Image: Christian Delbert/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffIn order to carry Federal Employees Health Benefits program coverage into retirement, you need to have been covered by the program for the five years leading to retirement. You are not required to have been an enrollee continuously, but you must have been continuously covered by an FEHB enrollment. This includes:
* time you were covered as a family member under another person’s FEHB enrollment; and
* time you were covered under the military Tricare program, as long as you were covered under an FEHB enrollment at the time of your retirement.
Coverage under Medicare does not count in determining continuous coverage.
Service as a non-appropriated fund employee does not count in determining continuous coverage since it is not federal service and not subject to FEHB coverage.
Breaks in service are not counted as interruptions when the five years of service requirement is determined, as long as you reenroll within 60 days after your return to federal service.
You are considered to have been continuously enrolled when you are allowed to make a late election because your employing office determined that you weren’t able to timely enroll for reasons beyond your control.
How Not to Lose your FEHB in Retirement
Contractor for New TSP System Owns Up to Missteps
CSRS and FERS – Why They Exist, Why They Differ
TSP Investors Recover Some Ground in July
Exceptions to the 10 Percent Early Withdrawal Penalty
What Happens to Your Retirement Application
Retirement Benefits if You Live Outside the U.S.
What Your Retirement Statement Tells You
Your FERS Annuity is Worth More Than You Think
Thanks to a Pension, Feds Are Doing Better than Most in Retirement Preparedness
Retiring from a Federal Job – Getting Started
askFW: Calculating a Federal Annuity – FERS and CSRS
askFW: Federal Annuity Calculation for LEOs and Firefighters
