OPM held a very useful webinar for federal benefits enrollees on Wednesday. For about 20 minutes OPM presenters discussed the principal Affordable Care Act changes to the FEHB Program and FSAFeds. Of course the principal FEHB Program change is the expansion of dependent children coverage to age 26. OPM announced that the Powerpoint slides from webinar will be posted to OPM’s federal benefits website  next week. OPM  also post a set of child eligibility Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to on the agency website shortly.


The OPM presenters explained that if you are a federal or postal employee who needs to convert from self only to self and family coverage in order to re-enroll a child over age 22 but under age 26 (an aged out child) or who will be switching plans during the current Open Season, you should make this change using the Qualifying Life Event (QLE) process rather than the Open Season change process. 


The QLE change process will permit the child’s coverage to resume on January 1, 2011. In contrast the Open Season change process will cause the child’s coverage to resume on January 2, 2011 (or in certain circumstances January 8).  The Open Season change effective date for annuitant enrollees is January 1 so annuitants don’t face this timing quirk. 


Employed and annuitant enrollees who have self and family coverage now and are not changing plans this Open Season can add back an aged out child by notifying the Plan in accordance with the Plan’s instructions (not by using an SF 2809). The process will be seamless for children who will not reach their 22nd birrthday before the end of this year. Those children will receive extended coverage to their 26th birthdays. For complete information, consult OPM’s benefit administration letter.