Federal Employee Benefits

Being an employee of the federal government means excellent pay package along with a number of federal employee benefits that extends to employees and their family as well. There are health benefits, insurance programs, savings plan, social security benefits, and a whole lot of other benefits. On top of that there are group insurance programs, besides discounts which can be availed of. These programs are not only for the individual employee, but also for the family and they take care of the health care needs long after the individual has retired from the service. There are a wide range of benefits which you can choose if you have a government job and some of them are mentioned in the following paragraphs.

Federal Employee Group Benefits

Employees of the federal government can choose to be a part of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance program, which provides life insurance coverage of the employees. The scheme was first introduced in 1954 and is considered one of the largest group insurance programs of the world as it covers not only the individual employee but also his family members. All federal government employees are automatically covered under this program, and the deductions for this insurance coverage would be made at the source, unless of course if you choose to discontinue the coverage. There are several other Optional Insurance coverage which you can choose.

Federal Employee Health Benefits

There would be an open season, usually in the month of November and December, wherein you can enroll and choose vision, dental and health insurance (which comes under Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) for the year and go through the options available. It's necessary to take a look at the options available and what is on offer as the government employee benefits may change. So a review would give you an idea of the kind of coverage which suits you best. Moreover, by choosing new options, you can save a lot of money in taxes. If you don't enroll, you will still be covered, but then you may not be eligible for new benefits which may be on offer.

Federal Employee Benefits Program

The federal government has enacted the Federal Employees Retirement System, wherein federal employees who have retired are covered. There are three sources for this type of retirement plan - Thrift Savings Plan, Social Security Plan and Basic Benefit Plan. If you opt for this scheme, you are required to pay a particular amount, which is deducted from your salary towards Basic Benefit Plan and Social Security Plan. It's not that only you make payments, the department in which you work also pays a part towards this scheme. After your retirement, the accumulated money is used to pay you certain amount each month for the rest of your life.

Other than all the retirement, insurance and health care benefits, there are leaves which you can avail of. As per the policy of the federal government, you can avail of 13, 20 or 26 days of vacation leaves every year, which depends on the number of years you have worked. Additionally, you can avail of paid holidays numbering 10, besides 13 sick leaves a year. Moreover, you are also entitled to Recruitment Bonus, Employee Assistance Programs, Relocation Bonus, Retention Allowances, Student Loan Repayment, Employee Development, Long Term Care Insurance Programs, etc.

Federal Employee Benefits for Dental Care

The dental benefits which an employee of the federal government can avail of either inclusive of other benefits which comes under Federal Employee Health Benefits Program or individually. This scheme is available not only to the current employees but also retired employees. This scheme can be availed of in groups, and as such the premium rates are relatively lower. You need to enroll for this scheme when the open season takes place. The best part of this scheme is that it's not only the employees who can avail of this scheme, the beneficiaries and family members are also eligible.

Federal Employee Benefits and Discounts

Other than the benefits mentioned above, employees of the federal government can avail of government employee discounts like accommodation and other services at a lesser rate. Moreover, there are several companies whether telecom, computer or car rental, which offer services at a discounted rate. Additionally, if you think of a vacation, you can avail of discounts offered by the federal government. However, these discounts vary as per the position you hold.

So, there are several federal employee benefits which you can avail of. The benefits mentioned above is not the whole range of aids that are available, there are many more. You need to get in touch with your respective departments or you can go through the personnel management department and see the whole range of welfare measures available.