COBRA for Federal job-thinking I need to take a year or so out of work

[Anonymous]

I do not think my boss will approve a leave of absence, and I may have to take some time off work to devote to caregiving responsibilities for young kids and aging parents (cancer, Alzheimers). My husband is self employed so I'm the insured one. While we search for health insurance, or he moves to employee status, can I get a COBRA from my Fed job? Does anybody know the details, i.e., how long, cost? Anybody taken time out of the Feds and gone back? Thanks for any insights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not think my boss will approve a leave of absence, and I may have to take some time off work to devote to caregiving responsibilities for young kids and aging parents (cancer, Alzheimers). My husband is self employed so I'm the insured one. While we search for health insurance, or he moves to employee status, can I get a COBRA from my Fed job? Does anybody know the details, i.e., how long, cost? Anybody taken time out of the Feds and gone back? Thanks for any insights.

If you can establish yourself as primary caregiver to a parent, your boss has no choice. The agency will want you to burn through your accumulated sick leave (allowed to care for immediate familly member) and vacation time. After that, Family and Medical Leave Act applies. Under the latter, you don't get paid but you keep your health insurance and other benefits. You'll have to pay full freight for the benefits - the government doesn't contribute to the costs. There's also a small administrative fee, 2% maybe, on top of the benefit costs. Good luck - hope everything works out.

[Anonymous]

Yeah but the FMLA is only 12 weeks. . . OP wants to take a year off. I don't have any insight but am interested to see if anyone else does.

[Anonymous]

Unless you have shitloads of money, you would be crazy to give up a federal job right now. You will never get it back, at least not for yours.
Burn through your sick leave, then fmla. Are they in the same city as you? Because you can use fmla to go part time. You are entitled to that by law.
Who knows, given the budget, yr boss may let you take leave or go part time after that. The budget may be tight and he probably wouldn't be allowed to fill an empty slot.
And you do not need to "establish yourself as a primary care giver" it just needs to be an immediate family member or someone who is like an immediate family member.

[Anonymous]

You can take your health insurance with you if you leave, yes. You will have to pay the full premium. The details are different under the different FHB plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have shitloads of money, you would be crazy to give up a federal job right now. You will never get it back, at least not for yours.
Burn through your sick leave, then fmla. Are they in the same city as you? Because you can use fmla to go part time. You are entitled to that by law.
Who knows, given the budget, yr boss may let you take leave or go part time after that. The budget may be tight and he probably wouldn't be allowed to fill an empty slot.
And you do not need to "establish yourself as a primary care giver" it just needs to be an immediate family member or someone who is like an immediate family member.

This is OP. I understand I will never get my current job back if I leave. Yes, they are in the same city. The problem is my job is not flexible and my boss is not supportive, and keeps making remarks that make it clear that he is being inconvenienced by my need to take sick leave to accompany parents to the doctor, etc. I have not been able to negotiate any reduction in job duties so working PT doesn't really make sense, plus boss doesn't support it. I could argue with him and talk to HR, but I don't have months to deal with that. It is probably true that boss cannot fill my slot if I need to quit. I don't have "shitloads of money" but we could swing a year without me working and could absorb reduction in salary when I'm able to return. Frankly, I'm not superwoman and want to get my priorities straight and take care of those who need me without feeling guilty all the time.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, you might not be able to return. That's the sticking point.

Unless they are near end of life, would a year really enable you to finish up your caregiving? They will only get sicker, weaker, and more in need of help as time wears on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have shitloads of money, you would be crazy to give up a federal job right now. You will never get it back, at least not for yours.
Burn through your sick leave, then fmla. Are they in the same city as you? Because you can use fmla to go part time. You are entitled to that by law.
Who knows, given the budget, yr boss may let you take leave or go part time after that. The budget may be tight and he probably wouldn't be allowed to fill an empty slot.
And you do not need to "establish yourself as a primary care giver" it just needs to be an immediate family member or someone who is like an immediate family member.

This is OP. I understand I will never get my current job back if I leave. Yes, they are in the same city. The problem is my job is not flexible and my boss is not supportive, and keeps making remarks that make it clear that he is being inconvenienced by my need to take sick leave to accompany parents to the doctor, etc. I have not been able to negotiate any reduction in job duties so working PT doesn't really make sense, plus boss doesn't support it. I could argue with him and talk to HR, but I don't have months to deal with that. It is probably true that boss cannot fill my slot if I need to quit. I don't have "shitloads of money" but we could swing a year without me working and could absorb reduction in salary when I'm able to return. Frankly, I'm not superwoman and want to get my priorities straight and take care of those who need me without feeling guilty all the time.

I'm the pp. I am also out of work right now. Trust me, you won't just be taking a year off.

Your boss is obligated by law to let you do this. You need to take half an hour to sit down with hr and get this figured out. Are you status? Bc if so it is near impossible to fire you.

[Anonymous]

The answer to the original question is yes. But it's not called "COBRA," it's called Temporary Continuation of Coverage. Here:

http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/temporary-continuation-of-coverage/#url=Pamphlet

[Anonymous]

COBRA is very expensive and lasts only 9 months (but it was a number of years back when I used it - so check).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you might not be able to return. That's the sticking point.

Unless they are near end of life, would a year really enable you to finish up your caregiving? They will only get sicker, weaker, and more in need of help as time wears on.

Why would I not be able to return? I have status and would not expect to go back to my current agency, but my job is one that tends to have a low rate of unemployment. True, I can't say a year would cover it precisely, but one is near end of life, yes. Private industry is also a possibility, I have experience other than Fed. Anyway: I guess what I'm looking for is hearing from other people who finally made the decision to take time out of career for caregiving so I can see what bases need to be covered, in addition to my specific question about COBRA. Thank you to the pp who answered that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you might not be able to return. That's the sticking point.

Unless they are near end of life, would a year really enable you to finish up your caregiving? They will only get sicker, weaker, and more in need of help as time wears on.

Why would I not be able to return? I have status and would not expect to go back to my current agency, but my job is one that tends to have a low rate of unemployment. True, I can't say a year would cover it precisely, but one is near end of life, yes. Private industry is also a possibility, I have experience other than Fed. Anyway: I guess what I'm looking for is hearing from other people who finally made the decision to take time out of career for caregiving so I can see what bases need to be covered, in addition to my specific question about COBRA. Thank you to the pp who answered that.

Well, good luck if all you want is people telling you to go for it. Some of us have learned that hard way that things often don't work out the way you hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you might not be able to return. That's the sticking point.

Unless they are near end of life, would a year really enable you to finish up your caregiving? They will only get sicker, weaker, and more in need of help as time wears on.

Why would I not be able to return? I have status and would not expect to go back to my current agency, but my job is one that tends to have a low rate of unemployment. True, I can't say a year would cover it precisely, but one is near end of life, yes. Private industry is also a possibility, I have experience other than Fed. Anyway: I guess what I'm looking for is hearing from other people who finally made the decision to take time out of career for caregiving so I can see what bases need to be covered, in addition to my specific question about COBRA. Thank you to the pp who answered that.

Well, good luck if all you want is people telling you to go for it. Some of us have learned that hard way that things often don't work out the way you hope.

You are giving up a status federal job and you think you will just be able to get another job in a year? In this economy? With the budget cuts etc??

Your boss HAS to let you take this sick leave and fmla! That's three months plus I bet you have at least a month or more of sick leave and annual leave on top of the fmla. Also, haven't you ever gotten those emails asking people to donate leave because they are taking care of sick relatives?? With Alzheimer's and cancer, you can get approved for that on top of the sick leave and a action leave and fmla. I bet you'd get at least a couple months donations, which would take you to eight months or so.

You can use tcc for 18 months. For a family it is very expensive. Mine is 620 a mo th for one person so I think a family would be well over a thousand a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you might not be able to return. That's the sticking point.

Unless they are near end of life, would a year really enable you to finish up your caregiving? They will only get sicker, weaker, and more in need of help as time wears on.

Why would I not be able to return? I have status and would not expect to go back to my current agency, but my job is one that tends to have a low rate of unemployment. True, I can't say a year would cover it precisely, but one is near end of life, yes. Private industry is also a possibility, I have experience other than Fed. Anyway: I guess what I'm looking for is hearing from other people who finally made the decision to take time out of career for caregiving so I can see what bases need to be covered, in addition to my specific question about COBRA. Thank you to the pp who answered that.

Well, good luck if all you want is people telling you to go for it. Some of us have learned that hard way that things often don't work out the way you hope.

So did you take time off for caregiving and find that nobody would hire you ever again and told you that your time off meant you were forever unemployable? I'm trying to understand what your message is.

[Anonymous]

OP - if your boss is not supportive, I would talk to HR (or union, or whatever). The gov't prides itself on being family friendly (though, I have yet to see that and am in the same situation as you 5 weeks out from my due date...not supportive environment in terms of balancing family and work obligations).
However, you have rights and HR might be able to mediate between a discussion of you and your boss.
It might be worth looking in to. There are ombudsmen and all that whose job it is to help work out situations like this.