Deadline for putting spouse on FEHB before retirement?

Technically, you can add your spouse during any open season while working or after retirement as retirees have the same open seasons as federal employees. Should your wife lose her non-federal health insurance coverage, you have 60 days after the loss of coverage to add her to your policy outside of the open season. Something you strongly need to consider, and this is an issue for a number of federal employees who have spouses that have insurance through their employers with either better coverage or less expensive coverage that FEHB, if should you pass away prior to being eligible to have her covered under your policy, she would not be eligible to pick up your FEHB policy. The regulations state a survivor benefit must be payable and your spouse must be on your FEHB policy on the date of death in order to maintain that FEHB coverage. Your wife does not need to meet the five-year rule, this rule only applies to retiring federal employees.