Activating Your Blended Retirement and Benefits During a Shutdown

After coordinating this for years, workers part of the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings plan are prepared to offer military personnel a staff contribution.

On January 1st, the blended retirement system becomes active. The program enrolls new service members automatically and provides a 12-moth opt-in period for existing military members. It also offers a staff match of 1 to 5% to the Thrift Savings Plan. In return, a smaller annuity calculation is obtained if members remain a part of the military for two complete decades, which is necessary to be eligible for pension benefits.

During a meeting of the TSP’s governing board, Tanner Nohe, a project manager, claimed that all is ready for the new system to be activated on the first of the year.

The complete IT coding is established, and it goes live at the end of 2017, according to Nohe. They have eight applications ready to go also, and all the rules will go into effect on New Year’s Day. All deliverables and communications will also be activated at the same time, which comes with 29 individual web pages.

Nohe claims that company authorities have properly assessed tests to process payroll submissions from all the armed services. Nohe is confident the roll-out will go swimmingly when the initial payroll reports arrive Feb. 1.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill haven’t finalized how to finance the federal government, in spite of a pending Friday deadline to bypass a government shutdown. With the persistence of brinkmanship, this is what federal staff can anticipate with regards to benefits and pay, as per guidance from the 2015’s Office of Personnel Management.

Agencies must compensate staff who are necessary or not part of the shutdown. However, it won’t be until the government reopens that the paychecks will be sent out. Alternatively, furloughed personnel receive no promises that they will be paid during the shutdown duration. Granted, Congress conventionally has sent out back pay once a financing agreement was reached. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., along with Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., have brought legislation to the table in each Congress chamber to make sure each federal employee is compensated quickly, should a shutdown occur.

During a shutdown, agencies could give out performance bonuses. However, such payments won’t be given out until once reopening of the government has taken place.

In several states, furloughed staff qualify for unemployment pay. However, after the 2013 shutdown, most feds were obligated to give back the funds once Congress validated back pay.

Health advantages are more complex. Should a shutdown happen, staff who are furloughed will keep their health insurance coverage via the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Normal premiums accrue regularly and are removed from workers’ initial post-shutdown compensation. With regards to the Federal Employees’ Vision Insurance and Dental Programs, if staff are furloughed for a couple of periods consecutively, they will be billed by snail mail to keep their coverage.

When a shutdown is happening, Federal Employees Retirement System and Civil Service Retirement System retirees will keep obtaining benefits. However, existing feds enrolled in the TSP won’t get an employer match or contributions to their accounts until reopening of the government has occurred.

If the government closes, Feds are not able to substitute paid leave to replace furloughs. When a shutdown happens, any sick days or scheduled leaves are canceled.

Although the Trump administration keeps fighting in court to stop transgender people from being a part of the military, the Defense Department assisted its recruiting team on how transgender recruit processes should be handled as of January 1.

Authorities told recruiters to manage all processing as per the applicant’s gender preference. Applicants are to be addressed by their pronoun and name of preference.

Transgender people who want to join the military will be asked to validate their gender of preference with a court order, birth certificate, or a passport. Recruits who have gone through treatments for gender reassignment need to have paperwork released by their physician. The documents need to state that they have at least 18 months without necessary tracking or follow-up procedures; or functional complications or restrictions.

Over the next several days, a decision on the Trump administration’s request to ban transgender recruits is anticipated from a federal appeals court.