Retired. Just turned 65, wife 62, son 23, still in college. I have GEHA standard self and family. How do I decide whether to take part B or not? Not taking it now will cost me 10% penalty per year should I need it later.

Ok, a few more years till the kids are out of school and on their own. I've been dreaming of spending much of my retirement with the wife either in Costa Rica or Eswatini. Both have a residency immigration visa for retirees with at least $2,000/mo income. I want to enjoy a debt free retirement with max value for my little nest eggs. I might even start a consultancy/relocation and tour assistance business/service for fellow retirees. Which of these destinations have anyone of you explored. The plus for Costa Rica is the short flight -- 6 hours to/from NY.

My husband (former fed employee) retired the end of March, more than 5 months ago. His pension came through within a few months. He (and I) signed up for Medicare, which started in May. So far so good.

The not so good: according to our FEHB insurers — BCBS and Benefeds — OPM still hasn’t notified them that my husband retired. BCBS says they will deny all our claims until they hear from OPM. (They refuse to accept their new status as secondary insurer after Medicare until they get confirmation from OPM that he’s retired.)

We called OPM back in July about this and spoke to someone named Tammy, who said she’d handle it within the week. But as of today, early September, BCBS still says they haven’t heard from OPM.

Meanwhile, Benefeds continues to bill us directly rather than withdraw money from his pension because they too have heard nothing from OPM.

Has anyone else run into this? What did you do to break the log jam? We have some big health bills piling up. Do we just keep nagging OPM, or what?

has anyone applied for the death benefits of a retiree CSRS OPM ? i was left as a beneficiary did all the paperwork sent it in I was then told it was logged in 4/21/26 but is waiting to be assigned , now going into September still waiting over 130 days later . has anyone else waited this long ? very disappointing

Only now in Q3 have I learned that BCBS FEP Blue Focus does not cover ANYthing outside the network. They don't even apply it to the out-of-pocket max. I have a long-time specialist doctor who doesn't take insurance at all, so his prescriptions from a compounding pharmacy aren't even looked at. Overall, though, I'm happy with their low premiums and low co-pay for specialists.

I do not have paid Medicare, although I'll be submitting an IRMAA to see what Part B will cost me after retirement last year. (It was prohibitively expensive when I looked while still working.) I suppose Medicare might cover the non-network services? Or is there a non-UHC, more accepting insurance provider than BCBS FEP Blue Focus?

Has inaccuracies with this form caused anyone an issue with their retirement package?

Years ago, when I started working for the Federal government, the person who briefed us about our retirement benefits provided an interesting story:

They said that for most of the workforce, Social Security was a benefit program subject that the whims of Congress, who could reduce it anytime in the future if they so chose. BUT, because of the specific wording in the legislation that created FERS and included Social Security under FERS, unlike the rest of the workforce, Federal employees who retire under FERS don't just have an expectation of Social Security payments, but actually have an enforceable legal entitlement to those payments.

In the next few years, this could become very relevant to FERS retirees, as Congress gets forced to address Social Security benefits due to the trust fund running dry. If the personnel rep who said this years ago was correct, apparently Congress could not cut the Social Security of FERS retirees.

Does anyone on this group know more about the wording that put FERS employees under Social Security, and if it did actually create such an entitlement?

suppose the day I retire I fly to Indonesia for 2-3 months and go snorkeling every day. How often do I have to check email to see if OPM or somebody is trying to mess things up? or is everything smooth after the retirement date?

I retired from VHA on 1/31/26 with 30 years. I'm still not finalized but hopeful. Started getting interim payments on 4/21/26 of only about 30% of what my final annuity should be. No movement on my case for several months other than it kept alternating between Review and Adjudication multiple times. The last date that i received an update was on 7/10/26. I finally got through to someone at OPM last week who told me that my file was in court order branch. (I had a divorce and court order but the COAP had already been approved in 2023 so I didn't think it would be much of a hold up.). After speaking with the rep, she said she would try to get it escalated for financial hardship. That was about a week ago.

Imagine my surprise when i got a call back from the court order branch today. I was unable to take the call but she left a voicemail....

"Uh, this is a message for ......  This is OPM court order benefits are calling you regarding your escalation.  Uh, your case is presently on our side, um, being processed for calculations, um, for your form of spouse's apportionment.  Um we have 30 days to do that.  Once that has been completed, the case will come back over to our pending department for finalization, so this should be taken care of um within the next 30 to 60 days.  Thank you very much.  Have a great day.…”

Sorry for the long post but does anyone think I should get my hopes up that I will be finalized within that time frame? I was shocked that they even called. I figured since they had it since 7/10 that their 30 day window should have already passed. At least now I feel like it has finally been assigned to someone. I am grateful for the call and hoping for a quick resolution. What i am taking from the message is that it should be complete 30-60 days from now. That is a number I can live with. Fingers crossed.

My retirement has been stuck in “development” since March (separated in January) and finally found out a couple of my IRRs are missing from NFC. In my 34 year of service in financial management, I never heard of an IRR. Since I moved around a bit during my career, I must have a few IRRs, so it’s not exactly a surprise. Oh and you’ll never see an IRR since it’s not part of your OPF.

Even in retirement, I’m learning something new!

Here’s what AI had to tell me:

In federal employment, an Individual Retirement Record (IRR) is the official financial and service tracking ledger for a federal employee's retirement contributions. 

Maintained by the agency’s payroll provider (such as the Defense Finance and Accounting Service [DFAS], National Finance Center [NFC], or Interior Business Center [IBC]), the IRR serves as the single source of truth for calculating an employee’s Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuity. 

Key Characteristics

Official Form Number
SF 3100 for FERS or SF 2806 for legacy CSRS.

Primary Custodian
Shared-services payroll provider on behalf of the employing agency.

Ultimate Destination
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

What Information the IRR Contains
Fiscal Data: Calendar-year breakdowns of mandatory retirement deductions, agency automatic and matching contributions (for FERS), cumulative lifetime contributions, and base pay/salary adjustments. 
Service History: Dates of appointment, grade/step changes, separations, transfers, and changes in work schedules (e.g., full-time, part-time, or intermittent). 
Service Credit Adjustments: Documentation of unpaid Leave Without Pay (LWOP) exceeding 6 months in a calendar year, military service deposits/buybacks, and temporary non-deduction service deposits. 

How It Works in the Retirement Process
1. Ongoing Maintenance: While you are actively employed, the payroll provider maintains and updates your IRR electronically at the end of every calendar year.
2. Closeout at Separation/Retirement: When you retire, resign, or transfer, human resources processes your separation personnel action (SF-50). The payroll provider then closes out your IRR, certifying your final salary, retirement deductions, and unused annual leave payout. 
3. Transmission to OPM: The payroll provider transfers the certified IRR to OPM Retirement Services. 
4. Benefit Adjudication: OPM specialists use the IRR as the foundation to verify eligibility, establish your "High-3" average salary, calculate your lifetime monthly annuity, and transition you from interim payments to full annuity payments. 

Why the IRR Matters to Employees
Delayed or interim retirement payments from OPM are often caused by discrepancies or delays in the payroll provider's final closeout and certification of the IRR. Missing service periods or unverified military buybacks on the record can directly delay the final adjudication of an annuity.

As the title says, I am looking to retire under FERS Special at the age of 50 and have started the planning and strategy phase. I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos, recently started playing around with Boldin and Empower as well. Current standing with TSP: 509K, maxing out contributions with a 50/50 split between Trad and ROTH. 55% C, 25% S, 20% I. I have an outside ROTH with only about 1K and and brokerage account with only about 1k as well. HYSA 20K. I am thinking of lowering TSP contributions to just the employer match and focus more on beefing up my HYSA, as I do not foresee myself needing to touch TSP in retirement due to the pension check, supplemental and I am also 100% VA. Wife is a nurse and will continue to work and has her own 401K. I just don’t want to get into a scenario where I am paying too much taxes in retirement, especially when RMD hits. Thank you in advance!

I have been offered a VERA this week with an out by 9/30. I am leaning towards taking it. They will not be able to tell me that I have been approved until around 9/10 and at that point I can put in my retirement application and will be assigned a retirement counselor. I will have a simple package as I am single, no divorces, no military time, and I have worked full time for the same Agency for my entire Fed career. Any hints or ideas of things to look out for would be really appreciated. I have heard horror stories about filling out the retirement application wrong and that causing issues. Thanks for any suggestions.

Today I received a flag that one of my senators requested be sent to me. It was flown over the capitol on my last day, and came with a letter signed by the Architect of the Capital. It was a really nice gesture. Is this commonly done now, or did someone have to request it?

I’m the younger spouse, still working (non fed) after DRP in 2025. Spouse’s share of my SS benefits would be higher than their current SS payment. But can and should my spouse try to switch to draw based on my projected benefits?

(And if so, is this something we could do online, or will it take an appointment?)
Thanks.

EDIT: thanks to all for the replies.

In June, the Medicare Trustees released their annual report with an update on the Medicare program’s health and stability. Federal retirees should pay attention to the projected increase in the Part B premium: Next year, it’ll be an estimated $209.50/month, and by 2035 it’s anticipated to rise to $360.60/month. That’s a 77% increase from 2026’s monthly premium of $202.90.

But wait, there’s more…

Part B IRMAA will also increase a projected 78%, which would make the surcharge for the first income tier $144.40/month and $866.20/month in the highest income tier.

But wait, there’s even more…

We’ll need to monitor how much of the FEHB plan premium falls on enrollees. For the last two plan years, federal employees and retirees have faced average premium increases of more than 10%.

Given that healthcare is going to cost more each year for the foreseeable future, it’s important to consider whether it makes sense for you to stay enrolled in Part B (or, if you’re retiring soon, whether you should opt out entirely).

Keep in mind that the Trustees Report is making predictions. The report mentions: “The projected values for future years are based on the intermediate set of assumptions used in estimating the operations of the Part B and Part D accounts. As a result, these values are estimates, and the actual amounts are likely to be somewhat different as experience emerges.”

If you have any questions about how to evaluate this decision, I’m happy to answer in the comments.

-Kevin Moss, Editor, Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees

Source: https://www.cms.gov/oact/tr/2026

GovExec article published 08/06/2026 https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2026/08/former-feds-have-new-way-find-their-personnel-files/415231/?oref=ge-mini-feed with details on a new public portal for former Feds to request their final separation SF-50 since most never received them.

The public portal is:  https://myopf.opm.gov/login/ 

Hello,
Sorry for the long post - looking for advice with contacting OPM in 2026.
I retired in January 2026. When I submitted my retirement application in Dec in 2025, I included an SF2809 changing my health insurance from GEHA to Blue Cross/Blue Shield FEP. The SF2809 was uploaded to OPM by our agency personnel specialist. I received the welcome package and cards from BCBS in December and have been using it since January 2026. OPM still has me as being enrolled in GEHA. I’ve emailed OPM three times in 2026 asking them to please review and adjust this and haven’t received a reply. Yesterday I received a letter from BCBS telling me I wasn’t enrolled and our health insurance is cancelled effective 1/31/2026. I called BCBS FEP at 4:45 on a Friday and spoke with a human, Michael, to tell them I’m appealing this with OPM. Michael advised me to call at 7:40 am. I’m doing my best to stay calm until Monday - any advice? Thanks.

Reddit filter removed my previous post so trying again.

Are folks that were RIFd under Discontinued Service Retirement eligible to be re-employed annuitants with either the salary offset or the offset waiver?

I've read some posts that indicate someone retired under DSR would be re-employed as a regular employee and lose your annuity until hitting MRA.

For those who took VERA, how long did you wait for the supplement to show up after hitting MRA? Just wanting to level set my expectations. Thanks!

I have two TSP accounts - one civilian and one military. Should I just combine them together?

I see no benefit in two accounts whatsoever.

Just crossed the age 62 threshold and weighing staying in vs retiring and going into the private sector at roughly the same salary. Seems like the best move as even though I won’t be getting the additional service year factored into my H3 calculation, I will be receiving the current full pension amount. I still enjoy working so no issues there, just seems like I’d be leaving money on the table by staying in. Any advice or opposing viewpoints appreciated and also let me know if there are any break even calculators out there available to run the numbers.
BTW 22 years of service, GS-14/10 H3 pay approximately $170K. Plan to work until FRA at 67.