Insights and news on your Federal employee benefits
This week’s news includes a broad array of stories on your pay and benefits including the modernization happening at the Thrift Savings Plan, what you should know about your benefits if you leave Federal service, and legislation that would make it easier to fire Federal employees. I’ve also included a frequently asked question about getting married after retirement and survivor benefits that I answered in a blog post this week. Let’s get started.
“What if I get married after I retire, can I still get a survivor benefit for my new spouse?” This question comes up frequently in benefits training sessions that I conduct. Or, sometimes it’s a variation of that question. Rather than ‘can I give my spouse a benefit?’, it’s ‘do I have to give a survivor benefit to my new spouse?'. The short answer is that you can elect to provide a survivor benefit, but you’re not required to provide one. After answering the question, the real value that I provide is in asking a better question -- should you?
