NAPS 7/14/25 – Upon review of the Inspector General (IG) for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) “Flash Report” of July 2, NAPS immediately communicated its deep concern to the USPS and members of Congress tasked with overseeing the implementation and operation of the Postal Service Health Benefit Plan (PSHBP). The report warned that OPM has failed to ensure that it has the necessary staff, resources and finances to successfully manage the 2025 PSHBP Open Season.
Specifically, the IG is concerned that OPM layoffs, retirements and hiring freeze have left insufficient staffing to administer effectively the PSHBP enrollment platform. In addition, the IG warned that Congress’ failure to fulfill OPM’s 2024 request for additional funding to administer the PSHBP may hamper operations. The PSHBP was created by the Postal Reform Act of 2022 and successfully launched its first Open Season in 2024. NAPS wants to ensure that the 2025 PSHBP Open Season goes smoothly and will utilize all necessary resources to protect the health benefits of all EAS in the Postal Service for 2025 and beyond.
The full report can be accessed by clicking here.
From PEN
The left-wing Government Executive says – “The inspector general charged with overseeing the federal government’s dedicated HR agency is warning that the system undergirding the U.S. Postal Service’s new employer-sponsored health benefits program could fail as a result of the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and efforts to drastically reduce the size of the federal workforce.”
PEN: WRONG – Trump will not and did not make the PSHB program fail. The previous administration and OPM itself is the reason behind any failure of the PSHB. Contingency plans should have been in place LONG before any current or future RIF’s or hiring freezes.
For 7 years, I have been an PSE non career employee of the USPS in South Dakota. Every year this position is required to have a 5-day break in service (BIS), when all leave is paid out. You are fired and rehired. When returning to work, I have always had my health insurance in place, it does not get cancelled. THIS YEAR, APRIL 10, after I returned to work, another employee, from another Nebraska warned me that one of her co-workers had her BIS and came back to have her insurance cancelled. I checked my insurance, mine was also cancelled.
I have called WEEKLY to the benefits office, and I always get told the same story. “We are aware it is an issue, we have escalated it to headquarters, I have sent an email to the benefits supervisor, and you will receive a phone call in 5 business days AND no call back ever!! NO INSURANCE which is a part of my wages that I am entitled too.
One representative said that when the PSHB program took over the FEHB program that there was a “glitch” in the program that cancelled the BIS employee insurance. I told them that I know how software programing works, and IT would just need to go rewrite that portion of the program and it would be fixed. Of course, no comment on that ideal. I feel that this is being done on purpose, and someone needs to get to the bottom on it.
SO, NO, TRUMP did not cause any issues as this was a KNOWN issue since JANUARY 01, 2025.
One thing I do know is that I bet if TRUMP knew about this and what you all were up to, you would be *!*! sure, he could get it fixed within hours!