PAYROLL OFFICE LETTER

U. S. Office of Personnel Management

Number:	P-97-09	Date: August 19, 1997

SUBJECT:	REVISION OF HEALTH BENEFITS OPEN SEASON FILE FORMAT

This Payroll Office Letter applies to those offices which use the floppy diskette provided by the Office of Personnel Management for updating health benefits withholding and contribution rates. One of the options available to payroll offices for receiving the health benefit new year rates is via a file or a floppy disk (see Payroll Office Letter #96-09, dated November 8, 1996, page 1).

This letter provides advance information that the file format for the calender year 1998 Health Benefits Open Season Enrollment will change. We have added four new fields; a phone number, phone extension, fax number and an e-mail address.

The additional data fields may impact the computer programs your office uses to load health benefits withholding and contribution rates. Attached are layouts of the old and the new format. You should contact your computer operations center to determine what, if any, program changes are required.

If you have any questions on this, please contact Anita West on (202) 606-0666 or via email, finance@opm.gov.

Robert A. Yuran, Chief

Financial Policy Staff

Retirement and Insurance Service