"The guidance issued today provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with assurance that they may sell prescription drugs directly to patients who choose to pay cash -- including patients enrolled in federal health care programs -- when the arrangement meets specific conditions. These include ensuring the drug is not billed to Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal programs, is not used to market other federally reimbursable products, and is not tied to future purchases or referrals." MORE >>
"The Trump Administration is launching TrumpRx, a platform to connect patients seeking lower cost prescription drugs with direct-to-consumer (DTC) programs offered by manufacturers and other private companies to cash-paying patients. These DTC programs create opportunities for cash-paying patients to obtain prescription drugs at lower prices than may be available through other avenues. This Special Advisory Bulletin explains when a pharmaceutical manufacturer's offer and sale of lower cost prescription drugs to Federal health care program enrollees through a DTC program is low risk under the Federal anti-kickback statute." MORE >>
"Ensure both spouses understand the retirement plan ... Avoid the widow's penalty with smart federal tax planning ... Optimize Social Security timing for survivor protection ... Choosing the right pension survivor option ... Evaluate whether life insurance still makes sense ... Protection is a process, not a one-time decision." MORE >>
"[FRTIB] is amending a regulation to permit participants in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) to convert amounts in their traditional TSP balances to their Roth TSP balances, subject to applicable tax consequences.... A participant or beneficiary participant may request up to a maximum of 26 Roth in-plan conversions per calendar year. To be eligible for a Roth in-plan conversion, the participant or beneficiary participant must have a vested account balance of at least $500 at the time of the request. The total amount of a conversion request must be at least $500." MORE >>
"[E]ligible participants with at least $500 in vested funds will be able to convert any portion of their traditional TSP balance into Roth savings through their online account portal. Spousal beneficiaries will also qualify. Participants can request up to 26 conversions per account each year, specified in specific dollar amounts or percentages." MORE >>
"As the nation's largest employer-sponsored health insurance program, the FEHB Program covers more than 8.2 million federal government employees and retirees, and it was once celebrated as a national model for controlling costs while giving enrollees many health plan options. But next year, average enrollee premium payments in the system are set to jump more than 12%, on top of a 13.5% hike in 2025. The two-year increase is higher than what many private employers and their workers are experiencing." MORE >>
"Federal annuitants often don't have the same flexibility as federal employees when it comes to offsetting their health insurance costs, making it important to keep certain strategies in mind when weighing Open Season enrollment. Federal annuitants face two significant premium increases next year: [1] FEHB premiums will rise by an average of 12.3% for the enrollee share. [2] Medicare Part B premiums will increase by 9.67%." MORE >>
"This proposed rule would permit all TSP participants (active and separated), as well spouse beneficiaries, to convert amounts in their traditional balance to amounts their Roth balance. In accordance with the Internal Revenue Code, the converted amount would be treated as a distribution from the traditional account that is taxable in the year the conversion is done." MORE >>
"The Emergency Relief for Federal Workers Act [S 2966] would clarify that lapses in appropriations qualify federal workers to take a hardship withdrawal from the federal government's 401(k)-style retirement savings program and eliminate the associated 10% penalty in those instances." MORE >>
"The federal Thrift Savings Plan, the nation's largest, is required by law to have five specific funds ... Congress would almost certainly need to amend the TSP's current governing statute to add investments that include exposure to private investments." MORE >>
"Currently, contributions to a servicemember's TSP stop when they leave military or federal service, forcing veterans to find and open a new account to continue saving. Qualified retirees and veterans could continue making voluntary contributions under [the Financial Opportunities for Retirees and Warriors Advancing Retirement Development (FORWARD) Act (HR 4996)] from their retired pay or disability compensation, but the bill does not authorize government matching contributions." MORE >>
"Earlier this year, OPM issued guidance that eliminated gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19 but preserved the option for carriers to continue offering it to older patients.... This latest notice from OPM now eliminates that discretion entirely, prohibiting coverage of gender-affirming care for individuals of any age under the FEHB program." MORE >>
"For Plan Year 2026, chemical and surgical modification of an individual's sex traits through medical interventions (to include 'gender transition' services) will no longer be covered under the FEHB or PSHB Programs. This exclusion expands upon Carrier Letter 2025-01a and applies regardless of age.... [C]ounseling services for possible or diagnosed gender dysphoria must still be covered. Covered counseling services must be provided by a licensed mental health provider and may include those who provide faith-based counseling." MORE >>
"After piloting the Online Retirement Application (ORA) in 2024, the agency has now rolled it out government-wide. All new retirement applications must be submitted electronically.... The modernization aims to streamline the process by digitizing retirement applications, verifying service credit eligibility, and storing retirement files electronically." MORE >>
21 pages. "[FRTIB] conducted an analysis of the participant demographics of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) based on participant data. The report focuses solely on active participants in the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). Information from this analysis provides insight on demographics, investment behaviors, and how plan design changes may have influenced participation and contribution behaviors. Finally, this analysis helps identify trends with participant usage of benefit options." MORE >>
"The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) is amending a regulation to require the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) record keeper to combine the accrued interest with the outstanding principal when reamortizing a loan." MORE >>
"Tax-free Roth Thrift Savings Plan accounts get a lot of attention, and rightly so. Tax-free growth combined with tax-free withdrawals after decades of compounding can be a powerful tool for retirees. However, there are mistakes that federal employees can make, which will transform their tax-free dollars into taxable dollars, plus a 10% penalty in some scenarios." MORE >>
"The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) amends its regulation regarding the method for correcting errors involving Lifecycle Funds that no longer exist. Specifically, it reverts to the use of a constructed share price to calculate breakage and the value of negative adjustments for errors involving Lifecycle Funds that no longer exist as of June 1, 2022." MORE >>
"Gone from the bill are House-passed provisions that would require all federal workers to contribute 4.4% of their basic pay toward the Federal Employees Retirement System [FERS], reduce their FERS benefit calculation from the average highest three years of salary to the highest five years, and eliminate the FERS supplement for employees who retire before Social Security kicks in at age 62." MORE >>
"[OPM has] launched a new online portal for federal retirees ... The improved platform will streamline the retirement application process for federal employees, HR professionals, and payroll offices.... [U]sers accessing the platform will be met with a streamlined entry point tailored to both agency partners and members of the public. The new experience reinforces OPMʼs broader goal of transforming the retirement process into one that is faster, paperless, and easier to navigate." MORE >>
"[S]upport for procedures such as IVF and artificial insemination has increased in recent years through employer-sponsored insurance plans, including those contracted to the federal government through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Focusing on policy change within the FEHB would build on this momentum[.]" MORE >>
"If enacted as currently written, the FERS supplement would be eliminated beginning Jan. 1, 2028, though language stipulates that any federal worker already 'entitled' to retire with the supplement on that date will retain their eligibility. One point of confusion is the word, 'entitled.'... The overall average retirement age of federal employees who retired in FY2019 was 61.8 years old -- almost old enough for the 'real' Social Security retirement benefit, rather than the FERS annuity supplement. " MORE >>
"[T]he Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Inspector General Act of 2025 [HR 3364] ... seeks to amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to include the FRTIB among the federal entities required to have an inspector general.... If enacted, the inspector general would be responsible for conducting audits, investigations and evaluations to promote efficiency while preventing any fraud, waste or abuse within the agency." MORE >>
"If enacted as currently written, the FERS supplement would be eliminated beginning Jan. 1, 2028, though language stipulates that any federal worker already 'entitled' to retire with the supplement on that date will retain their eligibility." MORE >>
"House Republican leaders have dropped a plan to require about half of federal employees to begin paying more toward their future retirement benefits ... [T]he leadership also delayed the effective dates of provisions to calculate new annuities on a high-five salary base and to generally end the FERS 'special retirement supplement' -- in both cases to make those changes effective for those newly retiring in calendar year 2028 and later." MORE >>
