Q. I am a retired federal employee and have been receiving my health benefits in the “self-only” designation. My spouse will be retiring from her private-sector position in June 2014. Must I change my health benefit designation to “family” this open season, or can I wait until June 2014 and change designations using the qualifying life event as a factor?
Browsing: spouse benefits
Q. I plan to retire in June 2014 (at age 65), and I have been with a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan (self-only) during my entire working CSRS career (39 years). For the past 10 years, I have only used my wife’s health insurance plan from her private employer as she has self-and-family coverage. She is eight years younger (age 57) than I am but she thinks that her job may be eliminated (laid off) and she will need health insurance under my FEHB plan (I would need to change my FEHB plan to self and family). If she were…
Q. My wife is a dependent under my Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal Plan. She will be 65 in March. Can she remain under my (or establish her own) federal plan after reaching her 65th birthday if she does not select Medicare Part B?
Q. I am retiring Jan. 11 and have five years under CSRS and 26 years under FERS. I am confused about survivor option benefit for my spouse (three years older than I am) called insurable interest. It appears to me that for a 10 percent reduction in my retirement annuity, he would receive 55 percent of my retirement annuity at my death compared to 50 percent for the same 10 percent reduction under the regular survivor option. My spouse has his own pension and savings. I cannot find a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages for both kinds of survivor…
Q. I am 67-year-old annuitant under Federal Employees Health Benefits. I am thinking of switching to Medicare. If I switch to Medicare, will my spouse (52 years old) still be eligible for coverage under FEHB? If so, do we have to get her a self policy under FEHB, or do I have to continue to buy self and family to cover her?
Q. My wife has retired from teaching and is therefore no longer eligible for coverage under her former employer’s plan. Since this is a qualifying life event, we are filling out the SF-2809 but are unsure of the enrollment code for the plan we are changing to (Part C on Page 2). Where can we find that information?
Q. 1. If I delay drawing my Social Security until age 65, can I still receive the special retirement supplement past age 62? 2. When my spouse becomes eligible for Medicare (six years before me), how does my federal health insurance work in regard to his medical bills? Will Social Security be primary and my insurance pick up the difference in full?
Q. I am five years older than my wife. I have self-and-family option of Blue Cross/Blue Shield health benefits coverage. When I turn 65 and apply for Medicare, what are the health benefit options for my wife?
Q. I’m under CSRS and plan to retire at the end of 2014. My wife is not insured under my health plan. When I retire, would I be able to add her to my plan?
Q. I am a CSRS Offset employee who will be retiring in January. My spouse is a full CSRS retiree receiving an annuity. I am trying to decide if I should provide a survivor annuity for him on my retirement. 1. Because he is a full CSRS and affected by the windfall elimination provision, I was told by Social Security that he would not be eligible for Social Security spousal benefits on my Social Security account. Is this correct? 2. If I take the full 55 percent survivor annuity for my spouse and he does not apply for Social Security,…