Question
When can I keep my health insurance benefits after I retire?
Answer
You may continue your health insurance coverage only if you meet the following conditions:
- Your annuity must begin within 30 days or, if you are retiring under the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) plus 10 provision of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), health and life insurance coverages are suspended until your annuity begins, even if it is postponed.
- You must be covered for health insurance when you retire.
- You must have been continuously covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, TRICARE, or the Civilian Health and Medical Program for Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS):
- for five years immediately before retiring;or,
- during all of your federal employment since your first opportunity to enroll;or,
- continuously for full periods of service beginning with the enrollment that started before January 1, 1965, and ending with the date on which you become an annuitant, whichever is shortest.