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Requiring a Medical Examination For Employment
Many potential applicants get very unnerved over the thought of having to take a physical or medical examination to gain employment. A medical examination is defined as a procedure or a test to determine fitness for duty or an individual’s physical or mental status. An employer cannot ask an applicant to participate in a medical examination prior to a conditional offer of employment. Sometimes identifying whether a procedure is a medical examine or not is not always straight forward. The EEOC outlines the following factors to help applicants determine the validity of medical examinations:
– Is the examination designed to reveal an impairment of your physical or mental health?
– Is the examination given by a health care professional or someone trained by a health care professional?
– Will the results of the examination be read or interpreted by a health care professional or someone trained by a health care professional?
– Is the purpose of the examination to determine the physical or mental health of the applicant?
– Is the examination invasive requiring collection of body fluids such as blood or urine?
– Does the examination measure the applicant’s performance of a task or physical response to performing the task?
– Is the examination given in a medical setting or in a health care professional’s office?
– Is medical equipment used?
All of the factors above don’t necessarily have to be met to determine if a procedure or test is a medical examination. If you don’t feel comfortable or you feel like something just isn’t right ask questions and also understand that you don’t have to allow anything that you don’t feel right about. Certain positions might require a medical examination, but it is your right to ask questions and make sure it is what it purports to be.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
ADA Related Articles
Houston, I Think We Have A Problem! The Inherent Dilemmas of a Schedule “A” Appointee
Schedule “A” Not Always At The Front Of The Class
ADA and Disability Resources
There are a number of Federal agencies with American with Disabilities Act (ADA) responsibilities:
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Employment)
Federal Communications Commission (Telephone Relay Services)
U. S. Access Board (ADA Guidelines)
U. S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration (Transportation)
U. S. Department of Education (Education)
U. S. Department of Agriculture (Agriculture)
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (Health Care)
U. S. Department of the Interior (Parks and Recreation)
U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Housing)
U. S. Department of Labor (Labor)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Small Business Administration (Business)
U. S. Department of Justice (Wounded Warriors; Victims of Crime)
Disability services and resources are available to the disabled at number of agencies and private sources.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
ADA Related Articles
Houston, I Think We Have A Problem! The Inherent Dilemmas of a Schedule “A” Appointee
Schedule “A” Not Always At The Front Of The Class
Requiring a Medical Examination For Employment
NEWSLETTER WEEKLY – ADA UNCOVERED
The American With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) both prohibits discrimination and guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, State and local government services; including public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation.
The Act further provides for the establishment of TDD/telephone relay services. TDD is a telecommunications device for the deaf. It is also a teleprinter that allows for communication over a telephone line designed for use by individuals with speech and hearing challenges. The government also uses the designation TTY, teletypewriter, a device similar in size to a typewriter to display typed text electronically. These devices enable people to communicate who can hear but not speak or who cannot hear but are able to speak.
With the advancement of communications technology, more and more persons with disabilities are using current market-driven devices and technology. These modern modes of technology are multi-functional. Devices are voice activated as well as text capable making it easier to answer the needs of persons with hearing and speaking challenges. TDD/TTY devices will inevitably take on a new designation as internet based protocol drives the communications industry.
There is a unique history behind the concern for persons with disabilities to be able to communicate with their hearing and speaking counterparts. The TDD concept was started by James C. Marsters who became deaf as in infant due to scarlet fever. Marsters was a dentist and a private pilot. He partnered with a deaf physicist, Robert Weitbrecht and Andrew Saks, an electrical engineer and grandson of the founder of the famed Saks Fifth Avenue department store conglomerate, to found Applied Communications Corporation (APCOM). From the partnership a modem device was constructed that enabled AT&T’s standard Model 500 telephone to work in tandem with the modem to transmit and receive unique tones generated by the varied TTY keys.
The partners actually collected old teleprinter machines (TTYs) from the Department of Defense (DOD) and junkyards. Around the 1970s another group of innovators (Kit Patrick Corson, a deaf news anchor and interpreter; Michael Cannon and Physicist, Art Ogawa) designed the first electronic portable TTY allowing for two way telecommunication. Micon (Michael Cannon) took over the marketing of MCM and brokered a deal with Pacific Bell to purchase MCMs and rent them to deaf telephone subscribers for a small monthly service fee. The alliance formed between APCOM and Micon petitioned the California Public Utilities Commission that resulted in a tariff paid for TTY devices distributed without cost to the deaf. These men were pioneers in securing rights for the disabled.
AT&T received the James C.Marsters Promotion Award in 2009, honored for its role in increasing access to communications for persons with disabilities. AT&T is the same company that opposed efforts to implement TTY technology in the 60s. AT&T alleged that implementing TTY technology would put its communication equipment in peril. Because of AT&Ts resistance to implementing the technology to aid the deaf and hard-of-hearing, the Federal Communications Commission did not uphold the assertions of AT&T and mandated them to offer TTY access to its service network.
There is little mentioned at least to the hearing community and one would suspect also to the hearing impaired about the gallant efforts of these men to ensure the inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in America’s conversation. Modern technology – email, texting, instant messaging, and voice activation devices make it easier for the disabled to stay connected to the world they live in. With the advancement of modern communication technology, TDD and other devices are proclaimed legacy devices with a limited life expectancy.
It is unimaginable what the world might have looked like for the disabled if a few very highly-abled human beings had not been driven to say – Why should I be restricted from hearing what everybody else is capable of hearing? Why should I be denied the right to express my opinion because my method of communicating is different from yours? Perhaps, had that little baby not developed scarlet fever and lost his hearing, our nation might have waited far too long to find an impetus to safeguard persons with disabilities, recognize their challenges and afford them equal opportunity.
The Americans With Disabilities Act changed the world for persons with disabilities. The Act also changed the world for persons without disabilities calling to action, the responsibility of the nation to protect all of its citizens from discrimination and unequal hiring opportunities. The ADA is alive and well, but far too many employees in the workplace are penalized, not necessarily because they have a documented disability, but because managers and supervisors do not fully understand the parameters, guidelines and policies governing the ADA.
It is evident that this premise is unfortunately prevalent in workplaces all over the United States, both in the public and private sectors, underscored by the number of grievances and complaints registered to agency EEO offices and escalated either to the EEOC or Federal District Court. The legislation is on the books, but its implementation has not risen to parallel its intent. Many human resources individuals fail to understand their role in promulgating policies governing ADA. More training is needed.
Can and should more be done to highlight and bring greater awareness to the importance of ADA and the responsibility of the entire workforce to recognize discrimination by its various names and work exceedingly hard to make sure it is outlawed both by action and deed?
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Dianna Tafazoli
Is The Pension ‘Survivor Benefit’ Best For You? by Todd Carmack
Both CSRS and FERS have an option when they retire to choose a Survivor Benefit option which allows their spouse continued partial pension payments in the event of your death.
For CSRS, the Survivor Benefit option would provide a 55% annuity payout. For FERS, the Survivor Benefit has two options: a 25% or 50% continued benefit option. Both provide for lifetime income for the employee and a reduced payout for the surviving spouse. However, there are several other options that exist that may provide for a much great lifetime income stream and those alternatives are certainly worth consideration.
Here is an example for CSRS:
For CSRS the election of Survivor Benefits will reduce the retirement annuity payout by approximately 10% for life.
Alan, a CSRS employee, and his wife Jane decide to take the joint life option (electing the survivorship option) and while both are living, their monthly income is $4000 per month (which includes the 10% reduction of Alan’s Pension described above). If Alan dies first, then Jane will receive 55% of the $4000, or $2200 a month for the rest of her life. If Jane dies first, then Alan will still receive his full monthly income of $4000.
For FERS, the Survivor Benefit has two options: a 25% or 50% continued benefit option.
Here is an example:
For FERS, the election of Survivor Benefits will reduce the retirement annuity payout by either 5% or 10% depending on the Survivor Benefit option selected. Likewise, these choices are irrevocable, once chosen.
Carol, a FERS employee, and her husband Mike decide to take this joint life payout (survivor benefit) and while they are both alive, the monthly pension is $4000. If they choose the 25% option, and Carol passes away, Mike will receive $1000 monthly for her life. If they choose the 50% option, Mike would receive $2000 monthly for life.
Is there an alternative? For both FERS and CSRS employees often times a life insurance policy may be a reasonable option to consider. For FERS, the 5% or 10% employee Pension reduction and for CSRS the 10% reduction should all be considered an expense used to purchase the surviving spouse’s lifetime income. Therefore the logical question is to consider the amount that is being spent to ensure the future income and ask whether or not that money could be better spent somewhere else – in essence, Is There A Cheaper or Better Option?
A case for life insurance; Although this may not be for everyone and you should always discuss your individual circumstances with a knowledgeable financial professional before making any decisions, life insurance could provide a higher benefit for your spouse and give you more control over your pension.
Let’s consider the fact that your spouse could pre-decease you. In that event, if you had chosen the Survivor benefit, you would have spent 5-10% of yoru potential retirement income and received nothing for it. Not to mention, once your spouse has passed on, your pension reduction will continue – your elections are permanent, regardless of circumstances and how much longer you have in retirement.
What happens if you and your wife pass much earlier than expected. Life expectancy is no guarantee. Car accidents, slip and falls, and just poor health can all lead to pre-mature death. If you and your spouse pass much earlier than expected your CSRS and FERS annuity stops – there is no cash value or payout to your children or loved-ones. In this case, the government keeps whatever you haven’t taken and your heirs receive nothing.
Moreover, the cost for the Survivor Benefit Option is rather high when compared to many life private life insurance policies that could provide a guarantee of income either equal to or greater than the FERS or CSRS Survivor Benefit – not to mention numerous other reasons why the Survivor Benefit may not be the only option to consider. You may be able to use the costs associated with your Survivor Benefit and purchase a life insurance policy that provides your spouse and or your heirs with a much greater benefit.
Life is about knowing the options and choosing what is best for your situation.
About the Author
Todd Carmack
Financial Advisor
Bedrock Investment Advisors, LLC
Arizona
Other Todd Carmack Articles
Understanding The Thrift Savings Plan, by Todd Carmack
Social Security for FERS Employees, by Todd Carmack
Understanding Your FEGLI Coverage. by Todd Carmack
Disclosure: BWM Advisory, LLC reserves the right to edit blog entries and delete those that contain offensive or inappropriate language. Content will also be deleted that potentially violates securities laws and regulations. Different types of investments involve higher and lower levels of risk. There is no guarantee that a specific investment or strategy will be suitable or profitable for an investor’s portfolio. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. Hyperlinks on this website are provided as a convenience. We cannot be held responsible for information, services or products found on websites linked to ours. BWM Advisory, LLC is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and only conducts business in states where it is properly registered or is excluded from registration requirements. Registration is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the adviser has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.
NEWSLETTER WEEKLY/SUMMER LEAVE BLUES
Summer has officially come out to play and we are all ready to have fun in the sun. Summer also means vacations and travel. Those anticipating retirement should be cognizant of balancing their resources between now and retirement. That simply means keeping in mind the added value your annual leave can bring to your retirement future. Annual leave is money, money you can use to tie you over until your actual annuity check kicks in. Often times until the Office of Personnel Management completes the entirety of processing your retirement application, you may receive a check that is actually less than your full annuity for a period of time.
Your annual leave check can make the transition much easier as you settle down financially into your next adventure of retirement in comfort and security. If you are planning on taking a road trip this summer, be it an extended weekend or longer, don’t bother to drive your own car. Rent a car and although you have car insurance on your personal vehicle, pay the extra few dollars to purchase insurance from the rental company. If something happens to the car, the entire worry would be off your shoulders and in the lap of the rental company where it belongs. For a few extra dollars, who needs the aggravation of bringing your personal insurance coverage into the rental car situation.
Another summer time tip – if you intend to travel abroad be sure to do a health insurance checkup. Look at the coverage offered by your FEHB and your Medicare if applicable to assess coverage when traveling abroad. If your plan does not cover you abroad, then check with an insurance carrier to purchase insurance specifically for that purpose. However, those federal employees in the Foreign Service have a plan that has direct billing arrangements with hospitals in Brazil, Columbia, Germany, China, Panama, Italy and Korea. But when traveling abroad it is always a good idea to check your plan coverage.
Enjoy your summer but be careful about protecting your annual leave so that it can benefit you as you head into retirement. Also, let’s not forget about the value of sick leave when anticipating retirement. Previous to the new policies governing sick leave, particularly for FERS employees, it was only thought of as leave to use during an illness. Now sick leave can make your annuity check more robust, by extending your years of service. Is sick leave just as important as annual leave when it comes to retirement? Yes, it is even more valuable because it impacts your annuity over the life-time of your retirement. Your annual leave check is a one time lump sum payment, but together your annual and sick leave can strengthen your financial picture in retirement.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Dianna Tafazoli
Your Retirement Plan – Your GPS
Your Retirement Plan
Sticking to a retirement plan can be a challenge but it is well worth the investment. Many people are excellent at finding their way from point A to point B. They simply have a natural sense of direction. They can find their way no matter where they are in a new town, a new city, the country roads of West Virginia or some distant land. Unfortunately, most of us do not have the advantage of innate directional systems.
We need a little help. The Global Positioning System (GPS) acts as a resource for helping us get from place to place, taking the stress out of navigating the highways and byways. Having a retirement plan and sticking to it is equivalent to having a GPS. We need to have a retirement plan in order to keep us on track with where we are, where we have been and where we need to go.
It simply will not work to go through life depending on – comes what may. Just as our mortgages don’t automatically end when we retire, our lives also don’t end when we leave our places of employment. Having a retirement plan allows us to make changes as needed to balance the equation between income and expenses.
A retirement plan will help us identify obstacles so that options can be exercised to help us turn away from old habits that get us in financial trouble. Look at your plan often and make sure there is flexibility in the plan. Although life is about constant change, including flexibility in plans, major efforts should be made to always have a plan. Now that you know the importance of having a plan, the greater challenge is sticking to the plan.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
RELATED TSP ARTICLES
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Withdrawal Options
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal and Postal Employees – Choosing a Financial Professional
Is All ‘Your’ TSP Money Actually Yours?
In Federal Retirement – You Are Not Alone
Everything you are going through and quite possibly what you are thinking about regarding your federal retirement, you are not alone. Whether you are FERS or CSRS, retirement is a huge step in our lives and those steps are uncertain at best because we have never been there before. The unknown is always a little scary.
When we talk about retiring from federal service it is one emotion that is experienced, but when the time actually comes – the emotion takes on a whole new form. We leave the familiar and venture into new and unknown territory. For 20 to 30 years you have known exactly what you had to do each day. The requirements of your job set your agenda and your schedule. Your life was centered around the hours and days your worked – in retirement, that changes dramatically.
Hair appointments, doctors appointments, even vacations were predicated on your job. You didn’t center your life around your job. Your job was the center from which everything else emanated. No matter how we attempted to structure that dynamic, the job always prevailed because it was the source of our income. Without income, for most of us, living and surviving is nearly impossible.
As horrible as some of this might sound, as members of the workforce our lives are carved out for us to the tune of about 12 hours per day. The remaining 12 hours are limited to sleep, a little something extra, eating and getting prepared for the next day. In other words the majority of our daylight hours are spent working and traveling to and from work.
What happens when those 12 hours in a day are given back to us in federal retirement. What do we do? How do we structure ourselves? How do we use all of that free time? We could ask at least a dozen other questions. Federal retirement brings about many changes and we can prepare ourselves for those changes by talking to others who have retired and planning to make every minute of our lives count by making a contribution to humanity.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
RELATED TSP ARTICLES
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal and Postal Employees – Choosing a Financial Professional
Is All ‘Your’ TSP Money Actually Yours?
Federal Retirement: Things Happen
No matter how well we plan for our future and federal retirement, things happen because we do not live in a perfect world. As we age, we will invariably encounter more and more health problems. We need to prepare ourselves for those things we have not necessarily planned for. We don’t plan for a death, a serious illness, or countless other calamities, but when they happen we must have a back-up plan.
Serious illnesses and sudden death can often derail a family’s financial stability. Families that are accustomed to a two-household income may need to start planning early for the – what if – one income is gone. We need to think about whether we have enough coverage to take care of a disaster in our home or in our lives. We need to save not for a rainy day but for a tsunami.
I would like to share a personal story. I have lived in my home for nine years and never had a need to file a claim with my insurance company. A guy was mowing my lawn once and a rock hit the patio door and it crumbled like a beautiful pattern inside of the plastic casing. The guy was my brother-in-law, so I absorbed the replacement cost and moved on. No need to contact the insurance company.
But things happen. Doing a load of laundry and suddenly there is a tsunami making its way from the upstairs laundry room into the dining room via the chandelier. I rush, grab buckets, toss blankets and towels all over the floor to abate the water damage. Remember I have never filed a claim, so I don’t know how the entire process works.
I call the insurance company and tell my story and then I start looking for a company to dry up the water. I am completely out of my element. I don’t know what to do. Finally, I get a very compassionate insurance representative on the phone and she guides me through the process. She said, “We should have sent someone out to dry up the water immediately. ServPro will contact you shortly or you may use another company. No, I said, “ServPro is fine. I want to get back to my life.”
Ceiling and walls were damaged, subfloor and tile severely damaged in laundry room, carpet damaged, electric outlets no longer functioning, gas fireplaces won’t come on and the microwave is completely silent. Plugs are not responding to electrical signal. I am now frightened the house is going to catch on fire, mold is going to take over the house and THINGS HAPPEN.
Finally, I get a contractor I think I can work with whose estimate is significantly different from the Insurance Adjuster. Hold it, the story has not ended. The house is still in disarray, oriental rugs have been sent out for cleaning. I am becoming very familiar with the local laundry mat, and the house’s pleasant smell is gone and so am I.
I am not living in my house right now and the insurance company is not happy about paying the claim based on my contractor’s estimate. Now tell me why did I not file a claim in nine years and decided to take care of small things myself? I have more than enough coverage; yet, the insurance company is in no hurry to settle the claim and let me get back to living my life.
Things happen no matter how well we plan so the best course is to be prepared, stay calm and know that all storms, not matter how bad, pass over. A lesson to me that I would also like to share. Even if you never file an insurance claim, at least know before hand how the process works. It makes things much easier.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Recommended Articles
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal Retirement Benefit Analysis
Is The Pension Survivor Benefit Best For You? by Todd Carmack
A Little-Known Opportunity Can Increase Your Retirement Income. by Mark Sprague
TSP: To Your Social Health
One of the major complaints retirees have is the lack of a social circle in retirement. Many retirees become lonely and depressed because the world they have known has suddenly changed. By investing in your TSP account, you can focus your energies on enjoying life.
The people we work with, the colleagues we spend more than 8 hours a day with – become in large part the core of our socialization. When you retire, chances are your colleagues will not retire with you.
The planning process for all aspects of your lfe is very important for retiring well. Making plans for what your retirement future will look like, prevents you from falling into a slump of not knowing what to do with yourself after your current work career has ended.
Maintain a list of professional and social friends who know you well enough to identify your talents and make recommendations on your behalf in the event you want to re-enter the work world, volunteer or simply share in a social event.
You can also build new relationships by starting a group in your local community, at the library or a community college. You can form a group of individuals with interest similar to your for lively discussions or maybe a cook-off to showcase your culinary skills. Now there’s an idea – what about a fashion show for women and men SMART ENOUGH TO RETIRE, with the numbers to prove it.
Retirement is a natural part of the work process and making the best of it is a part of the excitement of retirement. Retiring from your current work career does not mean retiring from the wonderful life you have left to live in retirement. Your TSP account makes this much easier to remember.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
RELATED TSP ARTICLES
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Withdrawal Options
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal and Postal Employees – Choosing a Financial Professional
Is All ‘Your’ TSP Money Actually Yours?
TSP: What’s Your Value
TSP and Value
Do you know what your value is in terms of dollars and cents. If I asked you right on the spot – What is the value of your net worth – could you answer that question without missing a beat? Is your net worth more than just the value of your money and TSP account?
You not only need to know what is in your bank accounts, you also need to know the value of your TSP account and the estimated value of your annuity. In addition to having that information at your fingertips, what about the value of your home if you were to sell it or rent it out. Life insurances if they have a cash-value should also be evaluated.
I heard a woman say recently that she had FIVE bank accounts. I asked why. She answered, “I just like having my money in different banks.” Ok, perhaps a pet peeve, but not a good idea on its face. Neither bank offers anything special, she has simply had the accounts for a long time and had not thought about closing them or consolidating the accounts. She also pays monthly fees on the accounts because of no activity in the accounts.
So each month she very kindly gives the bank money for letting her house her money in their bank. Pretty soon her accounts may show a zero balance and she has not used any of the money. Her fund is called a -Throw Your Money Down the Sewer- where you will never find it.
If you have your money in different banks just to say you have 5 or 6 bank accounts, consider getting another hobby, that one is not good for your financial future. Always think about how to make your money work for you, not somebody else, particularly the bank.
After you have evaluated all of your monetary holdings, think about how you can turn your skills and gifts into money in retirement. Often hobbies can be turned into cash. You might have a yard sale to turn your clutter into cash. I am sure you have heard about some pretty significant finds at yard and estate sales.
Make sure you are evaluating your total value to enhance your retirement future. The TSP account can help you realize your true value.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
RELATED TSP ARTICLES
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Withdrawal Options
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal and Postal Employees – Choosing a Financial Professional
Is All ‘Your’ TSP Money Actually Yours?
TSP: Painting Your Retirement Picture
TSP Retirement
What does your TSP retirement picture look like? Have you thought about it? Have you begun to search for just the right canvass and the perfect paints and etchings to make your retirement picture perfect?
Have you chosen the right brushes – those that are made just for trimming the edges and the brushes used for making broad and sweeping strokes? What about the smock you are going to wear – will it be like the artists you have seen in pictures on the French Rivera or the old Masters in Florence? Or perhaps, you will adorn yourself in a smock befitting of the bold yellow and black sunflowers painted by Georgia O’Keefe.
Isn’t it wonderful to lose yourself in painting a picture of your retirement future. Painting a picture of your retirement future means that you are in control of exactly how you want your future to look. Grab a journal and write down all of your wishes for retirement. Setting goals can be fun if you use your imagination. Knowing that TSP goal setting should be specific and that we should always think about enjoying retirement while managing costs should always stay in the forefront of our minds.
Many potential retirees think about traveling to all the places they have never been. Those thoughts make a wonderful painting. You can go anywhere in the world and at any time without spending a dime. Travel through books, the National Geographic, and many other wonderful sources.
When you have finished traveling through books and the amazement of technology – perhaps you would have found that one place you must touch with your hands and feet and smell it and see it. Then go to it, because your TSP plans have been carefully evaluated and the trip fits into your budget without compromising your plans for a safe and secure retirement future.
Enjoy your painting – make it a masterpiece.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
TSP ARTICLES
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Withdrawal Options
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal and Postal Employees – Choosing a Financial Professional
Is All ‘Your’ TSP Money Actually Yours?
The Inevitable
Some of our posts have focused on postal employees in general. We have not dedicated any of our posts specifically to those men and women who actually carry the mail through towns, cities, states and rural areas across the United States. These fine men and women are called Letter Carriers.
We call them our post men and women and we know them personally because we have gotten used to seeing them on a regular basis. My carrier’s name is June just like the month and she is as pleasant as a Summer day. We all stop to chat with her just long enough not to interfere with her work and then we move on knowing we will see her tomorrow.
But what happens when an Active Letter Carrier Dies is the name of a pamphlet put out by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). It is a neatly compacted pamphlet filled with information to assist family members through a most trying time.
Individuals who have lost loved ones in service know all too well the pain of having to fill out forms and notify the appropriate personnel of a family member’s death during an absolutely traumatic period in any family’s life. Becoming familiar with the information in the pamphlet will help to lessen the pain of dealing with the death of a loved one.
Planning for the business of the end of our lives is inevitable. Talk to your family members about your end of life plans. Read and become familiar with information made available to you through your employer or member organization. Also make sure the information you are reading is current as laws, policies and regulations change that might impact the way your family members and survivors handle the business of the end of your life.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Other LiteBlue Related Pages
What Postal Employees Should Do On LiteBlue Before Retirement
eRetire for Postal Employees – Retirement Applications on LiteBlue
Use LiteBlue to Manage your FEHB
You can use LiteBlue and PostalEase to manage your Allotments
Requesting Duplicate Postal Employee W-2 Forms Using LiteBlue
LiteBlue and Other Tools For Planning
The question of having enough money to live in retirement always looms over our heads. Is over-planning equivalent to under-planning? I am not sure if the degree of planning is what is at issue. Rather, it is the act of planning period that should come into play.
The Postal Service, along with LiteBlue, provides many tools to its workforce to begin the process of moving into retirement with confidence. The Postal Service has structured a National Retirement Counseling System (NRCS) that enables all employees eligible for retirement to receive in-depth training on retirement benefits, how they work in retirement and what to expect. NRCS wants every employee to receive all the information necessary to make the best decisions possible to turn the years they have worked into a satisfying retirement future.
The NRCS allows persons eligible for retirement to ask all the questions necessary to assist them in the process of transitioning from work to retirement. Twice a year an annuity estimate is mailed to the homes of those persons currently eligible for retirement. The computer-generated estimate allows postal workers to assess and evaluate their financial picture and to make changes where needed in their plans for retirement.
Most organizations begin to counsel employees within a fews years years of retirement. These employees are able to get annuity estimates that will assist them in the planning process. Organizations tend to concentrate on retirement during this period because the likelihood of things changing significantly in the work profile of these employees is fairly remote. Generally, in calculating an annuity estimate, the high-three average salary is key. Therefore, if you are about to retire in 3 – 5 years, your salary may not change significantly.
Remember these are only your annuity estimates and what your numbers will really look like depend solely on when you submit your application for retirement and the actual process begins.
Start planning early so that when the actual time comes, both you and your spouse will have more than a basic understanding of how your benefits work in retirement.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Other LiteBlue Related Pages
What Postal Employees Should Do On LiteBlue Before Retirement
eRetire for Postal Employees – Retirement Applications on LiteBlue
Use LiteBlue to Manage your FEHB
You can use LiteBlue and PostalEase to manage your Allotments
Requesting Duplicate Postal Employee W-2 Forms Using LiteBlue
LiteBlue and Counseling
Many federal workers don’t have the benefit of including their family members in counseling sessions about retirement. Retirement impacts both the federal worker and the spouse of the federal or postal worker. In Affiliation with LiteBlue – Local Postal Service personnel offices used to provide counseling services for active letter carriers.
Although individual counseling services are no longer provided in local postal service personnel offices for active letter carriers, the Human Resources Shared Services Center provides Group and Individual counseling sessions in many offices. Spouses and postal workers are invited to attend both individual and group retirement sessions.
These sessions are important for worker and spouse because together the understanding of all the intricacies involved in retirement may be better realized. There are many aspects of the retirement benefit that directly impact the spouse or family members of the postal workers. Being involved and learning about the benefits offered to postal employees and how they work in retirement is critical.
Involving your spouse in information and counseling sessions is one of the most important steps you can take towards getting ready to retire in comfort and security.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Other LiteBlue Related Pages
What Postal Employees Should Do On LiteBlue Before Retirement
eRetire for Postal Employees – Retirement Applications on LiteBlue
Use LiteBlue to Manage your FEHB
You can use LiteBlue and PostalEase to manage your Allotments
Requesting Duplicate Postal Employee W-2 Forms Using LiteBlue
Weekly NEwsletter – PASS-IT-ON
Weekly Newsletter
Weekly Newsletter:The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is moving aggressively towards implementing the final rule that will govern the regulations and guidelines for phased retirement. OPM released its draft plan of phased-retirement in 2013. Persons eligible for retirement who meet other criteria will essentially be able to work part-time while receiving half of their pension. The previous pay rules impacting rehired annuitants under this scenarior will not apply.
One of the most important components of phased retirement is that retirees participating in the program must commit approximately 20 percent of their time mentoring employees to help them acquire the knowledge needed to preserve institutional knowledge.
Now that the retirees are about to leave the building OPM wants to bring them back or keep them so that when they finally leave for good, lesser experienced employees can step up to the plate. The move is a move and some movement is always better than inertia; but the government might be better served if OPM were to promote the idea of effective succession planning across all agencies as a normal an ongoing part of operations.
As a part of the overarching strategic goals of the federal government, all Human Resources Offices should provide performance standards that measure and grade organizations on effective succession planning implementation.
Students are poised to receive the benefit of a lesson while the teacher is still in the classroom, not just before she is about to exit. The goals of individuals leaving a venue are significantly different than those of individuals who hold a 20 year lease on a venue. It just makes sense to pair experienced workers with less experienced workers as an ongoing strategy in managing and protecting the institutional knowledge of the federal workforce.
The responsibility of management is to design and implement performance standards that incorporate the passing-on of critical knowledge necessary to promote and support the continuity of services to the nation and the world. The American workforce is currently structured to support the notion of – indispensability. If one does not make one’s self indispensable by not sharing knowledge and information, then one’s job security maybe be threatened. Such thinking has an outcome of counterproductivity.
Human Resources professionals must work to change that dynamic in the workforce and promote the immesurable value of team and the passing-on of knowledge. We reference the term -institutional knowledge- because it belongs to the institution and not to the individual. Skills we acquire that afford us the ability to gain knowledge sufficient to do a job – must be passed on.
Knowledge is meant to be passed on in workforces all over America to fuel the pipeline with the next generation of committed, dedicated civil servants. People coming and people going is a natural progression of the work-cycle from hiring to retiring. What we amass (knowledge) in the workforce is without purpose and value if not passed-on during our work careers so that when we leave, when we retire – we do it knowing that our legacy is – what we knew, what we learned – we passed it on so that the nation continues to flourish. This concludes our weekly newsletter.
“When you get – give. When you learn – teach” – Dr. Maya Angelou.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Dianna Tafazoli
What are the Contribution Limits for TSP
Contribution Limits for TSP
Many employees worry about the consequences of making contributions in excess of the Internal Revenue Service TSP contribution limits.
If an employee has made excess TSP contributions, those funds can be returned by completing Form TSP-44-Request for Return of Excess Employee Contributions. Eligible participants must complete the Form TSP-44 and send it to the TSP for processing. As soon as the TSP receives your TSP-44 your excess deferrals and earning will be returned to you.
When submitting a request for return of excess employee TSP contributions, check to make certain you use a current and updated TSP form. The TSP will not process older versions of the TSP-44.
Current TSP forms can be identified by locating the tax year found in the upper right-hand corner under the form name. If you request excess contribution limits you made in 2014, then the form should show tax year 2014.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Access your TSP.gov Account HERE
RELATED TSP ARTICLES
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Withdrawal Options
For Postal Employees – LiteBlue and the TSP
Federal and Postal Employees – Choosing a Financial Professional
Is All ‘Your’ TSP Money Actually Yours?
Thrift Savings Plan – Take Five
For the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) do April showers bring May flowers? – pretty catchy phrase, and often very true when forecasting the ebbs and tides of nature. But April also brought us something else other than soaking showers that made my back yard look like a jungle, it brought us Financial Literacy month and that means more focus on the Thrift Savings Plan for federal and postal employees.
As the world is changing and becoming more automated with a greater responsibility for each of us to be in charge of our own lives, including our finances; being financially literate is one of the most important tools of survival needed today – the Thrift Savings Plan is no different. To underscore the urgency of financial literacy, schools and civic organizations are beginning to teach children as young as pre-kindergarten age the merit of understanding appropriate and sound money management.
Just as these young children are learning new and different languages to communicate with a world whose diversity is immeasurable, becoming financially literate carries equality priority and importance. The world has changed and we must be ready even earlier to meet its challenges as well as its opportunities. Knowing the basics about the Thrift Savings Plan is a must for federal employees
During the monthly of April, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) invited participants to take FIVE for their future. Take FIVE minutes to make changes in your Thrift Savings Plan account. Contribute FIVE percent so that you will receive maximum matching contributions from your agency. Choose from FIVE core funds and FIVE life cycle funds and assess them for changes to make your Thrift Saving Plan money work better for you.
For the Thrift Savings Plan, when it rains it pours. Let the April showers that has brought some of the most beautiful flowers in May that I have seen in a long time, remind you to let your finances blossom as you make financial literacy is part of your plans to retire well.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
