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An official website of the United States Government.

Insurance FAQs

Retirement and FEGLI

  • I retired, and will soon be reemployed with the Federal Government. Can I obtain more insurance for free as an employee because of my retired status? View more
    No. You may be eligible to obtain insurance as a reemployed annuitant, but you will have to pay the same rates as any other employee for such insurance. Your agency will give you more information when you are reemployed.
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  • I've had my coverage for four years (not for all the time it was available) and will be retiring next month. Can I pay premiums to "buy back" the time I'm missing so that I meet the five year/first opportunity rule for continuing into retirement? View more
    No. The only way to continue coverage into retirement is to meet the five year/all opportunity rule. You cannot "buy" the years you are missing.
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  • Does accidental death and dismemberment coverage continue into retirement? View more
    No. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage ends when your employment ends. You cannot carry this coverage into retirement.
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  • When will the reductions to my Basic and Optional insurance actually begin? View more
    The reductions start at the beginning of the 2nd month after your 65th birthday or the beginning of the 2nd month after your retirement date, whichever is later. For example: Pierre retired December 31, 1999. He will turn 65 on March 15, 2005. The reductions for his Basic and Optional insurance (if applicable) will start May 1, 2005. Here's another example: Selena was 67 years old when she retired on December 31, 1999. Since she was already past 65 when she retired, the reductions for her Basic and Optional insurance (if applicable) will start February 1, 2000.
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  • When I retired four years ago I was not able to continue my Option B coverage into retirement because I had it for only two years before retirement. I have been a reemployed annuitant for three years now and I have Option B. Will I be able to continue it when I separate? View more
    Yes. If you meet the five-year requirement when your reemployment terminates, you will be able to continue your Option B. An example of this may help you to understand. Gabriela had Basic since she was first employed with the Federal Government and Option B, two multiples, since March 1991. She retired in June 1993. She was not able to continue her Option B. She was reemployed as a reemployed annuitant in June 1996. She elected Option B, two multiples as an employee. She worked until December 1999. She is now eligible to continue her Option B, 2 multiples, into retirement because she has had it for the five years of service immediately preceding her separation in 1999.
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  • When is the next Open Season to make changes to Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) benefits? View more
    Life insurance Open Seasons are held quite infrequently, and you should not count on one occurring any time soon. You will receive plenty of notice if and when there is an Open Season. The most recent FEGLI Open Seasons were held from September 1 - September 30, 2004 and in 1999.
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  • What if my salary is too low to cover the cost of my insurance? View more
    If your pay is too low to allow a withholding for life insurance premiums and your human resources office expects this to last for more than six months, you will have a choice. You can choose either to terminate some or all of your insurance coverage or to continue the coverage and pay the premiums directly. (See your human resources office for more details).
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  • What will happen to my FEGLI Basic life insurance when I retire? View more
      The requirements for continuing your FEGLI life insurance into retirement are explained in the FEGLI Handbook. If you meet the requirements, you must choose what will happen to your Basic when you turn 65 or retire, whichever is later.  Your choices are:
    • 75% Reduction: your Basic coverage reduces 2% each month until it reaches 25% of its pre-reduction amount.  Your Basic is free (no premium) once the reductions begin and remains free until your death.
    • 50% Reduction: your Basic coverage reduces 1% each month until it reaches 50% of its pre-reduction amount.  There is an extra premium for this choice that you will continue to pay until you die, switch to 75% reduction, or cancel Basic.
    • No Reduction: your Basic coverage does not reduce.  You maintain the same amount of Basic coverage you had when you stopped being enrolled as an employee.  There is a larger extra premium for this choice that you will continue to pay until you die, switch to 75% Reduction, or cancel Basic.
    If you select 75% or 50%, the reduction begins the second month after your 65th birthday, or the second month after you retire, whichever is later. To see the different premiums for the different choices, visit Premiums for Annuitants. To make your choice, submit SF 2818 to your human resources office shortly before you retire. If you do not turn in the form, you will be defaulted to 75% Reduction.
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  • If I unexpectedly need to retire (disability or otherwise) and don't meet the five-year/all opportunity rule for continuing my FEGLI life insurance into retirement, can I receive a waiver from OPM? View more
    No. There are no waivers of the five year/all opportunity rule for continuing FEGLI life insurance coverage into retirement. There are no exceptions to the "no waiver" rule — it does not matter whether you retire on disability, accept a voluntary incentive payment, etc. The only way to continue coverage into retirement is to meet the five year/all opportunity rule. Yes, this is different from the health benefits program which does allow for waivers under certain circumstances. For more information about retiring with FEGLI life insurance, see the FEGLI Handbook.
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  • I've had FEGLI Basic and one multiple of Option C since 2005. In 2010, I increased my coverage to five multiples of Option C.  I want to retire in 2013. How many multiples of Option C can I carry into retirement? View more
    One of the requirements for continuing FEGLI life insurance into retirement is that you have been insured for the 5 years of service immediately before the date your  annuity starts, or for the full period(s) of service during which you were eligible to be insured if less than 5 years.  This requirement applies to each FEGLI type (Basic, Option A, Option B, Option C) and to each multiple. You will only be eligible to bring Basic and one multiple of Option C into retirement, since you were not enrolled in the remaining four multiples of Option C for the five years of service before your annuity begins. For more information, see the FEGLI Handbook.
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  • Do I need to wait until an Open Season in order to cancel my FEGLI life insurance? View more
    No. You may cancel life insurance coverage at any time. Be aware that your opportunities to re-enroll are limited.
    • Employees:
    To cancel some or all FEGLI coverage as an employee, submit SF 2817 to your human resources office and sign only for the FEGLI coverage that you want to KEEP.
    • Retirees:
    To cancel some or all FEGLI coverage as an annuitant, there is no form.  You must write a letter to: Office of Personnel Management  Retirement Operations Center  P.O. Box 45  Boyers, PA 16017-0045 Any cancellation or reduction of life insurance must be in writing and have an original signature by the insured retiree.  Be sure to include your retirement claim number (CSA number) or social security number and specify what action you want taken.  Please note you cannot increase your coverage after retirement, or reinstate any coverage that you cancel.    The cancellation is effective, and all insurance stops, at the end of the pay period in which you properly file the waiver.  For retirees, a month is considered a pay period. You continue to have the coverage through the pay period in which you file the waiver and must pay premiums for that pay period.  You will not receive a refund for premiums withheld prior to the effective date of cancellation.
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  • What is the five-year/all opportunity rule for continuing life insurance into retirement? View more
    When you retire, you are eligible to continue life insurance if you meet all of the following requirements:
    • you are entitled to retire on an immediate annuity under a retirement system for civilian employees;
    • you have been insured for the 5 years of service immediately before the date your annuity starts, or for the full period(s) of service during which you were eligible to be insured if less than 5 years; and
    • you have not converted to an individual policy.
    You must meet the five year/all opportunity requirement for Basic and each type of Optional insurance in order to continue it into retirement. For purposes of continuing FEGLI coverage into retirement, "service" means time in a position in which you were eligible for coverage. Breaks in service are not counted as interruptions in coverage. An example will help.
    • Joan first became eligible and enrolled in Basic and Option A coverage on February 11, 1990. She had a break in service from January 1, 1994, through January 1, 1996. Upon her return to service on January 2, 1996, she was automatically given Basic and Option A. She retires on December 31, 1997. She is eligible to continue her Basic and Option A coverage into retirement, since she has been continuously enrolled for the 5 years of service immediately before retirement.
    Here's another example.
    • Theodore had Basic only when he was hired in May 1966. In 1981, during the Open Season, he elected Basic and Option B, two times his salary. In November 1996, he married Isabelle and also acquired two stepchildren. Based on this life event, Theodore added 3 multiples of Option B, for a total of five multiples. Theodore retired in May 1999. He is eligible to continue Basic and Option B, two multiples, into retirement. He cannot continue the three multiples he picked up when he married because he did not have them for the five years of service immediately before his retirement nor did he have them for all the time they were available to him.
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  • Do I have to pay for my insurance coverage after I retire? View more
    If you are under age 65 when you retire, you will continue to pay premiums for your Basic and Optional insurance at least until you turn 65. Your retirement system will withhold the premiums from your annuity each month. When you retire, you make reduction choices that determine whether your FEGLI life insurance (and premiums) reduce beginning at age 65 or when you retire, whichever is later:
    • Basic with 75% Reduction: your Basic coverage reduces 2% each month until it reaches 25% of its pre-reduction amount.  Your Basic is free (no premium) once the reductions begin and remains free until your death.
    • Basic with 50% Reduction: your Basic coverage reduces 1% each month until it reaches 50% of its pre-reduction amount.  There is an extra premium for this choice that you will continue to pay until you die, switch to 75% reduction, or cancel Basic.
    • Basic with No Reduction: your Basic coverage does not reduce.  You maintain the same amount of Basic coverage you had when you stopped being enrolled as an employee.  There is a larger extra premium for this choice that you will continue to pay until you die, switch to 75% Reduction, or cancel Basic.
    • Option A: your Option A automatically reduces 2% each month until it reaches $2,500.00 and remains free until your death.  There is no reduction choice for Option A.  Option A is free (no premium) once the reductions begin and remains free until you die.
    • Option B with Full Reduction: your Option B coverage reduces 2% each month until it reaches zero.  Your Option B coverage is free (no premium) once the reductions begin.
    • Option B with No Reduction: your Option B coverage does not reduce.  You maintain the same amount of Option B coverage you had when you stopped being enrolled as an employee.  There is an extra premium for this choice that you will continue to pay until you die, switch to Full Reduction, or cancel Option B.
    • Option C with Full Reduction: your Option C coverage reduces 2% each month until it reaches zero.  Your Option C coverage is free (no premium) once the reductions begin.
    • Option C with No Reduction: your Option C coverage does not reduce.  You maintain the same amount of Option C coverage you had when you stopped being enrolled as an employee.  There is an extra premium for this choice that you will continue to pay until you die, switch to Full Reduction, or cancel Option C.
    Reductions begin the second month after you turn 65 or the second month after you retire, whichever is later.  If you do not submit a Continuation of Life Insurance (SF 2818) to your human resources office before you retire, your Basic will be defaulted to 75% Reduction, and your Option B and Option C will be defaulted to Full Reduction.
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