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U. S. Office of Personnel Management
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program


When Can I Enroll, Change Plans, or Drop My Enrollment




During the annual FEHB open season, you may enroll, change health plans or options, cancel your FEHB enrollment, and change your participation in premium conversion (waive or begin participation). By regulation, an open season is held each year from the Monday of the second full workweek in November through the Monday of the second full workweek in December. In 2001 that would be November 12 through December 10.

If you participate in premium conversion, outside of open season you must have experienced a qualifying life event (QLE), and your change must be on account of and consistent with the QLE in order to be able to change your FEHB coverage. The most common QLEs for changing enrollment type or plans are when enrollees get married, have children, move away from the area served by their health maintenance organization (HMO), or go to overseas posts of duty. Please refer to the section on premium conversion for more information on QLEs. Your human resources office can also give you more information about the QLEs that allow you to change your enrollment.

If you have waived participation in premium conversion, you can change from a self-and-family enrollment to a self-only enrollment or cancel your enrollment at any time. Other changes may be made during open season or because certain events (similar to QLEs mentioned above) take place. Your human resources office can give you more information about the events that allow you to change your enrollment.



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Page updated 15 October 2001