Since 2024, the Office of Personnel Management has been encouraging Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plans to adopt the improved Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage as an alternative to FEHB prescription coverage. Ed Zurndorfer explains what federal retirees enrolled in certain FEHB health plans and Medicare need to know about automatic enrollment in Medicare Part D plans associated with an FEHB health plan more…
What Happens to Unused Sick Leave When a Federal Employee Retires?
Ed Zurndorfer discusses the treatment of unused sick leave hours at the time of an federal employee’s departure or retirement from federal service. A practical example is included more…
Should Federal Retirees Enroll in Medicare Part B?
Whether or not to enroll in (Medicare Part B (medical insurance) is a key decision that federal retirees aged 65 and older have to make. Because there is a penalty for not enrolling in Part B within a few months of the enrollment deadline, federal retirees are under pressure to make a decision. Ed Zurndorfer gives insight on how the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program works with Medicare, when Medicare is the primary payer, and how FEHB premiums are affected by Medicare Part B more…
How the Medicare Open Enrollment Period Affects Federal Retirees
Ed Zurndorfer discusses what the Medicare open enrollment period is (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7), how it affects federal retirees, and the opportunities that federal retirees enrolled in Medicare have with respect to their health insurance coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program (FEHB) more…
Understanding Medicare Enrollment Periods and the Late Enrollment Penalty
Enrolling in Medicare can be confusing — and if not done by the required deadline, can result in late enrollment penalties. Ed Zurndorfer outlines the various enrollment periods for Medicare — plus when penalties are imposed, and how they are calculated more…
How Federal Employees Qualify For Medicare
Once a federal employee or retiree becomes age 65, they can enroll in Medicare. But many have questions about Medicare enrollment and how it works with the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. In the first part of this series of columns on Medicare, Ed Zurndorfer discusses the various parts to the Medicare program and how federal employees qualify for Medicare more…
Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Rules for Traditional Inherited IRAs
Many federal employees and retirees have inherited IRAs over the years from relatives. Ed Zurndorfer explains the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules and deadlines, with several practical examples more…
What Departing Federal Employees Need to Know About Their TSP Accounts
Thousands of federal employees have left or will be leaving federal service sometime between now and the end of 2025. Ed Zurndorfer discusses the options a separating employee has with their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) traditional and Roth accounts. more…
Deadline for Correcting IRA Contributions and Filing Tax Returns
Ed Zurndorfer discusses both Oct. 15 deadlines, the two reasons why a federal employee or a retiree may need to recharacterize a 2024 IRA contribution, and what they should do to meet the deadlines and avoid penalties more…
Tax Changes in 2026 from One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Ed Zurndorfer discusses the tax law changes that will take effect on January 1, 2026, and what tax-related moves federal employees and retirees should consider now to take advantage of the changes more…