For Your Benefit

January 11, 2021 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® and co-host Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director at NITP, Inc. welcome back Paula S. Jakub, RHU; CEO of The American Foreign Service Protective Association, sponsor of the Foreign Service Benefit Plan.

Today’s guest will discuss benefits in your FEHB plan that you might not be aware of and how to get the most out of your Health Plan. Paula is a Subject Matter Expert in Federal Health Insurance and serves on the adjunct faculty of the Foreign Service Institute.

FEHB Program

Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare and the FEHBP

Understanding the Programs and Services Available to You

Collaboration on Chronic Conditions

Using the Plan’s Wellness Programs

Medicare and FEHBP Update for 2021

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

January 4, 2021 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Joe Sullender, CFP® to talk about starting 2021 with a focus on re-assessing your situation.

Plans may have changed around retirement, the market has changed, how can you reassess and move forward in the new year?

Today’s discussion will focus on:

Setting Goals and “Risk Management” throughout each career phase (early, mid-career, pre-retirement)

Impact of recent changes in Tax Law under the SECURE Act

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

December 28, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® and co-host John Elliott, Federal Benefits Specialist, welcome John Jilek, CFP® to talk about end-of-year financial planning.

Perfect vision is 20/20. Does the year 2020 have us seeing our finances through blurry lenses?

Financial Planning in a time of international crisis has become fuzzy to say the least. There are many different tax and penalty waivers available to help individuals that have suffered either physically or financially from COVID-19.

Some decisions are simple, others may have serious long term financial implications to your goals.

What has changed?

What hasn’t changed?

What do we think 2021 holds in store for Federal Employees?

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

December 21, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Brian Kurrus, CFP® to talk about Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).

What are RMDs and which accounts have them

When and how to take the first RMD

RMDs for this year

How RMDs are calculated

Safety of RMD withdrawal plan

Inherited IRA options

Impact on estate planning

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

December 14, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes M. Shane Canfield, CEO, and Stephanie Baker, Senior Vice President, Member Services, WAEPA.

As Open Season ends, WAEPA would like Federal employees to know that it is never too late to start planning for the future. WAEPA works to serve Feds year-round.

WAEPA Background

Lessons from Open Season

Life Insurance – A Unique and Necessary Product

The WAEPA Difference

Advancements in Technology

Year-Round Application Process

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

December 7, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Ray Kirk, Ph.D., Federal Benefits Specialist, NITP, for a Federal Open Season wrap-up and insights about dealing with OPM.

Wrap-Up Open Season

“Takeaways” from the Open Season programs.

Don’t ignore Open Season. Look at options.

Mistakes people make focusing only on premiums and premium changes.

Look at total cost and the benefits mix that best meets your needs.

Importance of the plan network.

How to make elections during Open Season and retire Dec 31.

Insights from Ray about dealing with OPM

Retirement application tips

You are your own best advocate – Don’t be afraid to challenge an OPM decision.

Keep OPM, Thrift Board and SSA informed of address and bank changes.

In addition, Ray is looking forward to sharing some interesting retirement cases and the impact they have had.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

November 30, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® and co-host Ray Kirk, Ph.D., Federal Benefits Specialist, NITP, welcome Gavin Toner, Manager, Account Management, Federal Employee Health Benefit Programs and Dr. Saima Siddiqui, Physician Advisor for MAPMG and Chief of Acute Care Services for DC and Suburban MD, Kaiser Permanente.

If you’re like most Federal employees, you probably don’t shop around for a new health plan, even though your current plan may no longer fit your needs. The Office of Personnel Management consistently says 20–30% of Federal employees can and should be changing their plans. Don’t leave money on the table.

Whether you’re just starting your Federal career, planning a family, or thinking about retirement, Kaiser Permanente’s comprehensive system brings your care, your health plan, top-notch physicians, convenient medical centers, and more together, delivering quality, affordable care.

Listen in and discover how you can save significantly on your health care costs with Kaiser Permanente:

$0 copays for maternity care, and $0 copays for pediatric primary care through age 17 for Standard Option

$0 copay for telehealth benefits whether by video, phone, or online for all plan options

New $150 Medicare Part B reimbursement for High Option members

To find the plan that’s right for Federal members during Open Season, visit kp.org/feds.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

November 23, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® and co-host Ray Kirk, Ph.D., Federal Benefits Specialist, NITP, welcome Jay Fritz, Program Manager, Program Support and Analysis, Healthcare and Insurance, U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

It is that time of year again for employees and annuitants to review their Open Season options, which include health plans, dental and vision plan companies, FSAs, etc.

Today’s discussion will include:

Federal Open Season:  November 9 – December 14, 2020

What programs participate in Open Season?

How can I prioritize my Open Season shopping list?

What options do I have?

What if I do nothing?

Resources for further information:

Visit opm.gov/openseason

Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/usopm

For Twitter News and Updates: https://twitter.com/usopm

See your Human Resources Office

How do I make an Open Season election or change?

Flexible spending accounts under FSAFEDS (employees only): FSAFEDS.com or call 1-877-FSAFEDS (372-3337) or TTY 1-866-353-8058.

Dental or vision under FEDVIP:  Everyone – go to BENEFEDS.com or call 1-877-888-3337, TTY 1-877-889-5680.

FEHB: Employees - use the Health Benefits Election Form (SF 2809) or use an online self-service system; your agency’s human resources office can help you.  Retirees - go to Open Season Online at https://retireefehb.opm.gov or call Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798, TTY 1-855-887-4957.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

November 16, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, our hosts Bob Leins, CPA®, and Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director NITP, welcome insurance expert and author Walton Francis to talk about FEHBP Open Season.  The CHECKBOOK’s Guide shows that most families can save $2,000 or more by selecting better plan choices.

Francis is the principal author of both online and print versions of Consumers’ CHECKBOOK’s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees.  The Guide gives you vital insurance information that you cannot get from any other source.  It tells you how much money you can save by changing – or by staying in – your health insurance plan, and summarizes thousands of facts about the plans to simplify your choice.

At the Guide’s website, www.guidetohealthplans.org, you can check to see if your agency has purchased access to the Guide for you.

It rates all of over 250 health insurance plans available to Federal employees and retirees, including twenty national plans, over 200 health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider (PPO) local area options, and over a dozen consumer-driven and high deductible plan options.  Its ratings of plan costs take into account premiums, catastrophic limits, and estimates of likely out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses of every kind.

The Guide compares plans for insurance value in dealing with unforeseen medical expenses, not just for the routine costs you can predict.

It rates dental and vision plans as well. It provides dollar estimates of likely dental costs, taking into account both premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, not just descriptions. It compares dental coverage in all plans, not just stand alone plans.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

November 9, 2020 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® and co-host Ray Kirk, Ph.D., Federal Benefits Specialist at NITP, welcome Brian Sperling, Senior Account Manager with GEHA (Government Employees Health Association, Inc.)

Today’s discussion will include topics such as:

Why it’s important to shop for health benefits this Open Season

How to make smart decisions when reviewing your options

GEHA’s health and well-being benefits and rewards programs

Overview of GEHA’s five high-value medical plan options

Today, GEHA is one of the largest national medical and dental plan providers serving Federal workers, covering more than 2 million Federal employees, retirees and their dependents.

Learn more at GEHA.com

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]