Open season for three civilian benefit programs

Published Nov. 26, 2008
By Air Force Personnel Center
Public Affairs

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, -- Open season for three civilian benefit programs continues until Dec. 8.

The three programs are the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, or FEHB; the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance program, or FEDVIP; and the Federal Flexible Spending Account, or FSAFED, program. Federal Employees Health Benefits

In the FEHB program, premiums for 2009 will rise an average of 7 percent. There are 269 plan choices in 2009, including 27 high-deductible health plans. Ten fee-for-service plans and a number of health maintenance organizations will expand coverage of hearing benefits for adults

Officials recommend employees review and update their health plans during the open season.

FEHB premium costs, open season comparison guides and individual plan brochures for 2009 are available for view on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Web page at www.opm .gov/insure/health /planinfo/index.asp.

Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program FEDVIP provides supplemental dental and vision insurance coverage. FEDVIP is group coverage on an enrollee pay all basis. Seven plans offer dental benefits and three plans offer vision benefits, including regional, national and international coverage. Three enrollment categories are available: self only, self plus one, and self and family. Coverage and benefits vary, but they generally include preventive-care services, oral and eye exams, orthodontia, and a variety of eye- and oral-care products and procedures.

FEDVIP enrollment automatically continues from year to year like FEHB enrollment. FEDVIP enrollment also continues when enrolled employees retire (there is no "five-year rule" and employees cannot cancel FEDVIP coverage just because they retire).

Federal employees who wish to enroll, change plans, or cancel their enrollment in the
FEDVIP program during this open season, must do so by visiting the BENEFEDS Web site at https://www. benefeds.com/ or by calling BENEFEDS toll-free at (877) 888-3337 or TTY (877) 889-5680.

Federal Flexible Spending Account During this open season, eligible employees may enroll in the FSAFEDS program for calendar year 2009. There are three types of FSA accounts: the Health Care FSA, the Limited Expense (or LEX) Health Care FSA, and the Dependent Care FSA. The FSAFEDS program allows federal employees to set aside pre-tax money for a wide range of medical and dependent care expenses. The money is set aside before the salary is taxed. The money is exempt from federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, and from most state and local taxes.

Employees who are eligible to enroll in the FEHB program may participate in the FSAFEDS program, even if they are not currently enrolled. Employees who enroll in one of the high deductible health plans and are eligible for a health savings account may not have a regular Health Care FSA account, but they may enroll in the LEX Health Care FSA. All employees with qualified dependents may enroll in a Dependent Care FSA, except temporary employees with no fixed work schedule whose tour of duty is six months or less.

There are no benefit changes in FSAFEDS for 2009. The maximum annual election is $5,000 for the Health Care FSA and for the LEX Health Care FSA. The Dependent Care FSA annual maximum is $5,000 per household or $2,500 if married and filing separate tax returns. The minimum annual amount for each type of FSA account is $250. The FSAFEDS program also has a 2.5-month grace period. If the 2009 account is not exhausted by Dec. 31, 2009, eligible expenses incurred Jan. 1 through March 15, 2010, will be applied to the remaining 2009 balance.

Enrollments are made via the FSAFEDS Web site at https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp or by calling toll-free (877) 372-3337 or TTY (800) 952-0450. Enrollment does not carry over automatically from year to year. Employees must submit a new enrollment for each year they wish to participate.