Pay Schedule and Insurance Information

[teetee]

I thought that some people might find the pay schedule and insurance information helpful. I wished I would have known this BEFORE coming so that I would know when I was getting paid and what insurance we would sign up for, etc.

First: the health insurance website is http://www.opm.gov/insure/federal_employ/index.asp Before coming here you can go through all the plans and decide which plan is best for you. After the first day of orientation you can go online and get set up for health insurance. Health Insurance starts the first day of the first new pay period you are here.

I don't have a scanner here to put in the payroll schedule so I will type in the dates.

End of Pay Period is always on a Saturday. You have a 1 week lag between payment and end of pay period; you usually receive your payment the Monday or Tuesday AFTER the week lag.

Example #1: You start on March 17th. The end of that pay period is March 28th. You can get insurance starting March 29th. Your first paycheck will be on or about April 6th.
Example #2: You start on April 15th. The end of that pay period is April 25th. You can get insurance starting April 26th. Your first paycheck will be on or about May 4th.

End of pay periods for rest of year 2009:
April 11 - pay day about April 20
April 25
May 9
May 23
June 6
June 20
July 4
July 18
August 1
August 15
August 29
September 12
September 26
October 10
October 24
November 7
November 21
December 5
December 19

Holidays observed (academy closed and if in early training at your facility, you get the day off work):
May 25 - Memorial Day
July 3 - Observation of 4th of July
September 7 - Labor Day
October 12 - I don't know what the holiday is but you get it off
November 11 - Unsure of holiday but you get it off - Veterans day?!?
November 26 - Thanksgiving
December 25 - Christmas

I hope this helps some of you to know when you can get health insurance and when you will get your pay checks and such!!!

 

[scongdon]

Awesome, and thanks!

I'm looking forward to that 3-day weekend for Independence day. It's only seven hours North for an awesome weekend for me

*Edit* - not nearly as excited as I am about just getting to the academy in the first place, though.

 

[teetee]

You will also get the 3 day weekend over Memorial Day weekend while you are here!

 

[Barty]

Oct 12th is Columbus Day. It has always been one of those odd holidays that banks, governments, and union shops take off, but everyone else still goes to work.

 

[aviatorchris]

Since we have two Holidays off does that extend OKC by two days or do they just cram 5 days worth of stuff into 4?

 

[Nightbird]

Holidays observed (academy closed and if in early training at your facility, you get the day off work):
May 25 - Memorial Day
July 3 - Observation of 4th of July
September 7 - Labor Day
October 12 - I don't know what the holiday is but you get it off
November 11 - Unsure of holiday but you get it off - Veterans day?!?
November 26 - Thanksgiving
December 25 - Christmas

Oct 12 is Columbus Day, and November 11 is Veterans day according to my google calendar.

Thanks for the information teetee! This post is super useful!

 

[teetee]

Since we have two Holidays off does that extend OKC by two days or do they just cram 5 days worth of stuff into 4?

I think they just cram the stuff. I know when they closed the academy for the ice storm they didn't extend the academy they just crammed more in. I don't know if that works the same for scheduled time off or not though. They do move slow enough on most things that if they needed to cram more to make up, I am sure they could.

Oh and nightbird - you hit the jack pot as far as time off while in OKC! You get here in August and you get 1 day in September, 1 day in October and 2 days in November off!

 

[Cheezypoof]

Since we have two Holidays off does that extend OKC by two days or do they just cram 5 days worth of stuff into 4?

In the case of the ice storm there was cramming because it was not planned. The holidays are planned and are not included in your classroom days.

 

[pil0t1ooo]

can anyone walk me through the insurance website? i am trying to look up the premium rates and have no clue what postal and non-postal are.. any help would be appreciated

 

[teetee]

You will go to the non-postal rates. Sorry should have put that in at the top.

 

[scongdon]

can anyone walk me through the insurance website? i am trying to look up the premium rates and have no clue what postal and non-postal are.. any help would be appreciated

At any point during your employment, do you plan on "going postal?"

No, really... what does that mean? Postal employee?

*Edit* -Teetee, stop post-ninjaing me!

 

[nathanw]

can anyone walk me through the insurance website? i am trying to look up the premium rates and have no clue what postal and non-postal are.. any help would be appreciated

Do you work for the post office?

 

[teetee]

Yeah don't look at the postal employee benefits. They will just make you depressed and mad. Unbelievable how much cheaper their premiums are...NATCA will you please work on that for us?!? By us I mean the employees and significant family members of the FAA (just thought I would clarify since I am not an employee just a lowly wife )

 

[pil0t1ooo]

oh postal.. like post office. that thought crossed my mind but wasnt sure why they would specify postal jobs and then group all others together. then do you look at the hmo or fee for service or is that my choice? what do you think of humana or aetna?

 

[nathanw]

oh postal.. like post office. that thought crossed my mind but wasnt sure why they would specify postal jobs and then group all others together. then do you look at the hmo or fee for service or is that my choice? what do you think of humana or aetna?

I think the most popular one is BCBS ppo-only option. I loathe HMOs so I will be avoiding those plans at all costs.

 

[teetee]

I had Aetna in the past and wasn't thrilled with doctor and hospital choices so I didn't go with them for that reason. The GEHA and BCBS seemed to be the best plans when I looked into it. In the end we chose the BCBS basic. One of the cheaper ones, no deductible and pretty good coverage. You do have higher co-pays but you would have to go to the doctor 6 times a month every month to make up the difference in premium/co-pay from BCBS standard and BCBS basic. The GEHA was good but you had a $350 deductible for each member of the family. You did have cheaper co-pays and a lower premium. The doctor coverage wasn't quite as good (as far as which doctors were covered). We had a couple doctors offices that one doctor was covered but the other was not. I like being able to go to any doctor at my childrens' pediatrician office and not worry about which the insurance will cover.

For dental (or maybe it was vision) we did go with Humana.

 

[scongdon]

I had Aetna in the past and wasn't thrilled with doctor and hospital choices so I didn't go with them for that reason. The GEHA and BCBS seemed to be the best plans when I looked into it. In the end we chose the BCBS basic. One of the cheaper ones, no deductible and pretty good coverage. You do have higher co-pays but you would have to go to the doctor 6 times a month every month to make up the difference in premium/co-pay from BCBS standard and BCBS basic. The GEHA was good but you had a $350 deductible for each member of the family. You did have cheaper co-pays and a lower premium. The doctor coverage wasn't quite as good (as far as which doctors were covered). We had a couple doctors offices that one doctor was covered but the other was not. I like being able to go to any doctor at my childrens' pediatrician office and not worry about which the insurance will cover.

For dental (or maybe it was vision) we did go with Humana.

I have BCBS right now, and while I'm on a "major-medical only / bare bones coverage, single 25 year old non-smoking give it to me cheap" plan, they've been pretty good. I would have enjoyed a little less out-of-pocket on some of the recent FAA medical hoops, but, ya'know.

 

[BoomerSooner77]

oh postal.. like post office. that thought crossed my mind but wasnt sure why they would specify postal jobs and then group all others together. t

You must be CTI.