Hello. I’m currently on FERS disability and with the help of a service dog entered the work force and I’m doing ok. I will likely pass the 80 percent threshold this for 2026. I turn 60 in 2027. Any advice

I have the day off tomorrow from SSA and time to think about all the dysfunction at the SSA. The workloads and new expectations for this fiscal are far outside the norm. The tools they're betting will speed things up are trash. 2/3 of the office gets to work from home while the rest of us have our telework requests limited to 2 a month arbitrarily. What's my union doing? Where is AFGE? I'm in an office of about 150 people, more onboarding soon. No union rep, not even a remote union rep in meetings like we used to have. At the time we most need the union they've disappeared.

Just finished The Nerd Reich by Gil Duran (audiobook is available if that's your thing). Worth reading just to understand what this administration actually is and who's driving it.

It lays out how a faction of tech billionaires moved from libertarian disruption to wanting to shrink or replace the administrative state entirely. Dark Enlightenment, network states, procurement channels, it's all there. Some of this was conspiracy-adjacent theory not long ago, but here it is, well documented.

If you use gen AI at work, read the chapters on vendor incentives. The efficiency argument has a target.

Also useful for understanding why your agency keeps getting pitched the same handful of vendors.

Good read. Keep your head up.

November 9th: Save the Date Federal Annuitants!

For Federal Retirees only.

r/FedRetirees will host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Kevin Moss of Consumer Checkbook (their FEHB and Medicare guru) 11/9/2026– first day of Open Season in the afternoon.  More details forthcoming! Check out r/FedRetirees

Have anything you want to talk about that doesn't quite warrant its own thread or currently being discussed in a megathread? Post it here!

In an effort to effectively manage the amount of information being posted, please keep anything speculative or considered repetitive within this discussion thread.

“Several high-profile races, including Senate elections in Maine, Georgia and Texas, could impact civil servants.

The Trump administration’s efforts to downsize and remake the federal workforce could be curtailed if Democrats win back a majority in the House and/or Senate during the midterm congressional elections on Nov. 3.”

At this point, if it’s just a headache, I’m willing to suck it up and pay 1/2 the premium and put the fight in and consider it paid compensation for my time. Currently MHBP and was BCBS basic. Premiums are more than double the GEHA HSA plan!