FERS combined leave

[ProduceMan]

Just read a proposal for FERS benefits on fedsmith. Maybe combining sick and annual leave.

[Beauxdog]

The White House FY19 proposed budget also calls for $152 B in cuts to federal employees earned benefits.
See below the National Active and Retired Federal Employee Association.

“President Trump’s budget calls for $152.5 billion in cuts to earned federal pay and benefits, going so far as to eliminate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for current retirees and hamstring current workers who are just years away from retirement. During his first year in office, the president consistently touted the strong economy, yet this budget would deny America’s federal community even a modest share of this economic prosperity. We must ensure that these cuts do not find their way into congressional budgets or other pieces of legislation. NARFE members should contact their legislators and tell them to reject these unprecedented cuts and any attempts to reduce the earned pay and benefits of the federal community.”

President’s Budget Targets Federal Workers and Retirees

The president’s recently released fiscal year 2019 budget contains hundreds of billions in cuts that target the earned pay and benefits of the federal community in a time of economic prosperity and rising wage growth. NARFE members should contact their lawmakers today and tell them to reject these cuts, as they could be used in the budget or other pieces of legislation. Easily send a letter to your legislators here. Want to be an even stronger advocate? Select the Twitter and phone icons on the same page to find a sample tweet and call script.

Specifically, the president’s budget targets the retirement security of current federal retirees by reducing or eliminating cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), leaving retirees insufficiently protected from rising inflation and increasing health care premiums. Current and future retirees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) would see their COLAs reduced by 0.5 percent each year, while retirees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) would see their COLAs eliminated altogether.

Federal employees covered by FERS would see employee contributions to their annuities increase by 1 percent each year for the next six years, without any corresponding benefit increase. This amounts to a 6 percent pay cut for current workers and would increase the gap between public- and private-sector pay. On top of this, the president also proposed a pay freeze in calendar year 2019 for current workers.

The president’s budget also takes aim at those who are nearing retirement by eliminating the FERS Annuity Supplement for new retirees, including those forced to retire early, like federal law enforcement officers. On top of this, new retiree pensions would be based on the average of the highest five years of salary instead of the highest three.

Further proposals targeting Feds included limiting the rate of return on the Thrift Savings Plan Government Securities Investment (G) Fund, decreasing total paid time off by combining sick and annual leave into one pool and reducing working and retirement-age benefits for federal workers disabled through their service.

All told, these proposals would take away $152.5 billion in earned benefits from the federal community and would break implicit promises made to those who proudly served their nation. NARFE members must contact their legislators if we are to be successful in fighting off these unprecedented cuts.

[hugehail]

Most people in congress don't care about federal workers anymore. The right cares about high defense spending and low taxes and the left cares about social programs and illegals(future votes when these people have children).They won't make tough decisions and cut the parts of the budget that take up most of the overall spending. Why? Because they are more interested in being re-elected. Instead, they take the smallest parts of the budget and squeeze them like a turnip, trying to get every last drop of savings at the expense of these federal workers. And what effect will all of this have on the national debt? Close to zero in percentage terms? Those pet programs will not be touched though. Meanwhile, politicians won't lose that many votes by cutting federal benefits. As a shift worker who protects life and property by issuing warnings for all sorts of severe weather, all of this is a slap in the face. I would like to see some of these politicians work rotating shift work and have to perform at 5 am when a tornado is heading for a community. The small amount of extra pay we get for working rotating shift is not worth the wear and tear on the body. Most people who don't work rotating shift do not understand this. By age 55 you are basically worn out and ready to quit. Shiftwork gets harder with age, not easier. My plan right now is to get out as soon as possible. But now they are making it harder to even get out sooner. They want less people staffed to handle these adverse situations, but they want to discourage people from leaving the workforce early by reducing benefits, thereby forcing people to work longer. I am already counting on not having the FERS supplement, which makes it much harder to retire at my MRA of 56.8, which is my goal. Ive got 8 years to go before that time. I'm hoping to have SS, modest pension and TSP to carry me through my retirement years. I want to retire early so I can move to a place that I actually like. It's just about impossible to move around in my agency since no one takes laterals any more and every promotion job has about 50 people applying due to the lack of advancement opportunities over the past 10 years. If both my wife and I have to get a part time job from age 57 to 62, then so be it. It beats staying in a place we don't like until one of us contracts cancer at age 62. I want to retire and go do what I enjoy while I am still healthy, instead of having to drive 1500 miles or fly. The states that are most appealing to me are Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. If you live in a place you enjoy and have hobbies, I really don't think it takes that much money to get by, especially if you don't have mortgage debt and since you don't contribute to the TSP anymore and don't have to make car payments for awhile and drive a modest vehicle. For example, I like the beach and my hobby is fishing. If I lived near the water in a low tax state, how much would it take to live? The biggest threat would be inflation I suppose. My parents in Virginia currently live off 30K per year and save 20K. Their property tax is much lower than mine and their house is worth 40% more. Surely in 8 years, 50K income would be enough to live off of and enjoy a modest retirement. Then if I live to age 62, SS would kick in (hopefully). You can't take your money with you when you die. I figure if my TSP is 850K then I would receive about 20K in today's dollars from that for about 30 years. Maybe I am being too optimistic about retiring early. I know I could stay 2 years longer til age 58.8 and get my 30 years in and then my pension would be 30K instead of 20K and at that point I would be able to use my sick leave to increase pension (another stupid rule). Any issues about early retirement that I am not considering?

[ProduceMan]

I’m wondering about all the employees with hundreds upon hundreds of sick leave hours

[Octjan2]

I don’t see these changes affecting current employees but who knows. I am 4 years from retirement eligibility and have 1,400 hours of sick leave. Although I have always been the kind of employee who has always gone to work and made sure everything is done to the best of my ability, if these changes are implemented I will stick it to the man and burn my leave and make sure all those important tasks remain sitting on a desk.

[Navig8tor]

May as well combine it...I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that sick leave isn't routinely abused as an easy excuse to not go to work. Not a lot managers can do about it either.

[akpackfan]

May as well combine it...I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that sick leave isn't routinely abused as an easy excuse to not go to work. Not a lot managers can do about it either.

That would be a slap in the face to people like me who have been ultra responsible with their sick leave and who have been fortunate enough to never have a serious health problem. I currently have over 2100 hours of sick leave and if it dried up and blew away there would be one very upset federal employee.

[Navig8tor]

May as well combine it...I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that sick leave isn't routinely abused as an easy excuse to not go to work. Not a lot managers can do about it either.

That would be a slap in the face to people like me who have been ultra responsible with their sick leave and who have been fortunate enough to never have a serious health problem. I currently have over 2100 hours of sick leave and if it dried up and blew away there would be one very upset federal employee.

I'm talking grandfathered changes to prevent that from happening. Changing policy and moving forward.

[phalanx]

Would be worth a string of lawsuits if they pulled the rug out from under current employees and retirees by changing the rules. It would essentially amount to a breach of contract. Do whatever you want to future employees but you can't yank
the rug out from under folks that have been life planning for years around the benefits they and the gov agreed to when they started their employment.
Furthermore, disturbing that the gov constantly uses federal employees as budget footballs when in the big scheme of things the cuts amounts to crumbs while they refuse to cut anything that would really save money nor are cuts to fed benefits part of an all inclusive plan to actually balance the budget.

[Scarfinger]

Would be worth a string of lawsuits if they pulled the rug out from under current employees and retirees by changing the rules. It would essentially amount to a breach of contract. Do whatever you want to future employees but you can't yank
the rug out from under folks that have been life planning for years around the benefits they and the gov agreed to when they started their employment.
Furthermore, disturbing that the gov constantly uses federal employees as budget footballs when in the big scheme of things the cuts amounts to crumbs while they refuse to cut anything that would really save money nor are cuts to fed benefits part of an all inclusive plan to actually balance the budget.

Unfortunately they can and have been doing this in the private sector. I have 70 year old patients that tell me... "I got a letter today stating I will be getting 1/2 of my normal pension".

In my previous civilian job they said they would no longer pay out saved up sick time when you retired. You just ended up losing it...unless you used it before you retired.

I keep telling my co-workers that we CANNOT count on our pension when we retire because they can reduce it or even take it away.

As long as congress passes it, they can do whatever they want to us.

[Carmen909]

May as well combine it...I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that sick leave isn't routinely abused as an easy excuse to not go to work. Not a lot managers can do about it either.

I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that sick leave is routinely abused as an easy excuse to not go to work.

I'm not a fan of this downward race to the bottom when it comes to employee benefits. The "I got mine" attitude is so insecure and selfish. Why do we want future generations to have less than what we have? What's wrong with wanting people to succeed in life? We all realize what a great opportunity federal service is. Why discourage others from following the same career path? Because that's certainly what is going to happen if we start treating government careers like the private sector does.

[Beauxdog]

Go to this site, fill in your name, street address, zip code, and email. Hit send and the pre drafted letter will be sent to your elected officials. You can edit the letter.

https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/NARFE ... 95/Respond

[Navig8tor]

I don't think anyone can legitimately argue that sick leave is routinely abused as an easy excuse to not go to work.

I like the way you flipped that around.

https://www.fedsmith.com/2007/01/03/pre ... ps-agency/

Sick leave abuse among federal civilians is a long-running problem as evidenced by this article that is 11 years old. Do you think times have changed? From the "management chair" that I sit in 10-hours a day, I can argue that they most certainly have not.

[crondanet5]

The underlying problem is mismanagement of granting annual leave. Personal problems arise and time is needed to fix. The only recourse is to call in sick. Legislators: fix the problem not the symptom.

[evilanne]

Go to this site, fill in your name, street address, zip code, and email. Hit send and the pre drafted letter will be sent to your elected officials. You can edit the letter.

https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/NARFE ... 95/Respond

BLUF - Chill; do what is within your control to influence your congressional representatives.

Beauxdog outlines one of the few positive actions you can take to limit any future reduction in benefits; joining NARFE or your local union and calling you congressional representatives are other effective actions.

It is possible that benefits can be reduced, however based on prior precedents at the federal level, any reductions in benefits for existing employees is unlikely. Most changes are applicable to new hires. There are precedents in the private sector to reduce benefits, however, any reductions to federal employees would/should also apply to congress (self interest would decrease chances of any changes.) The only proposed change that that i believe might pass is changing high 3 to high. The more employees that contact their representatives will reduce the likelihood of any reduction in benefits. I wouldn't worry to much about any change. Currently Congress has difficulty agreeing on anything.

No need to worry about it until something actually happens and proposed changes are actually included in proposed legislation.