How to Enroll for Federal Employee Health Benefits

The federal employee health benefits program is available to permanent federal employees, temporary employees with a year-long appointment or temporary employees with one year of current continuous employment. Intermittent employees are not eligible. Enrollment may include you, your spouse, unmarried dependent children under age 22, legally adopted children, step-children, foster children or disabled children over the age of 22 years. Any eligible employee may enroll, change health plans, update options, cancel federal employee health benefits or change participation in premium conversion during open enrollment season.

Things You'll Need

• Social security number

Show More

Instructions

Active Employees

• 1

  Enroll for benefits during open enrollment season, which is the enrollment period designated by the federal government. Federal regulations require open season enrollment from the second full week in November through the Monday of the second full week in December. Any enrollment changes must be submitted before midnight eastern standard time on the last day of open season, and changes commence the first day of the first full pay period in January.

• 2

  Enroll using the online options for designated agencies listed on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website. Check with your agency's human resources office (HRO) if you are not sure if online enrollment is available. Use the Standard Form 2809, Employee Health Benefits Election Form and mail or deliver it to your human resources office if preferred, but check with human resources first to ensure the form is accepted by your agency.

• 3

  Follow enrollment instructions based on your job's system. For example, Department of Defense employees enroll using the department's automated enrollment system, and U.S. postal workers enroll on the PostalEASE website. Visit the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website for more details on enrollment for special agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and National Finance Center. Use the Standard Form 2809 located on the OPM website and submit the completed form to human resources, if preferred. Note that U.S. postal workers may not use the form 2809.

• 4

  Enroll within 60 days of eligibility if you are a new employee. Once enrolled, it is not necessary to reenroll each year unless circumstances change.

• 5

  Make enrollment changes for off-season major events within 60 days of the event, including marriage, birth or adoption, acquisition of a foster child, legal separation or divorce. Contact the Office of Personnel Management for updates based on changes in employment status, or if you or a family member loses other federal employee health benefits coverage for any reason.

Annuitants

• 6

  Review the package of information mailed to your home which includes information on how to make open season changes and other information. Locate information about online enrollment changes, telephone enrollment and other methods of contacting the Office of Personnel Management.

• 7

  Make changes to enrollment by using the Office of Personnel Management online system or by calling Open Season Express at 1-800-332-9798. Send an email to the Office of Personnel Management at [e-mail] if you have questions, and clearly state your open season reason request. Include annuity claim number, social security number, relevant dependent information and other insurance information specified in the open enrollment packet.

• 8

  Call the Retirement Information Center at 1-888-767-6738 for non-open season enrollment changes or send an email to the Office of Personnel Management at [e-mail]. Use 1-800-878-5707 for a TDD line for hearing impaired individuals. You may also send open enrollment information via U.S. mail to:

  Office of Personnel Management

  Open Season Processing Center

  P.O. Box 3259

  Lawrence, KS 60046-0250