Participant Evaluations

“The course was outstanding, and the handouts are a life-saver and beneficial for my daily use.” Washington, DC

“Liked the small group, it allowed more interaction.” Washington, DC

“Very good class! Great handouts that I can take back and use.” Denver, CO

“Thank you, Judy, for a great class!” Denver, CO

1st DAY
8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Introduction of presenter and attendees
Objectives of Federal Employees Benefits Course for Personnelists

CSRS/CSRS Offset Annuity
• Emphasis placed on creditable service: deposit, re-deposits and military service deposits • Eligibility • High-3 Average Pay • Voluntary/Involuntary Early Out • Disability Retirement • Survivor Benefits (In-service and Retirement) • Cost of Living Adjustments in Retirement • Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Air Traffic Controllers, Reserve Technicians

Voluntary Contribution Program
• What is it? • Contributions • Why contribute? • Rate of Return • Choices at Retirement

2nd DAY
8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m.

FERS / FERS Transferees Annuity
• Emphasis placed on creditable service: deposit, re-deposits and military service deposits • Eligibility • High-3 Average Pay • Voluntary/Involuntary Early Out • Disability Retirement • Survivor Benefits (In-service and retirement) • Cost of Living Adjustments in Retirement • Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Air Traffic Controllers, Reserve Technicians

Thrift Savings Plan
• What is it? • CSRS Rules • FERS Rules • Why participate? • Catch-up Provision • In-service withdrawal options • Retirement withdrawal options

Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI)
• Enrollment options • Rules for different employees (i.e. part-time) • Choices at retirement

Federal Employees Group Health Insurance (FEHBP)
• Who can enroll? • Dual enrollment • What happens at termination? • Options at retirement and rules • Temporary insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• What is it? • What are the benefits? • How does it work? • What happens at retirement?

3rd DAY
8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)
• What is it? • Different options • Who is eligible? • What happens at termination and retirement?

Social Security
• Who is eligible? • What are “credits?” • When are you eligible? • Windfall Elimination Provision • Government Pension Offset • Disability • Survivor • Medicare

How to Gather Information Concerning a Federal Employee
• Role-Playing

Case Analysis:
• Descriptions of dates of hire and other statistics to help analyze which retirement system employee was hired under. Using “The Gap” doing basic retirement planning for a federal employee. Each attendee will be given information to do basic retirement planning.

Review of the different forms used by OPM and TSP for federal employees

Materials provided:

• CSRS and FERS Benefits Workbook • Supplemental Workbook• Retirement Income “Gap” Calculator • CD-ROM of all CSRS & FERS Benefits • Resource CD-ROM • Federal Employees Almanac

Notes:

• There will be a short exam after each topic.
• There will be a 10 minute break every 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Lunch will be for an hour at noon each day. There will be no lunch provided by the presenter. Lunch is “on your own.”
• There is no soliciting in the Federal Employees Benefits Course for Personnelists: No products, investments or insurance plans are presented.
• Attendance is reserved for government personnel only.