Benefits Frequently Asked Questions
Benefits FAQs
Below are a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on benefit topics: health insurance, life insurance, dental and vision program, long-term care insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), retirement, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The answers to these FAQs reside on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), FSA Fed, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) web sites. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) follows this guidance for our NIH employees.
Federal Employees' Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
- Benefits
- Changing Health Plans
- Continuing Coverage into Retirement
- Continuation of Coverage
- Coverage for Family Members
- Coverage for Survivor Annuitants
- Dental Coverage
- Divorce
- Enrollment
- Federal Civilian Employees Who Perform Active Military Duty
- High Deductible Health Plans with Health Savings Accounts
- Health Reimbursement Arrangements
- Open Season
- Plan Information
- Premiums
- Premium Conversion
- Prescription Drugs
- Privacy of Medical Information
- Service Standards
- TRICARE, CHAMPVA, or TRICARE-For-Life
Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI)
- Assignments/Viatical Settlement
- Break in Service
- Claims – How to File for Death Benefits
- Conversion – How to Convert to a Private Policy
- Court Orders
- Increase or Decreasing Coverage
- Designations of Beneficiary
- Family Members
- General Information (Basic and Optional Insurance)
- Living Benefits
- Leave Without Pay (LWOP)
- Military - If Entering
- Payment – Who Receives Benefits When I Die
- Portability
- Reduction in Insurance after Age 65 and Not Retired
- Retirement
Federal Employees' Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
Background
Eligibility and Enrollment
- Who is eligible to enroll in the FEDVIP?
- If I'm not currently enrolled in FEHB can I still enroll in FEDVIP?
- I live overseas. Can I enroll in FEDVIP?
- When can I enroll?
- How will I enroll?
- What enrollment options are available?
- Does this mean that FEHB will now be offering a self plus one category?
- When will coverage be effective?
- Can I have dental insurance only or vision insurance only or do I have to choose both dental and vision?
- Are former spouses receiving an apportionment of an annuity eligible to enroll?
- Can I cancel my enrollment?
Premiums
- How much are premiums?
- Are premiums paid on a pre-tax basis?
- Can I opt out of premium conversion?
- Will there be a government contribution toward premiums?
Benefits
- Do you have any information on the specific benefits that will be offered?
- Are there any pre-existing condition limitations?
- Will there be a waiting period before I can use the services?
- Who are the selected carriers?
- Will payroll offices be ready to handle the processing of the new dental and vision enrollments by the December 31, 2006 deadline?
FEHB, FSA, and FEDVIP
- If I am currently enrolled in an FEHB plan, will I be required to enroll in the same dental or vision program?
- My FEHB plan covers some dental and vision services. If I enroll in a FEDVIP plan, will that replace my FEHB coverage?
- Will I be able to use my Flexible Spending Account (FSA) in conjunction with the dental and vision program?
Retirement
- Are retirees eligible?
- Are retirees receiving a deferred annuity eligible?
- Do I need to be enrolled in FEDVIP five years before I retire to continue enrollment into retirement?
Long Term Care Insurance Frequently Asked Questions
Flexible Spending Accounts
- General Information
- Changing Your Election
- Dependent Care FSAs (DCFSA)
- Effective Date
- Eligible Expenses
- Eligibility to Enroll
- Enrollment and Disenrollment
- Filing Claims for Reimbursement
- Financial Facts
- Health Care FSAs (HCFSA)
- Leave Without Pay (LWOP), Retirement or Separation from Service
- New Employees
- Open Season
- Paperless Reimbursement
Retirement (Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employees' Retirement System)
- Eligibility for CSRS
- Eligibility for FERS
- Family Benefits
- Benefit Adjustments
- Death Benefits
- Address and Withholding Changes
- Becoming Disabled
- Leaving Early
- Health Benefits
- Life Insurance
Thrift Saving Plan
- Participating in the TSP
- Tax Advantages of the TSP
- Understanding Agency Contributions
- Understanding Your TSP Account
- Projecting Your Account Balance
- Your Investment Options: General Principles
- Your Investment Options: The TSP Fixed Income Funds
- Your Investment Options: The TSP Stock Index Funds
- Life Cycle Funds
- Interfund Transfers
- TSP Loan Program
- In-Service Withdrawals
- Getting Your Money Out After You Separate
- TSP Annuities
- Spouses' Rights
- Questions and Answers on the Effect of Lifting Percentage Limits on Employee Contributions to the TSP
- Other TSP Information
