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By: Reg JonesAs I mentioned last week, the Federal Benefits Open Season for the 2024 plan year will be held from November 13 through December 11. It will allow federal employees, annuitants, and survivors, like you, to review your current health benefits coverage and make changes, if desired, in one of the 158 plan offerings available in 2024.
If you aren’t already enrolled in an FEHB plan, you can do that during this this year’s Open Season enrollment period. Whether you are a new enrollee or one who is planning to change plans, there aren’t any waiting periods for coverage nor are there any pre-existing condition limitations.
If you are a federal employee who wants to either change plans or enroll for the first time, you can do that by completing the Health Benefits Election Form (SF 2809), which is available from your personnel office or online at https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2809.pdf. If you are a retiree or survivor spouse, you can go to Open Season Online at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/open-season.
Currently, there is no difference in the FEHB premiums paid for coverage by federal employees and retirees. Whether that will continue to be the case for U.S. Postal Service employees and retirees beyond 2024 will depend on the inaugural Open Season for the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program in 2025. Stay tuned for updates.
To help you make an Open Season decision, use OPM’s plan comparison tool at http://opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/compare-plans.
FYI. Carrying your health benefits coverage into retirement isn’t automatic. By law you must be enrolled in the FEHB program for 5 consecutive years before you retire or from you first opportunity to enroll, if less than 5 years. While enrollment in either Tricare or CHAMPVA can count toward meeting the 5-year requirement, it can only do that if you are actually enrolled in the FEHB program when you retire. Many former members of the military who are covered by Tricare or CHAMPVA solve that problem by enrolling in an FEHB plan during the Open Season before they retire from their civilian job.
Former head of retirement and insurance policy at the Office of Personnel Management, and longtime FEDweek contributor, Reg Jones is known throughout the federal workforce community as an authority on pay and benefits.
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