Employee Benefits - NIH Benefits Information - Did You Know? November 2007
What's New?
Topics of Interest:
Where Do I Go If I Have Questions About My Benefits?
1. BENEFITS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2. THE 2008 RATES ANNOUNCED FOR THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ HEALTH BENEFITS (FEHB) PROGRAM AND FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ DENTAL AND VISION INSURANCE PROGRAM (FEDVIP)!
The new 2008 rates for FEHB and FEDVIP are currently available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website. The 2008 FEHB plan brochures will soon be available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website.
3. THE FEDERAL BENEFITS OPEN SEASON IS QUICKLY APPROACHING!
The following three programs will be participating in this year’s open season for the 2008 plan year: 1) Federal Employees’ Health Benefits (FEHB) Program; 2) Federal Employees’ Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP); and 3) Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Program. The open season will be held from November 12, 2007 through December 10, 2007. You should read the open season announcement thoroughly for information pertaining to each program.
Please remember that there are no longer open seasons for the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). You may start, stop, or change your TSP contributions at any time via myPay, provided you are eligible to participate in the TSP.
4. WHY DO I NEED A TSP ACCOUNT NUMBER?
The TSP has changed access to your account from social security numbers to account numbers. This change will provide better security for all account holders. Using your TSP account number, you may access your account 24/7 to view your balance and change your fund allocations as often as you want. If you have misplaced or did not receive your new TSP account number, you can request a replacement card by calling the ThriftLine at 1-877-968-3778 or by accessing the TSP website at www.tsp.gov. Once on-line, click on “Account Access”, and then click on “Mail Me My Account Number.” Your account number will be mailed to you at your home address. You should receive it within 10 days. To verify your home address, you should log into myPay. Please note that you will not have access to your TSP account via the TSP website or the ThriftLine until you receive your account number. Due to security reasons, the TSP will not give out account numbers over the telephone.
5. WHILE EMPLOYED, DO I HAVE ACCESS TO THE MONEY IN MY THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN (TSP)?
The TSP Loan Program gives you access to the money you have contributed to your TSP account and the earnings on that money. There are two types of loans: 1) General purpose loan with a repayment of 1 to 5 years; and 2) Residential loan with a repayment of 1 to 15 years. For additional information, refer to the TSP Loans booklet.
Under limited circumstances, you may also request an in-service withdrawal from your TSP account. There are two types of in-service withdrawals: 1) Age-based withdrawal which allows you to make a one-time-only withdrawal of all or any portion of your vested account balance if you are age 59½ or older; and 2) Financial hardship withdrawal (regardless of your age) which allows you to make a withdrawal of your own contributions and earnings on those contributions up to the amount of your actual hardship. Hardships include a negative monthly cash flow, medical expenses, personal casualty losses, or legal expenses for separation or divorce. For additional information, refer to the TSP In-Service Withdrawals booklet.
6. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT PLANS AVAILABLE UNDER THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ HEALTH BENEFITS (FEHB) PROGRAM?
You have three choices: 1) a traditional fee-for-service plan; 2) a health maintenance organization; or 3) a high-deductible health plan.
Fee-For-Service Plans (FFS) are traditional types of insurance plans. When you need medical attention, you visit the doctor or hospital of your choice. However, some FFS plans have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). For those plans, if you seek care through a medical provider that is within the PPO, you pay less money out-of-pocket, and you usually won't have to file claims or paperwork.
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) is a health plan that provides care through a network of physicians and hospitals in a particular geographic or service area. You typically must seek care through the participating network of medical providers in order for it to be covered by the HMO. HMOs coordinate the health care service you receive and free you from completing paperwork or being billed for covered services. Most HMOs require you to select a primary care physician- a doctor who acts as a gatekeeper, authorizing referrals to specialists or other doctors, if necessary.
High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) is the newest type of plan being offered, and it is designed to cover large medical bills. It functions like a traditional FFS but with lower premiums and higher deductibles. HDHP provides a tax free Health Savings Account to help you build savings for future medical expenses and allows greater flexibility and discretion over how you use your health care benefits.
The 2008 FEHB plan brochures will soon be available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website.
7. USE OR LOSE ANNUAL LEAVE REMINDER
This is just a reminder that the 2007 leave year ends on January 5, 2008. Use or lose annual leave must be officially scheduled with your supervisor no later than November 24, 2007, and used no later than January 5, 2008. A maximum of 240 hours may be carried over from one leave year to the next; however, those employees in the Senior Executive Service have a maximum of 720 hours that may be carried over from one leave year to the next.
8. WHY DO I NEED A MYPAY PIN?
It is very important to have access to your myPay account so that you can view your Leave and Earnings Statement each pay day. In addition, to make changes to your Federal and state tax withholding, home address, TSP contributions, direct deposit of your pay check and allotments, you must use myPay. And with the upcoming Federal Benefits Open Season, all open season health insurance elections must be accomplished using myPay. If you have misplaced your myPay PIN, you may request a new one in one of two ways. One of which is by selecting “New Pin” on the myPay (DFAS) website. Please make sure you use the “Go” button to finalize your request. Using this method your PIN will be mailed to your current record of address within 7 to 10 business days.
If you need it sooner, your second option is to send a fax to 216-367-3549. You will need to include in your request, your name, a daytime phone number, a copy of your NIH ID, and you must sign the fax. Upon receiving your fax, the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) will reset your PIN using the last 5 numbers of your SSN as your temporary PIN. You will then be able to log in within 3 days using your temporary PIN. Upon logging in, you will be prompted to reset your PIN.
If you encounter problems with your PIN or using myPay (DFAS), contact the DFAS Centralized Customer Support Unit toll-free at 1-888-332-7411. This support line is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. The Centralized Customer Support Unit can provide assistance on how to use the options available to you in myPay. The Centralized Customer Support Unit will also provide support for establishing and changing your PIN.
9. HOW CAN I GET IN TOUCH WITH MY BENEFITS CONTACT?
Your contact in the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch will be able to help you with a variety of issues pertaining to the health and life insurance programs, designating beneficiaries, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), calculating your retirement annuity estimate, working with you to pay a redeposit for prior civilian service if you previously withdrew your retirement funds, paying a deposit for prior civilian or military service for which retirement deductions were not withheld, etc. To find your benefits contact, review our list of contacts. In addition, the Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch (BPLB) website has a wealth of information regarding your Federal benefits.
Human resource topics not related to your benefits are normally handled by your Client Services Division HR Representative.
