And at some point in our lives or careers, most of us benefit from being at the right place at the right time, just as we sometimes find ourselves on the losing side of the line.

Like many of you, right now.

Most of the pro-federal worker, pro-retiree benefits recently approved by Congress went into effect last week (October 28th to be exact) when President Obama signed the Defense Authorization Act.

That's the good news.

Unless you left government on or before October 27th!

The perqs embedded in the new law are an eye-popping array of benefits that will boost pensions for FERS employees who stay healthy, CSRS workers who go part-time, and retired feds who return to government service.

Earlier this year the White House opposed many of them, and Congress rejected all of them.

Their comeback, thanks to very effective lobbying by pro-fed and retiree groups, is nothing short of amazing.

The not-so-good-news is that if you left government before the bill became law, whether that was one day before or 20 years before it became law, you are out of luck. None of the new perqs is/are retroactive. While that is pretty much standard operating procedure, it will come as very bad news to people who hoped Uncle Sam would be forced to reach back and recalculate their retirement benefits to confirm with the new changes.

Here's the rundown:

1. The change that will permit FERS employees to credit unused sick leave toward retirement was effective upon enactment. FERS employees retiring between now and January 1, 2014 will get credit for 50 percent of their unused sick leave. Those retiring after will get credit for all their unused sick leave.

2. The change that allows federal agencies to re-employ retirees on a limited, part-time basis without offset of annuity is effective was effective upon enactment.

3. The change that will permit current CSRS workers to transition into retirement by working part-time (without harming their annuity) was effective upon enactment.

4. The exception to the "effective immediately" rule is the change that will gradually reduce the tax-free cost of living allowance (for feds in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories) which is not effective until January 1, 2010. At that time the COLA will start to be phased out over a period of several years and replaced by locality pay which (unlike the COLA) will be used in computing their future annuities.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong, Go Wrong, Go....

Many federal agencies say that because they knew the changes were coming, they are up to speed on how they will impact you. They are awaiting guidance from the Office of Personnel Management. One very large agency told its people, in an e-mail, not to worry. That pensions and sick leave credit would be adjusted. That nobody would be shortchanged.

The agency referred its tens of thousands of employees to a special link it has established just for them with the OPM. One problem...

As of late yesterday the link still wasn't working.

Elsewhere in the News
As noted from the Newsdesk

On yesterday's Daily Debrief, the TSP's Director of External Affairs, Tom Trabucco, said that no matter the market's ups and downs in the past month, the government's retirement plan can still be counted on in the long term. Click here to hear the interview or to read the story.

OPM Director John Berry is proposing sweeping civil service reforms that could end the General Schedule, bolster training and open up performance pay to all employees, not just senior executives. Berry also wants to make firing easier. Click here for more.

Nearly Useless Factoid
by Suzanne Kubota

October was Polish American Heritage Month.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com