Pamphlet RI 76-12
General Information About FEGLI (Continued)
If You Were Not Eligible to Continue Life Insurance as a Retiree
If your coverage did not continue into retirement, it
ended when you separated for retirement (or at the end of 12 months non-pay
status if you were in a non-pay status before your separation), subject to the 31-day temporary extension of coverage. This 31-day
extension of your life insurance coverage (excluding accidental death and dismemberment insurance) is automatic. If you were not eligible to (or did not
want to) continue life insurance coverage as a retiree, you had the opportunity
to convert to an individual policy. Generally, to have continuous insurance
protection, you had to apply for the individual policy and pay the first premium
to the insurance company within the 31-day temporary extension of coverage
period.
Time Limit on Converting to an Individual Policy
To convert to an individual policy, you must have applied
by following the instructions on Standard Form 2819, Notice of Conversion
Privilege, within 31 days after your insurance as an employee ended or
within 31 days after receiving the notice, whichever gave you more time. If we
terminated your insurance after you retired, you must have applied
within 31 days of the date you received Form RI 76-1, You Cannot Continue
Your Basic Life Insurance, or Form RI 76-6, You Cannot Continue Your
Optional Life Insurance, from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
After the 31-day temporary extension of coverage period expired, you no longer
had Federal life insurance protection.
If you were unable to convert to an individual policy
within the 31-day time limit for reasons beyond your control or you never
received a notice, you may make a belated request by writing directly to:
Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance
P.O. Box 1866
Long Island City, NY 11101-9885
For overnight deliveries only (such as express mail): OFEGLI, FEGLI Conversion Team, 5th Floor, 27-01 Queens Plaza North, Queens, NY 11101.
You must mail your belated request within 6 months after
you first became eligible to convert to an individual policy. You should provide
a full explanation of the cause beyond your control that prevented you from
making a timely request. The Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance
will determine if you are eligible to convert.
The Cost of Your Coverage
You can determine the exact cost of your coverage from the
discussions below. If you are receiving annuity payments, we withhold your life
insurance premiums from your annuity. Effective October 30, 1998, all retirees may pay the premiums
directly to us if their annuity is too low to cover the cost of the coverage. We
will notify you if your monthly annuity is too low to cover the cost of the life
insurance coverage and will give you the opportunity to make direct payment.
Once you elect to make direct payment, you must continue to make payments as
long as you are eligible for continued enrollment in the Program, even if your
monthly annuity increases to the point where we could deduct your life insurance premiums from your annuity. The direct
pay option is not available to Civil Service Retirement System retirees whose
annuities were too low to cover the cost of their life insurance before October 30, 1998.
Note: The monthly premium rates shown in this pamphlet are correct as of the date of publication, but are subject to change.
Regardless of when you apply, your converted coverage begins on the 32nd day after your FEGLI coverage terminated, and you are responsible for the conversion premiums from that date.