Limited Exception Made to Children’s FEHB, FEDVIP Eligibility

OPM has issued interim rules effective immediately allowing the children of a same-sex domestic partner to be covered under FEHB and FEDVIP under limited circumstances. OPM had allowed those children–although not the partners themselves–to be covered in 2014-2016 if the couple lived in a state that did not recognize same-sex marriage, but rescinded that policy in light of a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring all states to perform and recognize those marriages. The new rules reinstate that exception for enrollees stationed overseas, where same-sex marriage may not be recognized and it may be difficult for the couple to return to the United States to marry, OPM said. The exception will continue only through September 30, 2018, however.