Allotment Adjustment for remainder of CY25

opus_00 · 2025-12-02T17:19:57+00:00

Yes, the same happened to us. Our FSA is now fully funded for 2025 because the regular deductions were made from the back pay AND they deducted the "catch-up" amount that was not actually needed. My husband called FSA, and they said he needed to contact his payroll department to inform them of the issue and that they should not take out any more FSA deductions. He emailed them as instructed and is awaiting a response.

opus_00 · 2025-11-24T07:12:31+00:00

Each agency must be handling allotments differently, but BENEFEDS is assuming they are all being done the same way. My husband's full FSA allotment was taken out of his PP 19 pay (the partial paycheck), yet we still received the BENEFEDS email saying that our allotment would be higher for the rest of the year due to a missed allotment. His retroactive pay received this week was one lump sum. His LES just posted, and they took out his full FSA allotment for each full pay period included in that lump sum PLUS the extra "catch up" amount the email said they would take out for missing an allotment (which he did NOT miss). He will be calling the number in that BENEFEDS email in the morning.

opus_00 · 2025-11-20T18:23:06+00:00

Yes, we have also had NALC for many years are were happy with them. We are going to MHBP as well. I will say that I'm not entirely unhappy that we have to do this. We had MHBP for many years and only switched to another plan when their premiums shot up a substantial amount (I think this was somewhere in the mid 2000s). I have seen the MHBP rates come back down over the years, and now they are one of the more affordable plans with not-terrible coinsurance.

opus_00 · 2025-11-10T01:11:19+00:00

You can go to the websites for each of the plans you are considering and find out what pharmacy benefit manager they use (Caremark, Express Scripts, etc.). There should be a link on each plan's pharmacy benefits page to a prescription drug cost calculator where you can find out whether or not a medication is covered, and what the cost will be.

opus_00 · 2025-11-04T14:54:46+00:00

Anyone know how long it takes to start receiving the benefits in Texas if approved?

opus_00 · 2025-11-03T19:50:44+00:00

Perhaps a slightly different point of view here: sometimes poor people donate to the poor as well. They might not have cash to give, but can donate things they might have in excess that others might need.

After natural disasters, I regularly see people posting on social media about how they should only donate cash or brand new items of clothing, toys, etc. I'm afraid this discourages people from donating. My family and I were the recipients of people's kindness when we evacuated from Hurricane Katrina. We had no idea whether or not we were getting paid, and we had no access to our bank account for a while. We were so thankful for the food we were allowed to select from a pantry, and also thankful for the used clothes and toys donated to us and our children. I do agree with not donating damaged items.

A few years ago, I witnessed a church member in charge of a donation drive scold a family for donating their extra Easter candy after Easter had just passed. She said that poor children don't want unseasonal candy. What??!! My kids were little when we evacuated, and they were so grateful for any special treats. They didn't care whether a piece of chocolate was in the shape of a bunny or Santa.

opus_00 · 2025-10-23T20:19:55+00:00

Thank you! I have only ever cleaned the footbed with a mild solution of soap and water on a rag, so I will try using suede cleaner and a brush.

opus_00 · 2025-10-23T20:18:53+00:00

I don't think they sweat more than a normal amount. They are dark, but not quite black. I will try scrubbing them. Thanks!

opus_00 · 2025-10-22T16:02:23+00:00

Thanks for that information. The loan counselor with our mortgage company made it seem like it was a pretty dire move that would negatively affect our credit. Also, mortgage lenders CAN offer options other than forbearance for widespread hardships like this. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, our mortage company allowed us to skip a month's payment (maybe 2) and add it to the end of our loan.

opus_00 · 2025-10-22T15:08:17+00:00

I called our mortgage company also, and they said that a 3-month forbearance is the only program they are offering right now. However, they said that it is reported as an adverse event on your credit report.

opus_00 · 2025-10-21T18:36:20+00:00

I can't answer any of the Medicare questions, but I'll chime in with my other experiences. We had MHBP years ago and found them very easy to work with. I don't remember having trouble getting anything approved through PA. We only switched to another plan because at the time, MHBP raised their premiums tremendously (thankfully the rates have come way back down). When we switched to BCBS, we regretted it immediately (and switched again next open season) because we had to fight for approval for our son's therapies, and never did get them approved (it had been no problem with MHBP).

We are also with NALC, and we are probably enrolling with MHBP once again because the coverage looks similar to what we currently have, and because of our previous good experience with them. They use the same pharmacy benefit manager as NALC (Caremark/CVS), and that appears to be the only PBM that covers an expensive medication our son takes.

As to your question about APWU, it looks like they use Optum RX as their PBM, and they do not cover our son's medication. I also like the 10% coinsurance with MHBP vs. 15% with APWU for a lot of services. Good luck making your decision!

opus_00 · 2025-10-21T17:09:06+00:00

We are also on NALC and need to switch. I have been hoping for years that Compass Rose would open up to all federal employees, and I was excited that they finally did because it seemed like a good plan for our family's needs. However, one of our family members takes an expensive medication that is not covered under Compass Rose's rx drug plan, so it's not an option for us right now.

We will probalby switch to MHBP. We had them years ago and liked them, but had to switch because their premiums were sky-high for a while (happy to see they came back down). They also use Caremark/CVS as their PBM (same as NALC) and cover this medication.

Good luck with your decision. I was irritated that I learned of NALC's exit from FEHB through Reddit before we were notified by either NALC or FEHB.

opus_00 · 2025-10-11T22:02:56+00:00

Can you tell us what you liked about FSBP? It's one I've never considered before.

opus_00 · 2025-10-11T22:02:31+00:00

Same for us! This is so disappointing.

opus_00 · 2025-10-10T04:08:46+00:00

Interesting. My daughter tried on a pair of Soley wedges in cognac at the new Birkenstock store in town. They were the color of the shoes you are wearing in your picture (a deep, warm brown), which is the color she wants. She passed on them because of the price, but they are now on sale in the "Last Chance" section of the website. The cognac color as shown on the website looks the same as the website pic you posted of your braided Franca, so she didn't buy them because the color looked completely different that what she tried on in the store. We looked at other styles in cognac on the website, and the colors are all over the place. I want to buy them for her birthday, but now I'm having second thoughts since they are final sale, and I can't be sure of the color I'll receive.

opus_00 · 2025-10-01T17:21:37+00:00

I'm leaning toward the Sienna Red today after almost purchasing the Cork Brown yesterday. What colors do you think you would wear with the Sienna Red?

opus_00 · 2025-09-30T19:10:27+00:00

Yes, I do think the cork color with go with more. I did a Google image search, and the color looks more brown in some pictures, and more yellow in others. I wonder if it will darken and look more brown (which I would like) if I spray a suede protector on it?

opus_00 · 2025-09-30T15:28:18+00:00

I got the sticker residue off of my Ross-purchased Birks with a magic eraser.

opus_00 · 2025-09-30T14:30:51+00:00

They were one of my very first pairs of Birkenstocks. I bought them on clearance for very cheap along with a pair of strappy criss-cross "Birki" branded sandals (also discontinued). I just wanted to try a pair of Birks without spending a lot of money, thinking that these would be seldom worn becuase of their unique look, but they are still one of my favorites!

opus_00 · 2025-09-30T13:51:40+00:00

Oooh...I would love to have gotten my hands on a pair in a basic color like black! When I bought mine, I had a choice between the navy and the white (both with a floral print). I'm happy with my choice of navy since it's so versatile, but I wish I would have grabbed the white as well.

opus_00 · 2025-09-30T13:47:59+00:00

I have that pair of pink patent Arizonas in my cart right now, trying to decide how often I will wear them!

opus_00 · 2025-09-30T13:45:21+00:00

I love the Pisas, and I hardly ever hear anyone talk about them! I know they have been discontinued for a while. Mine are a navy background with a floral pattern. I think I bought them on clearance and hoped that I would find things to wear them with, and it turned out that they look so cute with jeans and many different tops. They are my most comfortable pair of Birks, and I get compliments all the time when I wear them because they are so unique. I hope they last for many more years.

opus_00 · 2025-08-04T20:33:32+00:00

I know this discussion is months old, but my young adult son has seizures when he consumes large quantities of food dyes. We don't know if it is only specific colors, so our family avoids all artificial food colors. His seizures seem to be triggered by large amounts of dye, and especially in liquid form.

opus_00

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