Retirement

  • The Office of Personnel Management's efforts to process retirement claims and reduce a longstanding backlog slipped last month, after the agency was forced to cancel employee overtime because of automatic budget cuts. OPM processed 10,954 claims in May, according to new data, 546 fewer than it had projected. That's only the third time in the past 16 months - since the agency rolled out a new plan for clearing the backlog — that OPM failed to hit its processing goal.

    June 05, 2013
  • Federal employees who choose to retire part-time and return to federal service under a new phased-retirement option will have to spend at least 20 percent of their time on mentoring activities, according to proposed rules from the Office of Personnel Management, which were released today in the Federal Register

    June 04, 2013
  • In this special Federal Drive panel discussion, guest experts discuss the impending retirement wave and how agencies can plan effectively for the loss of experience and knowledge when their long-time employees head for the experts.

    May 31, 2013
  • Even though a massive federal retirement tsunami has been a no-show, even a moderate uptick in retirements could pose challenges for agencies -- especially as they face decreasing budgets and declining staffs. In part three of our special report, "Retirement Conundrum," Federal News Radio examines how agencies plan to retain institutional knowledge and fill critical skills gaps as longtime employees head for the exits.

    May 31, 2013
  • Feds who are already retired (and those who plan to retire someday soon) have several worries, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. For those about to take the plunge, the concern is the backlog of applications at the Office of Personnel Management. For those already on the roles the fear is that future benefit increases will be downsized each year.

    May 31, 2013
  • Not that long ago, the Office of Personnel Management faced a crisis in processing retirement claims. In part two of our special report, "Retirement Conundrum," Federal News Radio examines how OPM set out to beat its backlog, and how it can stay ahead of an unexpected surge in claims amid automatic budget cuts that threaten to derail progress.

    May 30, 2013
  • According to Office of Personnel Management statistics, the pipeline of up-and-coming federal employees is well-stocked. Nearly 30 percent of the current federal workforce is under age 40, and the number of younger federal employees is…

    May 30, 2013
  • NARFE legislative director Jessica Klement and Federal Times writer Stephen Losey, join host Mike Causey to talk about the self-plus-one health plan option and the chained CPI. May 29, 2013

    May 29, 2013
  • Today’s federal workforce is older than it was a decade ago and many more federal employees are nearing the end of 30- and 35-year careers. The chart below shows the growing number of both in…

    May 29, 2013
  • A recent uptick in the number of federal employees filing for retirement, has fueled renewed speculation of a governmentwide brain-drain as droves of senior employees start heading for the exits. In fiscal 2012, 69,215 federal…

    May 29, 2013
  • A federal retirement tsunami has been predicted for years but never quite materialized. In our special report, "Retirement Conundrum," Federal News Radio reexamines the trends and developments that led to the botched predictions and what it means today with a recent uptick in retirements reviving old worries.

    May 29, 2013
  • When it comes to those annual cost-of-living adjustments, a growing number of federal workers and retirees actually get diet COLAs each January. And that would get worse -- and extend to all retirees under a White House plan that has strong congressional backing, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

    May 28, 2013
  • It's been nearly a year since Congress set up the program to allow employees to take phased retirement, working three or four days a week to help mentor their successors and get used to retirement. And although it's been fast-tracked, it still hasn't happened, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So, what's up?

    May 24, 2013
  • Steve Bauer, executive director of the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, and Federal Times Senior Writer Stephen Losey will discuss furloughs and other issues affecting federal workers. May 22, 2013

    May 22, 2013