It is your responsibility to know when a family member is no longer eligible for coverage - your agency will not notify you. Your child is covered under your Self and Family enrollment until his/her 26th birthday. There is no requirement that your child be a student to be covered under your Self and Family enrollment. There is no requirement that your child live with you or be financially dependent on you (except for foster children).
Stepchildren are covered under your Self and Family enrollment until their 26th birthday and are not required to live with you or be financially dependent upon you.
Foster children, even if married, can be covered under their foster parent’s Self and Family enrollment until their 26th birthday. To be considered a foster child for FEHB purposes, the following requirements must be met:
- the child must be under age 26
- the child must currently live with you;
- you must be the primary source of financial support for the child;
- the parent-child relationship must be with you, not the child's biological parent; and
- you must expect to raise the child to adulthood.
You must sign a certification stating that your foster child meets all the requirements. Contact your agency or Retirement System for more information.
A child age 26 or over who is incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability that existed before age 26 is also an eligible family member.
When your child reaches age 26, he/she is no longer an eligible family member. Your child will have a 31-day temporary extension of coverage at no cost after coverage ends. Your child is also eligible to enroll in Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) or to convert to an individual policy with your carrier.
If your child is interested in TCC, you must contact your Human Resources Office and inform them that your child is turning age 26. After your notification, your Human Resources Office will give you information about enrolling your child for TCC. You have 60 days from your child’s 26th birthday to notify your Human Resources Office your child turned 26. Your child has 60 days from the later of (1) your child’s 26th birthday, or (2) the date of the TCC notice from the Human Resources Office to request enrollment for TCC. For more information about TCC, please review the TCC coverage pamphlet.
When your child's enrollment terminates, he/she is entitled to convert to an individual policy offered by the carrier of your plan. Your child is not required to provide evidence of insurability. To apply for conversion, you or your child must make a written request to the carrier of your plan. You or your child must apply for conversion within 31 days after his/her coverage as a family member terminated.