Healthcare & Insurance Insurance FAQs

If you cancel your FEHB, you need to be aware of the following consequences that apply to all employees who cancel their FEHB, including:

• You and your dependents are no longer covered under the FEHB Program.
• You may not reenroll in FEHB until you lose your TAMP coverage or have another qualifying life event (QLE) that permits enrollment, or until the next FEHB Open Season. If you reenroll because you lose TAMP coverage, you must do so from 31 days before to 60 days after your TAMP ends, and use Code 1M on Health Benefits Election Form, SF 2809, at www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2809 [848 KB]. Additional QLEs that permit enrollment, for example, a change in family status, are listed on SF 2809. If you have one of these QLEs, you must enroll within the timeframes shown.
• If you transfer to another Federal agency, your cancellation follows you and you may not reenroll until you lose your TAMP coverage or have another QLE that permits enrollment, or until the next FEHB Open Season. See above bullet for details.
• If you separate from your employment, you will not be eligible for temporary continuation of coverage (TCC) because you will not have any FEHB enrollment to continue. Also, you will not have an FEHB enrollment to convert to an individual policy with your former insurance carrier.
• If you retire, you will not have an FEHB enrollment to continue into retirement.
• If you die, you will not have an FEHB family enrollment for your survivors to continue, even if they are eligible for a survivor annuity.

Note: Your agency may ask you to sign a statement stating that you understand these consequences.

Your former Human Resources Office should send the new agency your Waiver of Immediate Reinstatement of FEHB along with your FEHB records, so that your postponement may continue. Your new agency should reinstate your FEHB and transfer it in to their payroll office on the date you requested by using the Notice of Change in Health Benefits Enrollment (Standard Form 2810). It is important that you check your leave and earnings statement to be sure that your FEHB is reinstated on the date you requested.

While you may count the time you are covered under transitional TRICARE toward meeting the 5 year/initial opportunity requirement to continue your FEHB into retirement, you must be covered under FEHB on the day you retire. If you plan to retire during your transitional TRICARE period, you must reinstate your FEHB before your retirement date. Your Human Resources Office can assist you.

No. Your agency can postpone automatic reinstatement of your FEHB until your transitional TRICARE ends if you sign a Waiver of Immediate Reinstatement of FEHB, which is available through your Human Resources Office.

Yes. FEHB regulations provide that an employee’s FEHB is automatically reinstated upon return to employment following active duty. An annuitant’s FEHB is automatically reinstated on the day of separation from the uniformed services.

You must inform your Human Resources Office that you want to revoke your waiver during your final pay period. Your Human Resources Office will then reinstate your FEHB so that you will have an enrollment to continue under TCC or convert. If your leave and earnings statement for your final pay period does not show a withholding for an FEHB premium, contact your Human Resources Office immediately.

If you were unable to choose another plan during military service, your Human Resources Office should reinstate your old enrollment code (for enrollment history purposes only), give you an opportunity to change to another plan, and immediately process your change. To avoid any break in coverage, they should make your new enrollment effective on the date they would have reinstated your old enrollment.

The TAMP is the Transitional Assistance Management Program, and it offers transitional TRICARE eligibility to certain separating active duty members and their eligible family members for 180 days. Your Human Resources Office can assist you in determining if you are eligible for transitional TRICARE under the TAMP.

If you are under premium conversion (see www.opm.gov/insure/health/faq/premconversion/index.asp), IRS rules govern when you may cancel your FEHB. You may cancel within 60 days of the date you are restored to a civilian position or have another Qualifying Life Event that permits cancellation (see Health Benefits Election Form, SF 2809, at www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2809.pdf [848 KB]), or during the next FEHB Open Season. If you are not under premium conversion, you may cancel at any time. In either case, you should be aware of the consequences of cancellation as described in the following question.

Yes. The loss of your transitional TRICARE is a Qualifying Life Event and you may request an enrollment change from 31 days before to 60 days after you lose your TRICARE. See Code 1M on Health Benefits Election Form, SF 2809, at www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2809.pdf [848 KB]. Once your agency reinstates your enrollment on the Notice of Change in Health Benefits Enrollment (Standard Form 2810), they should immediately process your request to change your enrollment.