2027 Open Season Exchange: BCBS’ David Yoder on how to make smarter healthcare decisions

It's critical for enrollees to take a comprehensive look at healthcare needs, rather than focusing only on premiums, BCBS Association's federal VP advises.

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2027 Open Season Exchange: DHA’s Dan Gall on advancing access to care

The Defense Health Agency is testing a referral-free plan option and also aims to help TRICARE beneficiaries easily find providers and schedule appointments.

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You bought a Ferrari: Getting full value from the IT you already own

The hardest part of walking away from custom development is not technical. It is culture.

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We may be on the way to more clarity on when vendors can protest other transaction agreements

"The court has grappled with this basic question, do they have authority to hear any challenge to an OTA," said Zach Prince.

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Agencies face a push to send out required federal employee survey

Agencies have until Dec. 31 to distribute their 2026 employee survey.

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The Coast Guard measures success in minutes on mission

"We are hearing across the board our service members wanting to better integrate technology into the mission," said Lindsay Abbott.

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2027 Open Season Exchange: Consumers’ Checkbook’s Kevin Moss on not leaving money on the table during Open Season

While premium rates often draw attention during Open Season, benefit changes can also have a significant impact on what enrollees spend on healthcare.

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Preparing for constant technology change starts with knowing your customer’s needs

Federal, state and industry experts say understanding what outcomes you’re trying to achieve at the beginning ultimately will improve citizen services.

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2027 Open Season Exchange: NMFA’s Eileen Huck on choosing the right TRICARE plan for you

Insurance shoppers should consider their expected annual out-of-pocket costs, location and preferred providers when comparing plans, NMFA director advises.

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2027 Open Season Exchange: OPM’s Cindy Butler on what feds should know this Open Season

An OPM health insurance expert details FEHB and PSHB changes, what retirees need to know about Medicare and the agency’s year-round work on federal healthcare.

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DoD contractor to pay $13 million over alleged cyber compliance failures in Army, MDA, NASA contracts

The Justice Department alleges the contractors submitted false and fraudulent claims for payment while failing to meet contractual cybersecurity requirements.

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Limited visibility into how USDA planned for its reorganization, watchdog says

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins criticized a new Government Accountability Office report, calling it a “politicized review” of the reorganization decision.

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Senate GOP set up lame duck effort to appoint new Comptroller General

HSGAC Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is going around the statutory process of having a bipartisan 10-member commission recommend nominees for comptroller general.

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From snapshot to mission insight: Digital twins for defense and intelligence

The goal isn't to remove the analyst. It is to help analysts focus their expertise where it matters most.

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House approves bill to boost compensation for many veterans, with some floor drama

The centerpiece of the package is an effort to boost compensation for an estimated 58,000 veterans who are medically retired because of combat-related injuries.

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Federal retirement claims backlog is on the rise

Processing times for digitally submitted applications are faster, taking an average of 59 days to complete.

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A new report looks at what the DOGE cuts actually cost the public

"We're losing so much expertise. Some of the estimates that we've seen say up to 5 million years of expertise that's being lost," said Skye L. Perryman.

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Picking up where FEVS left off

"We have heard from many federal employees that they are concerned about taking their agency's survey right now," said Michelle Amante.

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2027 Open Season Exchange: OPM’s Matt Kiley on healthcare decisions, future plans

The new associate director of healthcare and insurance at OPM urged enrollees to actively compare plans during Open Season this year.

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A former DOJ attorney shares what he learned defending the government in difficult cases

"Good leadership recognizes that they make sure that they are taking care of their employees," said Paul Stern.

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Pentagon sued over failures to make military review boards’ decisions accessible

“The rights of veterans are on the line here, their ability to get VA care, to have their discharge upgraded and to live with dignity,” Tyson Manker said.

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Questions about veteran outcomes in the workplace remain surprisingly difficult to answer

"We really tried to create as comprehensive a public record as we could on data for how corporations are supporting veterans," said George Zuo.

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Quantum computing hits ‘put up or shut up’ moment

Government and industry officials have cautious optimism about advancing quantum computing use cases ranging from materials sciences to pharmaceuticals.

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For some veterans In Southern California, post military service takes the form of helping military families

"We've been pretty successful in the last five years. We've raised over 55 tons of food supplies for military families and military bases," said Raymond Foster.

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First-class mail on-time rate hits 89% as USPS warns of looming funding crisis

Postmaster General David Steiner says post office closures and impacts to service delivery are possible if Congress doesn't act.

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For many veterans, access to federal benefits begins close to home

"The important thing is all of our county veterans service officers are veterans themselves, and so they have military cultural competency," Cat Nichols said.

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VA.gov refresh is ‘early step’ in broader push to modernize digital services

VA.gov’s new look adds plain-language search and password-less login as the agency modernizes its digital front door.

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Military service develops leaders who often continue serving in new ways after they leave uniform

"We want to attract people that have already done amazing things, but give them the opportunity to come to campus, earn the degree..." said Rob Berschinski.

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FedVIP 2027: Are you getting your money’s worth?

Dental and vision premiums aren’t seeing the same dramatic increases hitting FEHB in 2027, but that doesn’t mean you should automatically renew coverage.

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Air Force previews AI training as it prepares to deploy new tools

"What [AI] has given us is a gift,” Susan Davenport said. “That gift is our ability to reimagine our mission to do something that we’ve never done before.”

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