If you are an annuitant, call your plan. If they tell you they haven't
gotten the paperwork yet from your retirement system, you may contact
your retirement system. If you are a Civil Service Retirement System
(CSRS) annuitant or a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
annuitant, contact OPM at retire@opm.gov.
Before contacting your retirement system, have your annuity information ready,
for instance, your name, civil service annuity number (beginning with CSA or
CSF), phone number and address, and information about your plan, such as the
carrier enrollment code.
You should be aware that you are not entitled to a 31-day extension of
coverage because the action is considered a cancellation not a
termination. You cannot reenroll in the FEHB Program until the next open
season. Also, this is considered a break in coverage. The 5-year
requirement to continue your enrollment into retirement will begin when
you reenroll in the FEHB Program. If you are within five years of
retirement, you will have to work additional time to be eligible to continue
your enrollment into retirement.
If you are an annuitant, you are deemed to have enrolled in the standard
option of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) Service Benefit Plan. OPM
deems annuitants into the standard option of BCBS because the law doesn't
permit annuitants to enroll in the FEHB Program. If annuitants cancel their
FEHB enrollment, they can never reenroll.
If you are an annuitant, you should contact your new plan. Your open season enrollment is effective January 1.
You may not be eligible to enroll in an HMO plan but there are seven fee-
for-service plans available nationwide to all Federal employees and
annuitants. These plans are: Alliance, APWU Health Plan, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan, GEHA Benefit Plan, Mail Handlers,
NALC, and PBP Health Plan. Please review the brochures of each of these
plans to determine which plan best meets your medical needs.
Other FEHB FAQs