3 Possible Predictions for Federal Government Workers and Retirees

3 Possible Predictions for Federal Government Workers and Retirees

If the predictions listed below turns out be true, it would be federal employees and retirees that get the much-needed assistance they need to deal with higher health premiums. And, for working individuals, it means getting accustomed to new types of health plans that offer comparable coverage at a lower premium.

What are some of the predictions?

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• January Pay Raise for Federal Employees in 2019 – 70/30 chance there is no pay increase for 1.2 million white-collar federal employees.
• Retiree COLAs – an 80/20 chance that Social Security Administration, military and federal employees will see a three percent cost of living adjustment.
• Health Insurance Premiums – No certainty here, but chances of a four to six percent rise in premiums is expected for federal and postal workers, survivors and retirees.

President Donald Trump announced he was against the idea of a 2019 increase, saying it would hurt the federal government to attain and keep good people.

Based on information from the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990, the feds are supposed to get a 1.9 percent raise in January, and higher amounts could go to locality pay regions.  In certain areas, the 1.9 pay raise was actually 2.2. percent.

The Obama administration also denied pay raises three times.

Government unions have criticized the potential pay freeze and the president’s flippant attitude toward federal employees.  Many congressional Democrats are in favor of a federal pay raise, and they are not alone. Rep. Barbara Comstock is also in favor of the federal pay rise. Many of her constituents are active and retired federal employees that are heavily dependent on their federal checks.

September marks the last month for the three-month COLA countdown. The COLA’s size is dependent upon the Consumer Price Index, which saw a slight drop to 2.71 in July from 2.72 in June.  The inflation adjustment is subjected to the increase of the current third quarter year over last year’s.

Some people are predicting that the increase in oil prices over the summer will cause the COLA to be brought to three percent, but it won’t be until mid-October before an announcement is made on how much it will get.

The inflation index, which looks at the nationwide costs, tends to be ahead and higher of inflation and deflation’s normal pace. Last year, the government said 2018 premiums for the FEHB plan would increase by four percent.

However, the increase was over six percent, which was offset by the COLA and pay raise.

Most workers and retirees have most of their health care coverage taken care of by the government. Congress is considering several reforms that would decrease the government’s cost and give workers vouchers to help them buy insurance.

The government will hold an extended open enrollment, starting in mid-November to early December. During this time, employees, retirees and survivors can find a health care plan from any of the 260+ plans being offered. The majority of the employees and retirees can sign up for any of the 20 HMO and national plans.

A pay raise is still up in the air, but the Senate did approve a 1.9 percent raise in 2018 in the National Defense Authorization Act. The House’s version of this Act mentioned nothing about federal pay. Both groups will meet to deal with their differences of the NDAA.

However, federal unions, retiree groups and other organizations are on Capitol Hill to help federal employees and retirees get their 2019 pay raise.

There are several advantages to the Thrift Savings Plan for participants. The most basic part is that the federal government offers a contribution match for up to 5% of the employee’s annual income. These can be made in the form of automatic payroll deductions. TSP funds can be low-cost ways to save for retirement, especially with lifecycle funds tailored to a specific retirement date. You can also choose from traditional pre-tax contributions, which allow you to not have to pay income tax until retirement, or Roth TSPcontributions that allow you to pay the tax now and not worry about it at retirement. Both are good options, but consider talking to a TSP withdrawal expert before you make any decisions.

TSP CSRS, or the Civil Service Retirement System, offers the Thrift Savings Plan as a supplement to your CSRS Annuity or military pay- as of January 1st, 2018, military employees also participate in a military TSP.

TSP and FERS, or Federal Employees’ Retirement System, makes your TSP one part of a three-part retirement plan. This also includes the FERS Basic Annuity and Social Security.

The difference between the FERS or CSRS Annuity and the TSP is that the annuity is based on your years of service, rather than how much you have contributed, and is also voluntary, as opposed to the annuity.

Regardless of which retirement system you qualify for, contributing to the Thrift Savings Plan is vital to your retirement, especially if you contribute early. TSP compound interest means that the earlier you start to make contributions, the better. However, if you did not start saving at an earlier point, committing to a steady and consistent contribution schedule will almost always produce positive results.

If you are a new federal employee, you most likely have an established account and were enrolled in a 3% payroll deduction. If you were hired before July 31st, 2010, you were not automatically enrolled in a TSP account and will need to create it yourself. For CSRS employees and members of the uniformed services, you must elect to contribute to the TSP. You are also not eligible for agency contributions.

You can elect to stop or change your contributions at any time. Check with your payroll office or agency to find out how to sign up for TSP. You may be required to use your agency or service’s electronic system, or you may have to submit Form TSP-1 (Form TSP-U-1 for uniformed services). The Thrift Savings Plan website has the forms available if your agency or service accepts them.