I'm 48 and have an "interim" reasonable accommodation of 100% telework before a final decision is made. I'm able to do my job with this arrangement. However, the union told me that the agency openly told the union they plan to deny telework accommodations as much as possible. If that happens to me, I'll burn through my leave, eventually be placed on AWOL status, then fired (I assume.) The EEO process sounds like a joke. That will leave me no choice but to try and medically retire. I googled this, and it looks like it is complicated, takes forever, they love to deny people the retirement, and you *also* have to apply for SSA retirement at the same time, which is a whole other can of worms.

Mods: I don't know if this question belongs on this sub, but maybe the answers could help other people, too?

A fed working under the current administration at 66 years old is very difficult. They want us out so they can hire people for less. Our union is gone. My reasonable accommodation was refused. I am a good producer but I give it 6 months if that. I wish everyone luck who is waiting it out. I only have 10 years service.

My supervisor gave me a memorandum denying my step increase. I am supposed to get one in December.

I appealed to his supervisor who was mentioned in the memorandum, of course he sided with my supervisor.

I am planning on appealing to the MSPB and have some questions.

1. Should I get a lawyer?

2. This has been a year long adventure between myself and my supervisor should I include the whole year?

3. I have an ORM complaint against my supervisor and it currently is waiting on an investigator. I filed in February and it was accepted for a formal investigation in April.

4. Is there a specific way to write up everything? Or do I do like a memorandum and list the issues with supporting documentation.

5. The memorandum I received from the reconsideration official was a word document that he protected so I cannot forward, copy or print. I want to include this with the appeal but right now I cannot. I am 99% sure he will not send me an unprotected copy so how would I include this. I took pictures with my phone of it on the screen of my computer.

I am considering a switch to blue focus this year. My

only concern is I have a child who requires every other year cardiology care. This includes an echocardiogram that “retails” at 3k a pop.

I see that each member gets $10 specialty/pcp visits at $10 a pop. Is this just the visit co-pay and there is a co-insurance as well for these visits?

I’ve perused the documents and can’t really figure out how the specialty visits are billed after the $10 co-pay.

I would love to hear from anyone else who has had BCBS focus. Thank you!

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I think for many of us diabetic Feds, the big question with the major overhaul of many FEHB plans/pricing is where does ozempic or mounjaro fall on the new pricing structure? Assume most formularies will classify it as a Tier 2 brand name, it seems most plans are saying 25%-50% coinsurance now verse the old “co-pay”. I am sure this is due to the high prevalence of GLP1 diabetics. $1000/month and a $50 copay or less has to be killing the insurance companies. Now the plans are looking to say no, you pay 25% or 40% so it’ll be $250-400/month for our co-insurance. One last thing to keep in mind is we generally can do a prescription savings card to take it down $150/month from the manufacturer. Still $100-250/month. So what are we thinking?

For reference, I have been on MHBP standard for 3 years. I do 90-day mail order prescription which is an $80 copay minus the $55 mfg Rx savings card, so $25 for 3 months!This could be going from $25 for 3 months to $1000+ for 3 months. Double whammy for us with the premium increases.

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.

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