Federal News Radio reports that the Social Security Administration has confirmed that retirees will receive a 3.6% cost of living adjustment in January. The COLA also applies to federal pensioners:

Federal retirees under the old Civil Service Retirement System receive the full COLA amount.

However, there is a slightly different system for retirees under the Federal Employees Retirement System. If the COLA is more than 3 percent, FERS retirees will receive 1 percent less than the general increase. If the COLA is between 2 percent and 3 percent, FERS retirees receive just a 2 percent increase.

For example, with a COLA of 3.6 percent, FERS retirees can expect to receive a 2.6 percent increase.

However, most FERS retirees will not have the COLA applied to their annuity until age 62.

via Social Security announces 3.6 percent COLA – FederalNewsRadio.com.

To hear right wing pundits talk, you’d think the federal pension system was about to destroy America. That’s why millionaire politicians like Darrell Issa want to eliminate pensions for middle class working people (while clinging to their own more lucrative taxpayer financed retirement plans).

A recent Federal Times article discusses the “problem” in some detail, and comes to a surprising conclusion: there isn’t a problem!

But there’s no evidence to suggest federal pension plans are a financial bomb waiting to go off. That was defused when CSRS was ended, and since FERS is legally required to be fully funded, the unfunded liability will fade over time.

OPM and outside observers such as Adcock and Palguta aren’t the only ones saying the system is sound. The Congressional Research Service has published several reports in recent years on federal pension programs, all of which concluded the programs are on solid ground.

"Although the civil service trust fund has an unfunded liability, it is not in danger of becoming insolvent," CRS said in a January report.

Audit firm KPMG has consistently given OPM’s financial statements and retirement programs unqualified opinions, meaning they found no significant problems.

And the Government Accountability Office said in a 1995 report that CSRS’ flaws, which resulted in the unfunded liability, were resolved with the creation of FERS.

"Provisions have been made for the retirement fund to always have sufficient budget authority to cover future benefit payments," former Assistant Comptroller General Johnny Finch said at a House hearing.

via Fed pensions underfunded by $673B – FederalTimes.com.

In advance of the mailing tomorrow of Specific Reduction in Force notices tomorrow, the US Postal Service has updated its Organizational Redesign FAQs with additional information on those notices. The following items were added today. Needless to say, this information may change, so if you are the recipient of a Specific RIF Notice, be sure to visit the official USPS page. Read the rest of this entry »

In a sign of just how far the stock market has dropped in the last few months, on Friday the price of a share of the Thrift Savings Plan’s C-fund, which tracks the S&P 500 Index, dropped below the value of shares in the low risk G-fund. At the peak of the market, just a year ago, a C-fund share was worth $17.57, while shares in the G-fund were at $12.15. On Friday the value of a C-fund share was $12.61, a drop of 28% in a year, while G shares were worth $12.64, a gain of 4% in the same period. C-fund shares fell further on Monday, closing at $12.12, a loss of almost 4% in one day. The other stock-based funds have also suffered big losses over the last year, with the small cap S fund down 32% from a year ago, and the International I fund down 39%.

Update: The C-fund fell another 5% on Tuesday, to $11.43, a level not seen since 2004. The cumulative loss in the last month now stands at 20%.

TSP Funds Historical Prices

November 21, 2008 – Annuity estimates will begin being mailed to eligible employees.

November 28, 2008 – VER Offer packages will begin being mailed to VER eligible employees.

December 03, 2008 through January 16, 2009 – VER Window Period

The VER effective date is Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

More information will follow when received.

NAPUS.

Does FERS encourage the best and brightest to leave federal service for the private sector?:

The current FERS program likely will result in either the most productive or skilled employees leaving well before 30 years for better paying opportunities. This will likely include contractor jobs where the taxpayers pay more for the same services…

FederalNewsRadio - The Golden Handcuffs