FedSmith

Millions of Social Security recipients and retired federal employees now know how much their retirement payments will increase in 2027. The answer is good news for retirees facing higher prices, although some federal retirees will receive a smaller increase than others. Based on inflation figures released October 14 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is 3.6% for Social Security recipients and Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees.

If you’ve ever opened an FEHB plan brochure and thought, “Where do I even begin?”, you’re not alone. With dozens of national plans, hundreds of regional options, and brochures that often exceed 100 pages, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Many federal employees respond by doing one of two things: they either spend hours chasing every detail or simply keep last year’s plan because comparing everything feels impossible. Neither approach is ideal.

Federal employees are accustomed to navigating a complex benefits landscape. Each year, Open Season provides an opportunity to review available programs and make coverage decisions based on individual and family needs. But familiarity with federal benefits can sometimes lead to assumptions. Coverage that seems comprehensive may still have gaps, particularly as careers, families, and financial responsibilities evolve over time.

Federal employees and retirees enrolled in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan will pay between 8.6% and 11% more for their share of premiums in 2027, depending on the plan option and enrollment type. The increases continue a stretch in which Blue Cross enrollee premiums have risen more over the last five years than they did over the previous nine.

Federal employees have grown accustomed to a particular kind of anxiety that most private-sector workers never have to think about: the possibility that a political stalemate in Washington could interrupt their paycheck with little warning. Government shutdowns and furloughs have become a recurring feature of federal employment, and while back pay is typically guaranteed once a shutdown ends, the weeks or months without a paycheck in the meantime are very real.

A federal judge ordered the Bureau of Prisons to restore its union contract through May 2029. Eight days later, the agency terminated the agreement again. Now a contempt motion and a new legal confrontation could help determine how far President Trump’s national security executive order can go. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has taken another step in its ongoing dispute with the union representing approximately 30,000 federal employees.

The average Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) enrollee will pay 10.9% more in 2027, but that average hides wide swings from plan to plan. Enrollee premiums for MHBP Standard Option Self and Family coverage will rise 84%, while some regional plans are cutting what enrollees pay by 40% or more. With Open Season starting November 9, here is a look at the plans with the biggest increases and decreases for 2027 and the lowest-cost nationwide options for each enrollment type.

A former senior federal employee has admitted he invented a top secret program out of thin air and used it to steer about $194 million in government money into South Florida real estate, gold bars, luxury watches and private flights to Palm Beach. David J. Rush, 49, of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty on October 6 to a single count of wire fraud in federal court in Alexandria. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on January 28, 2027. (United States v.

Legislation introduced in the House would create a formal telework request process for federal employees, let them appeal denials and bar federal funds from being used to carry out the Trump administration’s return-to-office directives. The Federal Telework Protection Act (H.R. 10713) was introduced on October 1, 2026, by Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA). One of the bill’s key provisions is that it creates a formal process for federal employees to request the option to telework.

Today we are answering literally the million-dollar question. Is $1,000,000 in the Thrift Savings Plan, or wherever you might have it as a federal employee, enough? We see federal employees reading all kinds of stuff on the internet claiming you need $5,000,000 to retire. But what most feds do not understand is that the principles that make sense for federal employees are simply different than for the average American because your benefits are simply unique.