The Office of Personnel Management has sent agencies a reminder for their employees debating whether to apply for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program during the open season that continues through the end of the month. During the open season, active employees and their spouses are subject only to abbreviated underwriting–questions about their health–that is much less extensive than the full underwriting that applies to all other applicants (as well as to active employees and their spouses after the open season). Employees and spouses may be offered an alternative insurance plan if their answers to certain questions on that form would disqualify them from standard coverage. However, OPM noted that the offer of an alternative insurance plan only applies to the abbreviated underwriting application. Employees and their spouses who apply after the open season using the full underwriting application will not be offered the alternative insurance plan. “If they wait until after open season, they’ve missed their chance for an alternative insurance plan,” OPM said.