USPS updates employees on payroll deductions

January 24, 2023 Postal Service employees who have dental or vision insurance through BENEFEDS did not receive a payroll deduction during the Dec. 31, 2022-Jan. 13, 2023, pay period. Benefits are still active and deductions will resume during the Jan. 14-27 pay period. Employees do not need to take any action or pay a catch-up…

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PMG Seeks to Take Us Out of Federal Healthcare Plan (APWU article from 2013)

(This article appeared in the September-October 2013 edition of The American Postal Worker.) Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe renewed his call to remove postal employees and retirees from the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) in testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 17. “Now is the time for bold and sweeping action,”…

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Will Postal Reform Uphold Promises to Postal Retirees?

By John Hatton / NARFE – February 19, 2021 The start of another Congress marks the start of a new round of discussions about postal reform legislation. As much as circumstances may change, due to the COVID-19 pandemic or changing economic trends or otherwise, the U.S. Postal Service continues to operate within the same basic…

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PMG DeJoy advocates Medicare Integration for Retirees as part of reforms

“As the Postal Service has said for years, Congress and the Commission have long delayed much needed legislative and regulatory reforms which would have helped to address the situation. Congress must enact reform legislation that addresses our unaffordable retirement payments. Most importantly, Congress must allow the Postal Service to integrate our retiree health benefits program…

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USPS OIG Report: Foreign Posts’ Retirement Asset Investments

The U.S. Postal Service participates in two government-wide pension plans that are administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM): the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The assets of these plans are held in one trust fund, the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, and are managed by…

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Postal Reform Legislation Must Uphold Promises To Retirees

John Hatton – May 13, 2019 At last month’s postal hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Postmaster General Megan Brennan reiterated support for so-called “full Medicare integration” as a major component of a solution to the Postal Service’s financial woes. This innocuous-sounding proposal has been included in every leading postal reform…

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Concerns Raised on Compelling Retirees to Enroll in Medicare

As both the House and Senate have begun hearings into another possible attempt to shore up the Postal Service’s finances, concerns have been raised about a new attempt to compel postal retirees to enroll in Medicare. That provision has been in numerous proposals regarding USPS for years, none of which have come close to final…

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USPS: Open season begins Monday, Nov. 12

Opening soon. Reminder: Open season, the annual period when Postal Service employees can change their health benefits or enroll in a new plan, begins Monday, Nov. 12. A variety of health, vision and dental coverage is available. On Tuesday, Nov. 13, the Postal Service will hold the first of four webinars for employees who want…

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