Family status, job changes, buyout info offered

By MARJ FAIR
Kentucky NARFE Federation

Currently, my Federal Employees Health Benefits Program coverage is standard, self-only. I am planning to be married in a few months. My fiancé, who also is a retired federal employee, currently is covered under a basic, family option (he has a daughter who is age 24).
Based on this information, will I be able to switch my coverage to the family option after my marriage? Will the family option also cover my new spouse’s daughter until her 26th birthday?
When you have a change in family status, including a change in marital status, you may enroll, change from self-only to family, or change from one plan or option to another. You must submit your enrollment change from 31 days before to 60 days after the change in family status. If you have family enrollment, you should not complete a new health benefits election form (SF 2809). You should contact the Office of Personnel Management at 888-767-6738 and provide information on the new family member.
Eligible family members are your:
* Spouse;
* Unmarried dependent child(ren) until age 26 (including an adopted child, stepchild, foster child and recognized natural child); and
* Child(ren) age 26 or older who are incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability that existed before reaching age 26.
OPM can provide additional details about family member eligibility, including any certification or documentation that may be required for coverage. Family member eligibility under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program is not the same as for the FEHBP.
My agency might offer a buyout,
but I haven’t been able to find information about the participation requirements
for Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plans when it comes to a waiver for employees retiring with a buyout.
Federal employees worried about retiring with a buyout because they do not meet the five-year enrollment requirement of the FEHBP should be aware that the Office of Personnel Management adopted a new policy enabling employees who retire with buyouts under the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994, and other similar legislation, to continue their health insurance into retirement even if they have not been enrolled for a full five-year period prior to retirement. However, each early retirement authority specifies a date that the individual must have been enrolled in an FEHBP plan in order to qualify for the automatic waiver of the five-year coverage rule. You should check with your agency human resources office or retirement counselor to make sure that you are eligible to continue your health benefits enrollment if you retire early.
Can a time-off award be transferred if I leave one agency and accept a position with another
agency?
Unlike other forms of pay for time not worked, e.g., annual and sick leave, employees are not entitled to a time-off award. If an employee transfers from one agency to another, the gaining agency is not obligated to “honor” the time-off award. Therefore, any unused time-off awards are not transferable, unless a special arrangement is made with the receiving agency to honor the time-off award granted by the employee’s former agency. Also, the losing agency may not convert the time off to cash and give that cash to the employee. If you have a time-off award and are retiring, you should check with your agency to see if you would be able to convert it to cash.
Excerpted and reprinted with permission from NARFE Magazine, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. For more information, go to www.narfe.org. Locally, call Kay Bennett, (270) 769-3137.