Haris Ashley
Open Season is the only time federal employees can change their health insurance coverage without experiencing a qualifying life event, such as the birth of a child or marriage. During this period, federal employees can enroll in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan for the first time, adjust contributions to their Federal Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for dependent care or healthcare, or make changes to their current enrollments. The Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program do not participate in Open Season. Open Season for 2025 runs from November 11 to December 9, 2024, with plan changes taking effect on January 1, 2025.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | November 11 – December 9, 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Purpose | Enroll, cancel, or change health, dental, and/or vision insurance |
| Enrollment | Employees must enroll, cancel, or change plans during Open Season |
| Life Insurance | Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program does not participate in Open Season |
| Long-Term Care Insurance | Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program does not participate in Open Season |
| Plan Changes | Employees can review and compare plans, including significant changes to FEHB, FSAFEDS, and FEDVIP |
| Automatic Renewal | Current enrollments will automatically continue into the next year unless changes are made |
| Qualifying Events | Outside of Open Season, employees typically need a qualifying life event (e.g., birth of a child, marriage) to change coverage |
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What You'll Learn
Enrolling, cancelling, or changing health, dental, and/or vision insurance
Federal employees can make changes to their health, dental, and/or vision insurance during the annual Federal Benefits Open Season. The open season for 2025 plans runs from November 11 to December 9, 2024. During this period, eligible employees can enroll, cancel, or change their insurance coverage.
Enrolling in Health, Dental, and/or Vision Insurance
Eligible employees who wish to enroll in health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) program, dental and vision insurance through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Program (FEDVIP), or a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) must do so during the Open Season. Employees can review and compare healthcare, dental, and vision plans using the online comparison tool available on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website. They can also attend the Virtual Benefits Open Season Health Fair to discuss benefits questions with specialists and meet health, dental, vision, and FSA vendors.
Cancelling Health, Dental, and/or Vision Insurance
Employees who wish to cancel their FEHB or FEDVIP enrollment must do so during the Open Season. It is important to note that cancelling FEHB enrollment may affect an employee's ability to meet the five-year requirement for continuing FEHB into retirement.
Changing Health, Dental, and/or Vision Insurance
Employees who are already enrolled in FEHB or FEDVIP plans and wish to make changes to their coverage, such as adding or removing family members, can do so during the Open Season. Employees can make these changes by submitting an FEHB SF-2809 form to the Retirement and Benefits App (RABAS) or through the self-service option, if available. If no changes are made during the Open Season, current enrollments will automatically continue into the next year, subject to any changes identified in the plan brochures.
It is important to note that the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program do not participate in the annual open season. Changes to these programs may be made under specific circumstances and by submitting the appropriate forms to the Benefits Specialist. Employees should refer to the Open Season websites of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for detailed information and updates.
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Enrolling or re-enrolling in Flexible Spending Accounts
The Federal Benefits Open Season is an annual opportunity for eligible employees to enroll in FSAFEDS. The open season typically falls within a November/December timeframe, with the 2024 open season running from November 11 through December 9. Enrolling in FSAFEDS during the Federal Benefits Open Season is effective from January 1 of the following year.
Eligible employees can enroll in FSAFEDS during the Federal Benefits Open Season. FSAFEDS is a program that allows employees to save money for healthcare expenses. It functions like a savings account, helping to pay for items typically not covered by insurance plans. The Federal Flexible Spending Account Program offers two types of accounts:
- Health Care or Limited Expense Health Care FSA: This account lets you set aside money for healthcare expenses, including those not covered by your insurance plan.
- Dependent Care FSA: This account is designed for families with young children or elder care expenses. It allows you to allocate funds specifically for daycare expenses.
The minimum amount you can contribute to these accounts is $100, and the money is set aside before taxes are deducted, resulting in potential tax savings. For example, an employee earning $50,000 who contributes $2,000 to an FSA account would save approximately $600 in Federal taxes.
It is important to note that enrollment in FSAFEDS does not carry forward from year to year. Current enrollees must re-enroll each year to continue participating in the program. Additionally, new and newly eligible employees must enroll within 60 days of becoming eligible but before October 1 of the calendar year.
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Changing Federal Employees Health Benefits
Federal employees can change their health insurance coverage during the annual Federal Benefits Open Season. This typically runs from mid-November to mid-December. For example, in 2024, the open season will run from November 11 to December 9. During this time, federal employees can enroll, cancel, or change their health, dental, and/or vision insurance. They can also enroll or re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts Program.
Outside of the open season, federal employees can only change their health insurance coverage if they experience a qualifying life event, such as the birth of a child or marriage. Newly eligible employees may enroll within 60 days of first becoming eligible, even if that occurs outside of the open season. There may be other factors that make employees eligible to enroll or change their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan outside of the open season.
The FEHB program is the largest employer-sponsored health benefits program, covering nearly 8.3 million federal employees and dependents. Federal employees typically share the cost of their health plan premium with the government. Depending on the plan, employees may also have to pay deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance. There are many types of health insurance plans offered through the FEHB program, including Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans (with or without a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) preference).
Employees who are eligible for both FEHB and Medicare may choose to be covered by both types of plans. However, there are many factors to consider before electing both forms of health coverage. For example, many features of FEHB and Medicare overlap, so having both types of coverage may reduce an employee's out-of-pocket costs through the coordination of benefits.
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Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program
The Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program is the largest group life insurance program in the world, covering over 4 million federal employees, retirees, and their family members. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) administers the FEGLI program, with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) providing the life insurance, and the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI), a private entity contracted with the Federal Government, adjudicating the claims.
Most federal employees are eligible for FEGLI coverage and are automatically covered by Basic Life Insurance unless they waive the coverage. Basic Life Insurance is equal to the actual rate of annual basic pay (rounded to the next $1,000) plus $2,000, or $10,000, whichever is greater. There is also an Extra Benefit for employees under age 45: double life insurance benefits until age 36, decreasing at 10% per year until age 45, when the extra coverage ends.
In addition to Basic, there are three forms of Optional Insurance that employees can elect: Option A, which provides an additional $10,000 of coverage (which doubles in the case of accidental death); Option B, which provides one to five multiples of pay; and Option C, which covers an employee's eligible family members with one to five multiples of coverage, with each multiple equal to $5,000 upon the death of a spouse and $2,500 upon the death of an eligible child. Employees must have Basic coverage to elect any of the Optional coverages.
FEGLI is available during the Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs from November 11 to December 9, 2024. During this time, eligible employees can enroll, cancel, or change their health, dental, and/or vision insurance. Employees who wish to make changes to their FEGLI coverage outside of Open Season may do so under limited circumstances, by completing an SF-2817 form and forwarding it to their Benefits Specialist.
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Federal Flexible Spending Accounts Program
The Federal Benefits Open Season is an annual opportunity for federal employees to enroll, cancel, or change their health, dental, and/or vision insurance. It also allows employees to enroll or re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts Program. This program, known as FSAFEDS, is administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and is offered to employees of agencies in the executive branch and a few other agencies.
FSAFEDS is a pre-tax savings account that helps employees pay for out-of-pocket medical and dependent care expenses that typically aren't covered by their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Plan, the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), or other health insurance coverage. The program includes a Health Care FSA, a Limited Expense Health Care FSA, and a Dependent Care FSA for families with young children or elder care expenses. The minimum election for all accounts is $100, and carryover has been adopted for health care and limited expense health care FSAs.
The money contributed to an FSAFEDS account is set aside before taxes are deducted, so employees can save up to 30% on their Federal taxes. For example, a person earning $50,000 who contributes $2,000 into an FSA account would save approximately $600 in taxes. This means they would have $2,000 worth of healthcare purchasing power plus $600 in tax savings.
Eligible employees can enroll in FSAFEDS during the Federal Benefits Open Season, which typically takes place in November and December. Enrollments become effective on January 1 of the following year. It is important to note that enrollment does not carry forward from year to year, so current enrollees must remember to enroll each year to continue participating in the program. New and newly eligible employees must enroll within 60 days of becoming eligible but before October 1 of the calendar year.
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Frequently asked questions
The Federal Benefits Open Season typically runs from mid-November to mid-December. For example, in 2024, it will run from November 11 to December 9.
During Open Season, federal employees can review and change their health, dental, vision, and life insurance options. This includes enrolling in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan for the first time, adjusting contributions to a Flexible Spending Account, or cancelling coverage.
If you are satisfied with your current insurance coverage, you do not need to take any action during Open Season. Your current plan will automatically roll over to the next year. However, it is still recommended to review any applicable plan changes and explore other coverage options.
The Virtual Benefits Fair is available throughout Federal Benefits Open Season and allows employees to check for significant changes to their FEHB (medical), FSAFEDS (Flexible Spending Account), or FEDVIP (dental and vision) plans. It is also an opportunity to discuss benefits questions with specialists and meet vendors.
