Every month the OPM retirement backlog ended below 13,000, January 2012 to September 2026. Source: OPM data compiled by FedSmith September’s total is the first figure below 10,000 in the data and sits ...

The VA has won a new round in its battle over union contracts, while the Bureau of Prisons has been ordered to restore an agreement running through May 2029. The outcomes differ because the courts are ...

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released the 2027 premiums for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, along with the 2027 premiums for the Postal Service Health Benefits ...

The compensation figures shaping the financial future of federal civil servants and retirees are virtually finalized. While ongoing legislative debates could still alter these projections, current ...

Every fall, federal employees and retirees across the country receive the same reminder: FEHB Open Season is approaching. For many, the annual ritual is familiar. They glance at the new premiums, skim ...

Anyone who grew up with Bob Dylan’s music will recognize “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” He recorded it more than 60 years ago. He was not singing about artificial intelligence (AI), but the song’s ...

For years, many federal retirees viewed Medicare Part B as an expensive “extra” layered on top of their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage. After all, retirees already paid into FEHB ...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld the removal of a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) supervisor who admitted to investigators that she knew her conduct was “technically ...

For several years, one argument dominated many Roth conversion discussions: Convert now because individual income tax rates were scheduled to increase after 2025. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or ...

New reduction-in-force rules that eliminate the decades-old practice of “bump and retreat” took effect on September 2, 2026, changing how federal agencies decide which federal employees keep their ...

An important feature for FedSmith readers every year is the annual announcement of the COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) for the coming year. While we keep readers up to date throughout the year on how ...

But one of the most powerful retirement planning opportunities often appears after retirement begins. Ironically, some of the best tax-planning years federal retirees ever experience may occur ...