Offset, or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) who plan to retire under the voluntary age and service rules. The current version does not perform estimates for..."

Reference: www.opm.gov
Federal Ballpark E$timate®

Attack on Federal Retirement Benefits: H.R. 3630

Title: House Republicans Attack Postal and Federal Retirement Benefits

Article Snip: "...The House of Representatives voted 243-193 on Dec. 13 to pass the so-called “Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011,” which would cut take-home pay for postal and federal workers by increasing their contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The bill also would slash unemployment benefits, place unreasonable burdens on unemployed workers, and cut vital healthcare programs...."

Reference: www.apwu.org
H.R. 3630, Federal Retirement Benefits, Postal Retirement,

Reducing Federal Pensions

Title: New House Republican bill takes aim at fed pensions, pay

Article Snip: "...increasing the contribution federal employees pay toward their retirement, and reducing pensions for new employees...."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com
Federal Pension cuts,

Postmaster General seeks to move retirees to Medicare

Title: Postmaster general: Retirement benefits bankrupting agency

Article Snip: "...requirement isn't sustainable. He's also seeking to move retirees to Medicare...."

Reference: Postal Early Retirement

Lawmakers seek more oversight over Social Security Disability Checks

Title: Lawmakers seek Social Security check protections

Article Snip: "...Fourteen Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee want more scrutiny of how the Social Security Administration oversees benefit checks..."

Reference: Social Security Newsgroup

Postal Employee Retirement Community

Title: Neither rain nor heat nor gloom of night stops folks from living large at the unofficial retirement community of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Article Snip: "...With an efficiency renting for under $75 in 1964, Nalcrest [Florida] was nirvana for postal retirees. It remains a bargain: A one-bedroom rents for only $305, and dinners at Jay Bee's II, the town's only restaurant, average $6. ..."

Reference: nationalgeographic.com

Federal retirement Policy changes on the way?

Title: How the supercommittee’s failure will impact federal employees

Article Snip: "...Newly hired employees after the transition point would get only the defined contribution plan. That would be a very major change in federal retirement policy …..."

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
Rep. Issa, Federal Retirement Changes,

Federal Employment Opportunities in Michigan

Title: 11 tips for landing one of the more than 200 federal jobs advertised in Michigan

Article Snip: "...Even with the U.S. government laying off thousands nationally every week, the federal jobs website is still advertising 204 federal jobs in Michigan. ..."

Reference: www.mlive.com
federal employment

Federal Employee Retirement Processing Backlog Grows

Title: OPM: Problem of late pension payments getting worse

Article Snip: "...The Office of Personnel Management's backlog of pending retirement cases has grown 58 percent since Director John Berry first pledged to solve the problem more than a year ago...."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com
Federal Employee Retirement Processing,

USPS Retirement Funding Issue

Title: Bishop signs letter saying post office faces big pension burden

Article Snip: "..."No other public or private business in America" except for the U.S. Postal Service must fund 100 percent of employee retirement and retirement health costs in advance. ..."

Reference: www.politifact.com
usps retirement

TSP Summary

Title: U.S. Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Aug. Summary

Article Snip: "...the federal employee retirement thrift investment plan summary for Aug., according to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. ..."

Reference: www.bloomberg.com

Report says Federal Employees way underpaid

Title: Federal government says its employees are 25 percent UNDERPAID compared to private sector workers

Article Snip: "...federal employees 26.3 percent underpaid compared to private sector workers in similar jobs. The gap has grown 2 percentage points since last year..."

Reference: www.dailymail.co.uk
Federal employee pay,

Chained CPI offers more cuts to the working class

Title: Debt panel likes ‘chain' COLA; ‘Tricare Prime' cut offered

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/11/05/1893461/debt-panel-likes-chain-cola-tricare.html#ixzz1csX2LZk5

Article Snip: "...If that CPI were already in use, military retirees, disabled veterans and social security recipients would be getting a 3.4 percent COLA in January rather than the planned 3.6 percent hike, government price data show...."

Reference: www.thenewstribune.com

Federal Employee: Best day to retire

Title: The Best Day to Retire From Now Until 2020

Article Snip: "...One of the biggest reasons that employees choose to retire around the end of the year is to cash in a large amount of use or lose leave. Assume we have an employee..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
best day to retire,

Federal Employee Buyouts Galore

Title: Everybody's got a price. What's yours?

Article Snip: "...Currently buyouts are available at Agriculture, Air Force, ATF, U.S. Courts, Education, FTC, GAO, GPO, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Library of Congress, the USPS, SBA, Smithsonian and the TSA. ..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
Federal Buyouts, Early Retirements,

Federal employee retirement systems cumulatively face $5.7 trillion in unfunded liability

Title: The Worst Pension Gap

Article Snip: "...The Federal Employees Retirement System was created in 1986 to take the place of the old Civil Service Retirement System. Civilian federal employees hired prior to 1984 remained in the old system, while..."

Reference: www.governing.com
Federal employee retirement systems

Federal Health Care Tip

Title: Playing Russian roulette with your health plan

Article Snip: "...If you are a federal or postal worker who is close to retirement, thinking about taking a buyout, likely to be laid off or are involved in a shaky marriage, listen up: Your lifetime health insurance benefits may be in danger. ..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com
Federal employees health care

Federal retirees to get 3.6 percent COLA increase

Title: Federal retirees to get COLA increase

Article Snip: "...an increase of 3.6 percent for most, following the announcement Wednesday of Consumer Price Index figures through September...."

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
2012 COLA, Federal Retirees, Federal Retirement COLA,

2012 COLA for Social Security will be 3.6 percent

Title: Social Security benefits to rise 3.6 percent

Article Snip: "...Social Security retirement benefits for about 55 million people will go up by 3.6 percent next year, the first cost-of-living increase since 2009, the U.S. Social Security Administration said on Wednesday...."

Reference: www.reuters.com

2012 Social Security COLA

Title: Social Security: seniors to see COLA increase in 2012

Article Snip: "...The exact size of the COLA is yet to be determined, but it should be somewhere between ..."

Reference: www.csmonitor.com
2012 COLA amount,