On January 9, 2024, FMA joined 25 colleagues of the Federal-Postal Coalition in a letter to Congress in support of the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 5995). The Federal-Postal Coalition is comprised of national organizations that collectively represent five million federal and postal workers and retirees.

Introduced in late October 2023 by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), the Federal Retirement Fairness Act is FMA-endorsed legislation that would allow Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) employees who worked in temporary or intermittent positions to make catch-up contributions toward their retirements. This is an FMA issue brief and Rep. Kilmer has been a champion on this issue for many years.

“Those in the federal and postal workforces who began their careers after January 1989 as temporary employees were unable to make contributions to their Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) benefits until they became full-time, career employees,” the letter states. “Many of these dedicated men and women find as they approach retirement, that because their time as a non-career employee did not apply toward their retirement, they are forced to choose between either working longer in their federal and postal careers than they anticipated or retiring early without their full, expected benefits.”

You can view the full letter here.

Further, James Cappa, President of FMA Chapter 14 (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard), offered a statement of support for H.R. 5995, which Rep. Kilmer included in his press release upon introduction. “The Federal Managers Association (FMA) appreciates the support, time, and efforts from Representative Kilmer on the introduction of the Bipartisan bill Federal Retirement Fairness Act,” Cappa said. “Federal workers would like to see this inequality corrected and allow Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) employees to make deposits (buy-back the time) in the same manner as CSRS employees.”

H.R. 5995 currently has 49 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. To follow the progress of H.R. 5995, click here.