U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

---

For employees, the only qualifying event is separation from Federal service. However, you are not entitled to TCC if you are involuntarily separated due to gross misconduct.

Your human resources office decides whether conduct that leads to an involuntary separation is “gross misconduct.” If your human resources office decides that you were separated because of gross misconduct, it must notify you of that fact and explain what you can do to appeal the decision.

For children, the qualifying events are:

• marriage,
• reaching age 22,
• loss of status as stepchild, foster child, or recognized natural child,
• in the case of children whose coverage has continued beyond age 22 because of their inability to support themselves due to a disability occurring before they reached age 22, recovering from the disability or becoming self-supporting,
• death of the employee or annuitant if the child does not qualify for a survivor annuity, and
• survivor annuity stops for any reason, including because he or she is no longer a full-time student.

Spouses are not eligible for TCC (temporary continuation of coverage) in their own right, even if you separate and decide not to elect TCC or you die. However, if your marriage ends other than by death, your former spouse is eligible for TCC. The qualifying events are:

• divorce, and
• annulment of the marriage.