890.301—Opportunities for employees who are not participants in premium conversion to enroll or change enrollment; effective dates.
(a) Initial opportunity to enroll.
An employee who becomes eligible may elect to enroll or not to enroll within 60 days after becoming eligible.
(b) Effective date—generally.
Except as otherwise provided, an enrollment or change of enrollment takes effect on the first day of the first pay period that begins after the date the employing office receives an appropriate request to enroll or change the enrollment and that follows a pay period during any part of which the employee is in pay status.
(c) Belated enrollment.
When an employing office determines that an employee was unable, for cause beyond his or her control, to enroll or change the enrollment within the time limits prescribed by this section, the employee may enroll or change the enrollment within 60 days after the employing office advises the employee of its determination.
(d) Enrollment by proxy.
Subject to the discretion of the employing office, an employee's representative, having written authorization to do so, may enroll or change the enrollment for the employee.
(e) Change to self only.
(1)
Subject to two exceptions, an employee may change the enrollment from self and family to self only at any time. Exceptions:
(i)
An employee participating in health insurance premium conversion may change to self only during an open season or because of and consistent with a qualifying life event as defined in Part 892 of this chapter.
(ii)
An employee who is subject to a court or administrative order as discussed in § 890.301(g)(3) may not make this change as long as the court or administrative order is still in effect and the employee has at least one child identified in the order who is still eligible under the FEHB Program, unless the employee provides documentation to the agency that he or she has other coverage for the child(ren).
(2)
A change of enrollment to self only takes effect on the first day of the first pay period that begins after the date the employing office receives an appropriate request to change the enrollment, except that at the request of the employee and upon a showing satisfactory to the employing office that there was no family member eligible for coverage by the family enrollment, the employing office may make the change effective on the first day of the pay period following the one in which there was no family member.
(f) Open season.
(1)
An open season will be held each year from the Monday of the second full workweek in November through the Monday of the second full workweek in December.
(2)
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management may modify the dates specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this section or hold additional open seasons.
(3)
With one exception, during an open season, an eligible employee may enroll and an enrolled employee may change his or her existing enrollment from self only to self and family, may change from one plan or option to another, or may make any combination of these changes. Exception: An employee who is subject to a court or administrative order as discussed in § 890.301(g)(3) may not cancel his or her enrollment, change to self only, or change to a comprehensive medical plan that does not serve the area where his or her child or children live as long as the court or administrative order is still in effect and the employee has at least one child identified in the order who is still eligible under the FEHB Program, unless the employee provides documentation to the agency that he or she has other coverage for the child(ren).
(4)
(i)
An open season new enrollment takes effect on the first day of the first pay period that begins in the next following year and which follows a pay period during any part of which the employee is in a pay status.
(ii)
An open season change of enrollment takes effect on the first day of the first pay period which begins in January of the next following year.
(5)
When a belated open season enrollment or change of enrollment is accepted by the employing office under paragraph (c) of this section, it takes effect as required by paragraph (f)(4) of this section.
(g) Change in family status.
(1)
An eligible employee may enroll and an enrolled employee may change the enrollment from self only to self and family, from one plan or option to another, or make any combination of these changes when the employee's family status changes, including a change in marital status or any other change in family status. The employee must enroll or change the enrollment within the period beginning 31 days before the date of the change in family status, and ending 60 days after the date of the change in family status.
(2)
An enrollment or change of enrollment made in conjunction with the birth of a child, or the addition of a child as a new family member in some other manner, takes effect on the first day of the pay period in which the child is born or becomes an eligible family member.
(3)
(i)
If an employing office receives a court or administrative order on or after October 30, 2000, requiring an employee to provide health benefits for his or her child or children, the employing office will determine if the employee has a self and family enrollment in a health benefits plan that provides full benefits in the area where the child or children live. If the employee does not have the required enrollment, the agency must notify him or her that it has received the court or administrative order and give the employee until the end of the following pay period to change his or her enrollment or provide documentation to the employing office that he or she has other coverage for the child or children. If the employee does not comply within these time frames, the employing office must enroll the employee involuntarily as stated in paragraph (g)(3)(ii) of this section.
(ii)
If the employee is not enrolled or does not enroll, the agency must enroll him or her for self and family coverage in the option that provides the lower level of coverage in the Service Benefit Plan. If the employee has a self only enrollment, the employing office must change the enrollment to self and family in the same option and plan, as long as the plan provides full benefits in the area where the child or children live. If the employee is enrolled in a comprehensive medical plan that does not serve the area in which the child or children live, the employing office must change the enrollment to self and family in the option that provides the lower level of coverage in the Service Benefit Plan.
(4)
Subject to two exceptions, the effective date of an involuntary enrollment under paragraph (g)(3) of this section is the 1st day of the pay period that begins after the date the employing office completes the enrollment request. Exceptions:
(i)
If the court or administrative order requires an earlier effective date, the effective date will be the 1st day of the pay period that includes that date. Effective dates may not be retroactive to a date more than 2 years earlier, or prior to October 30, 2000.
(ii)
If after an involuntary enrollment becomes effective and the employing office finds that circumstances beyond the employee's control prevented him or her from enrolling or changing the enrollment within the time limits in this section, the employee may change the enrollment prospectively within 60 days after the employing office advises the employee of its finding.
(h) Change in employment status.
An eligible employee may enroll and an enrolled employee may change the enrollment from self only to self and family, from one plan or option to another, or make any combination of these changes when the employee's employment status changes. Except as otherwise provided, an employee must enroll or change the enrollment within 60 days after the change in employment status. Employment status changes include, but are not limited to—
(i)
Section 890.304(a)(1)(v) due to the expiration of 365 days in leave without pay (LWOP) status, or
(3)
Restoration to a civilian position after serving in the uniformed services under conditions that entitle him or her to benefits under part 353 of this chapter, or similar authority.
(4)
A change from a temporary appointment in which the employee is eligible to enroll under 5 U.S.C. 8906a, which requires payment of the full premium with no Government contribution, to an appointment that entitles the employee to receive the Government contribution.
(5)
Separation from Federal employment when the employee or the employee's spouse is pregnant and the employee supplies medical documentation of the pregnancy. An employee who enrolls or changes the enrollment under this paragraph (h)(5) must do so during his or her final pay period. The effective date of an enrollment or a change of enrollment under this paragraph (h)(5) is the first day of the pay period which the employing office receives an appropriate request to enroll or change the enrollment.
(6)
A transfer from a post of duty within a State of the United States or the District of Columbia to a post of duty outside a State of the United States or the District of Columbia, or the reverse. An employee who enrolls or changes the enrollment under this paragraph (h)(6) must do so within the period beginning 31 days before leaving the old post of duty and ending 60 days after arriving at the new post of duty.
(7)
A change, without a break in service or after a separation of 3 days or less, to part-time career employment as defined in 5 U.S.C. 3401(2) and 5 CFR part 340, subpart B, or a change from such part-time career employment to full-time employment that entitles the employee to the full Government contribution.
(i) Loss of coverage under this part or under another group insurance plan.
An eligible employee may enroll and an enrolled employee may change the enrollment from self only to self and family, from one plan or option to another, or make any combination of these changes when the employee or an eligible family member of the employee loses coverage under this part or another group health benefits plan. Except as otherwise provided, an employee must enroll or change the enrollment within the period beginning 31 days before the date of loss of coverage, and ending 60 days after the date of loss of coverage. Losses of coverage include, but are not limited to—
(1)
Loss of coverage under another FEHB enrollment due to the termination, cancellation, or a change to self only, of the covering enrollment.
(3)
Loss of coverage due to the termination of membership in an employee organization sponsoring or underwriting an FEHB plan.
(4)
Loss of coverage due to the discontinuance of an FEHB plan in whole or in part. For an employee who loses coverage under this paragraph (i)(4):
(i)
If the discontinuance is at the end of a contract year, the employee must change the enrollment during the open season, unless OPM establishes a different time. If the discontinuance is at a time other than the end of the contract year, OPM must establish a time and effective date for the employee to change the enrollment.
(ii)
If the whole plan is discontinued, an employee who does not change the enrollment within the time set is considered to have canceled the plan in which enrolled.
(iii)
If one option of a plan that has two options is discontinued, an employee who does not change the enrollment is considered to be enrolled in the remaining option of the plan.
(iv)
If the discontinuance of the plan, whether permanent or temporary, is due to a disaster, an employee must change the enrollment within 60 days of the disaster, as announced by OPM. If an employee does not change the enrollment within the time frame announced by OPM, the employee will be considered to be enrolled in the standard option of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan. The effective date of enrollment changes under this provision will be set by OPM when it makes the announcement allowing such changes.
(5)
Loss of coverage under the Medicaid program or similar State-sponsored program of medical assistance for the needy.
(6)
Loss of coverage under a non-Federal health plan because an employee moves out of the commuting area to accept another position and the employee's non-federally employed spouse terminates employment to accompany the employee. An employee may enroll or change the enrollment within the period beginning 31 days before the date the employee leaves employment in the old commuting area and ending 180 days after entry on duty at place of employment in the new commuting area.
(j) Move from comprehensive medical plan's area.
An employee in a comprehensive medical plan who moves or becomes employed outside the geographic area from which the plan accepts enrollments, or if already outside this area, moves or becomes employed further from this area, may change the enrollment upon notifying the employing office of the move or change of place of employment. Similarly, an employee whose covered family member moves outside the geographic area from which the plan accepts enrollments, or if already outside this area, moves further from this area, may change the enrollment upon notifying the employing office of the family member's move. The change of enrollment takes effect on the first day of the pay period that begins after the employing office receives an appropriate request.
(k) On becoming eligible for Medicare.
An employee may change the enrollment from one plan or option to another at any time beginning on the 30th day before becoming eligible for coverage under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare). A change of enrollment based on becoming eligible for Medicare may be made only once.
(l) Salary of temporary employee insufficient to pay withholdings.
If the salary of a temporary employee eligible under 5 U.S.C. 8906a is not sufficient to pay the withholdings for the plan in which the employee is enrolled, the employing office shall notify the employee of the plans available at a cost that does not exceed the employee's salary. The employee may enroll in another plan whose cost is no greater than his or her salary within 60 days after receiving such notification from the employing office. The change of enrollment takes effect immediately upon termination of the prior enrollment.
(m)
An employee or eligible family member becomes eligible for premium assistance under Medicaid or a State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). An eligible employee may enroll and an enrolled employee may change his or her enrollment from self only to self and family, from one plan or option to another, or make any combination of these changes when the employee or an eligible family member of the employee becomes eligible for premium assistance under a Medicaid plan or CHIP. An employee must enroll or change his or her enrollment within 60 days after the date the employee or family member is determined to be eligible for assistance.