# AI for Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning Course (Self-Paced) Canonical URL: ## Overview Artificial intelligence is changing the way federal employees can research, understand, and plan for their benefits and retirement. This self-paced course equips federal employees, particularly those within five to fifteen years of retirement, with practical skills for using AI tools to explore CSRS and FERS retirement options, navigate FEHB and FEGLI decisions, understand TSP strategies, evaluate Social Security timing, and bring order to the many moving parts of the federal benefits landscape. The course opens with a concise introduction to what AI is and how to use it responsibly in a government context, with special emphasis on protecting personally identifiable information (PII). From there, you'll discover how AI can serve as a research assistant for benefits-related questions, then move into retirement-specific applications such as modeling annuity scenarios and understanding COLAs. The course wraps up with a guided, hands-on workshop using realistic scenarios with no sensitive data required. This course reflects the most current 2026 federal benefits and retirement policy updates, including annual insurance rate changes, TSP contribution limits, COLA adjustments, and OPM's Online Retirement Application (ORA) system. ## What you'll learn - Break down what artificial intelligence means in plain language and understand where its capabilities end when it comes to benefits and retirement planning. - Put responsible AI use into practice in a federal setting, including safeguarding PII and cross-checking AI outputs against trusted sources such as OPM, SSA, and the TSP. - Tap into AI tools to research and compare federal employee benefit programs, including FEHB, FEGLI, and supplemental options. - Draw on AI to dig into retirement scenarios, including annuity estimates, Social Security coordination, and COLA impacts. - Craft effective AI prompts that produce personalized, non-advisory retirement planning checklists and action items. - Gauge the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated benefits and retirement information using official federal resources. - Understand where AI assistance reaches its limits and know when to bring in a qualified benefits counselor, HR specialist, or financial advisor. ## Prerequisites New to AI? Consider taking [AI Fundamentals for Government Employees (TECH7030)](https://www.graduateschool.edu/courses/ai-fundamentals-for-federal-employees) before this course to build a stronger foundation, though it is not required. ## Curriculum #### Module 1: Understanding AI — What It Is and How to Use It Responsibly - Define AI, machine learning, and large language models in non-technical terms - Distinguish between what AI can and cannot reliably do - Identify federal policies and guidance governing responsible AI use - Explain why PII must never be entered into public AI tools - Recognize AI “hallucinations” and apply strategies to verify outputs - Survey AI tools currently available to federal employees #### Module 2: Using AI for Federal Employee Benefits Planning - Use AI to research and compare FEHB plan options using publicly available data - Apply AI tools to interpret benefits terminology and simplify complex plan documents - Explore FEGLI coverage levels and cost implications with AI assistance - Investigate supplemental benefits such as FSAFEDS and FLTCIP using AI-generated summaries - Build an AI-assisted framework for Open Season enrollment decisions - Verify AI-generated benefits information against OPM.gov and official plan brochures #### Module 3: Using AI for Federal Retirement Planning - Explain FERS and CSRS retirement calculation methodologies using AI-generated walkthroughs - Explore annuity estimate scenarios, including CSRS Offset and Social Security coordination - Analyze FERS annuity supplement eligibility and Social Security timing considerations - Research current TSP contribution limits, withdrawal options, and Roth vs. traditional strategies - Examine how COLAs affect CSRS and FERS annuities over time - Generate a pre-retirement planning checklist using effective AI prompts - Identify when AI research should be supplemented by a qualified benefits counselor or financial advisor #### Module 4: Practical Application Workshop - Apply AI tools to scenario-based benefits and retirement planning exercises - Practice crafting effective, PII-free prompts for benefits and retirement questions - Compare AI-generated outputs against official OPM, SSA, and TSP resources - Evaluate AI responses for accuracy, completeness, and appropriate limitations - Develop a personal action plan of AI-assisted next steps for benefits and retirement planning ## Instructors ### Steve Pesklo — Instructor Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance. Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years. Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). ## Pricing **Tuition:** $675