Q. I am a federal employee with 32+ years of civil service, planning on retiring in the next five years. I have been enrolled in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan throughout my career. My husband retired from active duty Aug. 31 with 23+ years. We had dual coverage under Tricare and FEHB since August 1995, with FEHB being primary and Tricare as secondary. Now that my husband has retired, to continue to be covered under Tricare, he had to sign up for a specific Tricare plan, for which we are now charged a monthly premium. We are trying to determine…
Browsing: open season
Q. My husband is a retired FERS employee and I am a current CSRS employee. I am covered as a family member under my husband’s self-and-family coverage. My husband did not elect a survivor annuity. I plan to retire the end of this year. What happens to my Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage if he dies before me? Will I be able to continue the coverage based on my own eligibility, even though he did not elect a survivor annuity? If I elect self-only coverage during the next open season, the change is not effective until Jan. 13, while any…
Q. I am currently retired (CSRS) and have single coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan. My spouse is still employed by the federal government (FERS) and has single coverage under FEHB. We were both under my family plan until our youngest child became ineligible. We then went to self-only plans because the premiums were less together than the family plan. She will be eligible for retirement in three years. She is also considering simply quitting before then and taking a deferred retirement when she is eligible. I am not covering her for spousal annuity, nor will she be covering me. We…
Q. I retired with FERS law enforcement benefits, am 59 and have maintained continuous federal health care coverage from day one under either me or my wife. My spouse will take an unreduced CSRS annuity with a survivor benefit from the Postal Service next year at age 55. We took family coverage under her when we had children, now ages 19 and 14. Her premium rates as an active postal employee were lower than my options active or retired. When she retires and her premiums rise to my level, we would like to make me the policyholder. As retired law…
Q. I retired from active duty in 2005. I made a service deposit to buy my academy time. When I reach minimum retirement age+10 next month, I will have 10 years and five months of creditable service (six years and six months since hired, plus three years and 11 months purchased service), more than 240 hours of annual leave and more than 600 hours of sick leave. I’ve gotten a formal Office of Personnel Management retirement estimate to verify my understanding that I can do a MRA+10 retirement this year. I initially used Tricare for my health insurance, however, to…
Q. Both my spouse and I are federal employees and our Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage is under my name (self and family). If my spouse is approved for a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, can we switch to have coverage under her name? She will have had coverage under my policy for five years, but it is not specifically under her name. I ask since that would give me the option to leave federal service at some point in the future and still have FEHB coverage under her policy? A. You could do that during the annual open season.
Q. Can I add my spouse to my insurance when I retire at 62? I am a federal employee who has had federal health insurance for five years. My spouse has not been on that plan. I was told I could add him as long as I had had the federal insurance for five years. Reading the rules now looks like he has to be enrolled for five years prior to my retirement. A. While you cannot add your spouse to your Federal Employees Health Benefits plan when you retire, you can do that during any open season by changing…
Q. I changed from GEHA high deductible to Blue Cross/Blue Shield Standard Family and would like to add one of the vision plans. When I called BEST, they told me this could only be done during open season. I thought this was like an addition to the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan. I realize these are stand-alone plans, and I haven’t had a life qualifying event. I just want to get a vision plan for the first time. Have I missed the boat until the next open season? A. Yes, you’ve missed the boat. Unless you have a life qualifying…
Q. I’m a retired federal employee. When I turn 60 and become eligible for Tricare coverage, can I suspend my Federal Employees Health Benefits program coverage then, or do I have to wait until open season to suspend the coverage? A. Because you are a retiree, you can suspend your coverage to use Tricare at any time. Just call OPM’s Retirement Information Office at (888) 767-6738 to get the suspension form.
Q. I will be eligible for Medicare in two months and intend to enroll in Part B. I am also enrolled in the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits program and am eligible for health care benefits through the Veterans Affairs Department. What are the pros and cons of retaining my FEHB coverage, particularly as its premium does not decrease? A. If you drop your FEHB coverage, you won’t be able to re-enroll if your other coverage falls short of your needs. Many retirees in your situation have told me that when they are covered by Medicare, they switch to a lower-cost…