The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) finalized regulations to give nearly 200,000 federal employees access to the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance program (FEDVIP).
The new rules, published in the Federal Register Tuesday, states:
OPM is modifying eligibility for coverage under the FEDVIP to certain Federal employees on temporary appointments and certain employees on seasonal and intermittent schedules who became eligible for Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage in 2015, which includes Postal employees on temporary appointments and seasonal and intermittent schedules.
This rule also expands access to FEDVIP benefits to certain firefighters on temporary appointments and intermittent emergency response personnel who became eligible for FEHB coverage in 2012. This rule also updates the provisions on enrollment for active duty service members who become eligible for FEDVIP as uniformed service retirees pursuant to the FY17 NDAA.
In addition, this rule adds an exception to decrease an enrollment type and an exception to cancel an enrollment for certain enrollees who may become eligible for dental and/or vision services from the VA and who do not pay premiums on a pre-tax basis. Lastly, the rule also has technical corrections and clarifications to the part.
Enrollments for newly eligible individuals pursuant to this rule will be accepted during a 60-day period after the issuance of the final rule that begins when the employing office notifies employees of their eligibility to enroll in a FEDVIP plan.
OPM said if a federal or postal employee is on a temporary appointment or seasonal or intermittent schedule and is expected to work or does work 130 hours per calendar month, for at least 90 days, then the individual is eligible to enroll upon notification by their employing office.