FEDVIP Enrollment Policy Clarified

OPM recently sent a memo to agencies clarifying the policy on enrollments in the FEDVIP vision and dental insurance program for newly hired employees. Those individuals have 60 days after hiring to enroll—other employees typically can enroll or change coverage only during the annual autumn open season—but many apparently "think they can enroll and cancel and enroll again as many times as they want during those 60 days," OPM said. The actual policy, it said, is that newly hired employees get one opportunity to enroll in a dental plan and one opportunity to enroll in a vision plan during those 60 days. Once they enroll in a plan, the window for that type of plan ends, even if 60 days haven’t yet elapsed, it said. Once they have enrolled in either plan, they cannot change or cancel that enrollment until the next open season, unless they experience a life event (such as marriage or losing other coverage) that allows such a change or cancellation.