Dental / Vision Insurance (FEDVIP) Enrollment Changes Proposed by OPM
June 11, 2009
Last week, new rules were proposed by the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) that would expand the enrollment period federal employees have to
make changes in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program
(FEDVIP) coverage due to significant life events.
Under the current rules, FEDVIP enrollees who miss the 60-day period to alter
their enrollment for qualifying life events -- such as death or
divorce -- are required to pay for certain coverage (for example, the
self-plus-one enrollment or family enrollment) until the following open
season, even when a member of the enrollee's family is no longer eligible or is
deceased.
OPM's proposed rule would get rid of the 60-day requirement, allowing the
change in enrollment to take effect retroactively under these conditions:
the enrollee has a self-plus-one enrollment and his or her family member
dies or loses eligibility
in a situation of divorce or when the dependent child gets married or
reaches the age of 22.
The change would also permit:
a federal employee who experiences a loss of other provided dental or vision
coverage to be able to enroll in FEDVIP from 31 days before, and, until 60 days
after the event.
retroactive enrollment changes from a family enrollment (including two
family members to a self-plus-one enrollment, if one of the family members
has lost eligibility)
The amendment requires comments to OPM before August 3, 2009
before a decision is made.
Overview - CSRS
