NOVEMBER 11, 2014, JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) – Open season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the Federal Flexible Spending Accounts Program will run Nov. 10 through Dec. 8, officials announced recently.
During open season employees and retirees will have the chance to review their current plans and make any changes they desire for the following year. Eligible employees who are not currently a part of FEHB may enroll during open season.
The average premium rate for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will increase by 3.2 percent in 2015, according to U.S. Office of Personnel Management officials.
“There are two significant changes to health care and limited expense spending accounts,” said Erica Cathro, an Air Force Personnel Center human resources specialist. “For the first time employees will be able to enroll in the flexible spending account program for a $100 minimum deposit and can carry over $500 in their health care and flexible spending accounts.”
The first opportunity for carry over will be at the end of 2015. Current participants will not be able to carry over funds from 2014 to 2015; however, they will still have a grace period through March 15. Dependent care FSAs will continue to have a grace period each year, but participants cannot carry over funds from one year to the next.
There are no significant changes to the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program.
In other FEHB news, some plans are opting out of the program and terminating their enrollment codes or reducing their service areas. Employees can find a listing of these plans, premium costs, comparison guides and individual plan brochures on the OPM website.
Cathro reminds employees that they should thoroughly review OPM Open Season guidance before making their selections.
For more information about this and other personnel issues, visit the myPers website. For detailed information on making open season elections, select “search all components” from the drop down menu and enter “7665” in the search window.