[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR890.301]

[Page 447-450]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
          CHAPTER I--OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED)
 
PART 890_FEDERAL EMPLOYEES HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
                          Subpart C_Enrollment
 
Sec. 890.301  Opportunities for employees who are not participants in 
premium conversion to enroll or change enrollment; effective dates.


    (a) Initial opportunity to enroll. An employee who becomes eligible 
may elect to enroll or not to enroll within 60 days after becoming 
eligible.
    (b) Effective date--generally. Except as otherwise provided, an 
enrollment or change of enrollment takes effect on the first day of the 
first pay period that begins after the date the employing office 
receives an appropriate request to enroll or change the enrollment and 
that follows a pay period during any part of which the employee is in 
pay status.
    (c) Belated enrollment. When an employing office determines that an 
employee was unable, for cause beyond his or her control, to enroll or 
change the enrollment within the time limits prescribed by this section, 
the employee may enroll or change the enrollment within 60 days after 
the employing office advises the employee of its determination.
    (d) Enrollment by proxy. Subject to the discretion of the employing 
office, an employee's representative, having written authorization to do 
so, may enroll or change the enrollment for the employee.
    (e) Change to self only. (1) Subject to two exceptions, an employee 
may change the enrollment from self and family to self only at any time. 
Exceptions:
    (i) An employee participating in health insurance premium conversion 
may change to self only during an open season or because of and 
consistent with a qualifying life event as defined in Part 892 of this 
chapter.
    (ii) An employee who is subject to a court or administrative order 
as discussed in Sec. 890.301(g)(3) may not make this change as long as 
the court or administrative order is still in effect and the employee 
has at least one child identified in the order who is still eligible 
under the FEHB Program, unless the employee provides documentation to 
the agency that he or she has other coverage for the child(ren).
    (2) A change of enrollment to self only takes effect on the first 
day of the first pay period that begins after the date the employing 
office receives an appropriate request to change the enrollment, except 
that at the request of the employee and upon a showing satisfactory to 
the employing office that there was no family member eligible for 
coverage by the family enrollment, the employing office may make the 
change effective on the first day of the pay period following the one in 
which there was no family member.
    (f) Open season. (1) An open season will be held each year from the 
Monday of the second full workweek in November through the Monday of the 
second full workweek in December.
    (2) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management may modify 
the dates specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this section or hold 
additional open seasons.
    (3) With one exception, during an open season, an eligible employee 
may enroll and an enrolled employee may

[[Page 448]]

change his or her existing enrollment from self only to self and family, 
may change from one plan or option to another, or may make any 
combination of these changes. Exception: An employee who is subject to a 
court or administrative order as discussed in Sec. 890.301(g)(3) may 
not cancel his or her enrollment, change to self only, or change to a 
comprehensive medical plan that does not serve the area where his or her 
child or children live as long as the court or administrative order is 
still in effect and the employee has at least one child identified in 
the order who is still eligible under the FEHB Program, unless the 
employee provides documentation to the agency that he or she has other 
coverage for the child(ren).
    (4)(i) An open season new enrollment takes effect on the first day 
of the first pay period that begins in the next following year and which 
follows a pay period during any part of which the employee is in a pay 
status.
    (ii) An open season change of enrollment takes effect on the first 
day of the first pay period which begins in January of the next 
following year.
    (5) When a belated open season enrollment or change of enrollment is 
accepted by the employing office under paragraph (c) of this section, it 
takes effect as required by paragraph (f)(4) of this section.
    (g) Change in family status. (1) An eligible employee may enroll and 
an enrolled employee may change the enrollment from self only to self 
and family, from one plan or option to another, or make any combination 
of these changes when the employee's family status changes, including a 
change in marital status or any other change in family status. The 
employee must enroll or change the enrollment within the period 
beginning 31 days before the date of the change in family status, and 
ending 60 days after the date of the change in family status.
    (2) An enrollment or change of enrollment made in conjunction with 
the birth of a child, or the addition of a child as a new family member 
in some other manner, takes effect on the first day of the pay period in 
which the child is born or becomes an eligible family member.
    (3)(i) If an employing office receives a court or administrative 
order on or after October 30, 2000, requiring an employee to provide 
health benefits for his or her child or children, the employing office 
will determine if the employee has a self and family enrollment in a 
health benefits plan that provides full benefits in the area where the 
child or children live. If the employee does not have the required 
enrollment, the agency must notify him or her that it has received the 
court or administrative order and give the employee until the end of the 
following pay period to change his or her enrollment or provide 
documentation to the employing office that he or she has other coverage 
for the child or children. If the employee does not comply within these 
time frames, the employing office must enroll the employee involuntarily 
as stated in paragraph (g)(3)(ii) of this section.
    (ii) If the employee is not enrolled or does not enroll, the agency 
must enroll him or her for self and family coverage in the option that 
provides the lower level of coverage in the Service Benefit Plan. If the 
employee has a self only enrollment, the employing office must change 
the enrollment to self and family in the same option and plan, as long 
as the plan provides full benefits in the area where the child or 
children live. If the employee is enrolled in a comprehensive medical 
plan that does not serve the area in which the child or children live, 
the employing office must change the enrollment to self and family in 
the option that provides the lower level of coverage in the Service 
Benefit Plan.
    (4) Subject to two exceptions, the effective date of an involuntary 
enrollment under paragraph (g)(3) of this section is the 1st day of the 
pay period that begins after the date the employing office completes the 
enrollment request. Exceptions:
    (i) If the court or administrative order requires an earlier 
effective date, the effective date will be the 1st day of the pay period 
that includes that date. Effective dates may not be retroactive to a 
date more than 2 years earlier, or prior to October 30, 2000.

[[Page 449]]

    (ii) If after an involuntary enrollment becomes effective and the 
employing office finds that circumstances beyond the employee's control 
prevented him or her from enrolling or changing the enrollment within 
the time limits in this section, the employee may change the enrollment 
prospectively within 60 days after the employing office advises the 
employee of its finding.
    (h) Change in employment status. An eligible employee may enroll and 
an enrolled employee may change the enrollment from self only to self 
and family, from one plan or option to another, or make any combination 
of these changes when the employee's employment status changes. Except 
as otherwise provided, an employee must enroll or change the enrollment 
within 60 days after the change in employment status. Employment status 
changes include, but are not limited to--
    (1) A return to pay status following loss of coverage under either--
    (i) Section 890.304(a)(1)(v) due to the expiration of 365 days in 
leave without pay (LWOP) status, or
    (ii) Section 890.502(b)(5) due to the termination of coverage during 
LWOP status.
    (2) Reemployment after a break in service of more than 3 days.
    (3) Restoration to a civilian position after serving in the 
uniformed services under conditions that entitle him or her to benefits 
under part 353 of this chapter, or similar authority.
    (4) A change from a temporary appointment in which the employee is 
eligible to enroll under 5 U.S.C. 8906a, which requires payment of the 
full premium with no Government contribution, to an appointment that 
entitles the employee to receive the Government contribution.
    (5) Separation from Federal employment when the employee or the 
employee's spouse is pregnant and the employee supplies medical 
documentation of the pregnancy. An employee who enrolls or changes the 
enrollment under this paragraph (h)(5) must do so during his or her 
final pay period. The effective date of an enrollment or a change of 
enrollment under this paragraph (h)(5) is the first day of the pay 
period which the employing office receives an appropriate request to 
enroll or change the enrollment.
    (6) A transfer from a post of duty within a State of the United 
States or the District of Columbia to a post of duty outside a State of 
the United States or the District of Columbia, or the reverse. An 
employee who enrolls or changes the enrollment under this paragraph 
(h)(6) must do so within the period beginning 31 days before leaving the 
old post of duty and ending 60 days after arriving at the new post of 
duty.
    (7) A change, without a break in service or after a separation of 3 
days or less, to part-time career employment as defined in 5 U.S.C. 
3401(2) and 5 CFR part 340, subpart B, or a change from such part-time 
career employment to full-time employment that entitles the employee to 
the full Government contribution.
    (i) Loss of coverage under this part or under another group 
insurance plan. An eligible employee may enroll and an enrolled employee 
may change the enrollment from self only to self and family, from one 
plan or option to another, or make any combination of these changes when 
the employee or an eligible family member of the employee loses coverage 
under this part or another group health benefits plan. Except as 
otherwise provided, an employee must enroll or change the enrollment 
within the period beginning 31 days before the date of loss of coverage, 
and ending 60 days after the date of loss of coverage. Losses of 
coverage include, but are not limited to--
    (1) Loss of coverage under another FEHB enrollment due to the 
termination, cancellation, or a change to self only, of the covering 
enrollment.
    (2) Loss of coverage under another federally-sponsored health 
benefits program.
    (3) Loss of coverage due to the termination of membership in an 
employee organization sponsoring or underwriting an FEHB plan.
    (4) Loss of coverage due to the discontinuance of an FEHB plan in 
whole or in part. For an employee who loses coverage under this 
paragraph (i)(4):
    (i) If the discontinuance is at the end of a contract year, the 
employee must change the enrollment during the open

[[Page 450]]

season, unless OPM establishes a different time. If the discontinuance 
is at a time other than the end of the contract year, OPM must establish 
a time and effective date for the employee to change the enrollment.
    (ii) If the whole plan is discontinued, an employee who does not 
change the enrollment within the time set is considered to have canceled 
the plan in which enrolled.
    (iii) If one option of a plan that has two options is discontinued, 
an employee who does not change the enrollment is considered to be 
enrolled in the remaining option of the plan.
    (5) Loss of coverage under the Medicaid program or similar State-
sponsored program of medical assistance for the needy.
    (6) Loss of coverage under a non-Federal health plan because an 
employee moves out of the commuting area to accept another position and 
the employee's non-federally employed spouse terminates employment to 
accompany the employee. An employee may enroll or change the enrollment 
within the period beginning 31 days before the date the employee leaves 
employment in the old commuting area and ending 180 days after entry on 
duty at place of employment in the new commuting area.
    (7) Loss of coverage under a non-Federal health plan.
    (j) Move from comprehensive medical plan's area. An employee in a 
comprehensive medical plan who moves or becomes employed outside the 
geographic area from which the plan accepts enrollments, or if already 
outside this area, moves or becomes employed further from this area, may 
change the enrollment upon notifying the employing office of the move or 
change of place of employment. Similarly, an employee whose covered 
family member moves outside the geographic area from which the plan 
accepts enrollments, or if already outside this area, moves further from 
this area, may change the enrollment upon notifying the employing office 
of the family member's move. The change of enrollment takes effect on 
the first day of the pay period that begins after the employing office 
receives an appropriate request.
    (k) On becoming eligible for Medicare. An employee may change the 
enrollment from one plan or option to another at any time beginning on 
the 30th day before becoming eligible for coverage under title XVIII of 
the Social Security Act (Medicare). A change of enrollment based on 
becoming eligible for Medicare may be made only once.
    (l) Salary of temporary employee insufficient to pay withholdings. 
If the salary of a temporary employee eligible under 5 U.S.C. 8906a is 
not sufficient to pay the withholdings for the plan in which the 
employee is enrolled, the employing office shall notify the employee of 
the plans available at a cost that does not exceed the employee's 
salary. The employee may enroll in another plan whose cost is no greater 
than his or her salary within 60 days after receiving such notification 
from the employing office. The change of enrollment takes effect 
immediately upon termination of the prior enrollment.

[62 FR 38435, July 18, 1997; 62 FR 49557, Sept. 22, 1997, as amended at 
65 FR 44646, July 19, 2000; 68 FR 56524, Oct. 1, 2003; 69 FR 56928, 
Sept. 23, 2004]