United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 04-205 Date: July 16, 2004

Subject: Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program: 

Ordering FEGLI 2004 Open Season Materials 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Background 

On May 25, 2004, we issued Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) 04-203 announcing a FEGLI 

Open Season that will be held from September 1 through September 30, 2004, to celebrate the 50th 

Anniversary of the FEGLI Program. 

Purpose 

The purpose of this BAL is to provide information and ordering instructions on the educational 

materials that the Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) has prepared 

under its contract with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to promote the upcoming 

Open Season. 

INFORMATION ON OPEN SEASON MATERIALS 

What Open Season Materials Can I Order? 

OFEGLI has prepared seven educational items. The attached Order Form lists these materials, 

along with specific guidelines on how much to order. Agency Headquarters Federal Benefits 

Officers are responsible for ordering what they need – materials will NOT be sent without an 

order. Regional and local agency office locations need to coordinate with their Agency 

Headquarters Officers. Agencies do not pay for these materials. 

Here’s a quick overview of the seven items available from OFEGLI: 

1. FEGLI 2004 Open Season Enrollment Packets. Each packet includes: 

 an introductory letter from Director Kay Coles James; 

 a brochure describing FEGLI coverage and the advantages of this Open Season; 

 a worksheet to help estimate how much life insurance an employee may need; and 
 an Open Season Election form (FE-2004). 

2. Posters 

These posters highlight the FEGLI 2004 Open Season dates. There are two different 

sizes – small and large. 

3. Tent Cards 

These tent cards highlight the FEGLI 2004 Open Season dates. 

4. Video 

This short video (in VHS or CD-ROM format, including closed caption versions) 

provides an introductory message from Director Kay Coles James, an overview of the 

FEGLI Program and specifics about the FEGLI 2004 Open Season. You may copy and 

distribute the video; it is not copyrighted. You may also wish to order some extra copies 

of the video so that employees can borrow a copy to view at home. 

5. “Meeting in a Box” 

This kit provides tools to make it easy for you to hold FEGLI 2004 Open Season 

Informational Meetings for your employees. Please note that OFEGLI and OPM 

personnel will not be available to hold Informational Meetings. Each “Meeting in a 

Box” contains the following items: 

 A short and a long version of a PowerPoint presentation, with speaker notes, in hard 

copy and on a CD-ROM 

 One copy of the FEGLI 2004 Open Season Video (same video as in #4 above) 

 Email text messages to invite employees to the meetings 

 Two small (8-1/2 x 11 inch) posters to publicize the meetings 

 One enrollment packet 

The short version of the PowerPoint presentation is intended to be used along with the 

video described above. The long version of the presentation contains all of the necessary 

information for use at meetings that do not show the video. 

6. Open Season Election Form (FE-2004) 

OFEGLI has prepared a special Election Form for FEGLI 2004 Open Season elections 

only. Employees cannot use SF 2817, Life Insurance Election, for FEGLI 2004 Open 

Season elections. One copy of the FE-2004 is automatically included in each enrollment 

packet. The FE-2004 will also be available during Open Season in an Adobe PDFfillable format at www.fegli2004.opm.gov. Employees can complete the form on-line in 

Adobe, print it, and then sign the form (or of course print it and complete the entire form

manually.) 

Both the white hard-copy version of the form with the gold “50th anniversary” eagle logo 

and the form printed directly from the website are valid and agencies must accept either 

one. If an employee submits a .pdf, .jpeg or other scanned version, or a fax of his/her 

completed FE-2004, you should accept it as valid as long as the employee submits the 

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signed original within 30 days after the agency received the other version, AND that 

signed original is identical to the other version. The use of these alternative formats 

should truly be exceptions in special circumstances only, when an employee simply 

cannot submit an original in time for receipt by the end of Open Season on September 30, 

2004. 

You may wish to order a small supply of extra hard copy forms in case your employees 

misplace the form from their packet and cannot access the website. Since this form can 

be used only for FEGLI 2004 Open Season elections, there is no need to stock a large 

supply for “future” use. 

However, agencies that will process FEGLI 2004 elections electronically (such as some

Department of Defense agencies that use the “EBIS” system) should NOT order any 

extra hard-copy election forms. Please note, however, that because all Enrollment 

Packets are the same, employees who can elect coverage electronically will still receive a 

hard-copy of the election form in their Packets. Wording on the election forms makes it 

clear that some employees should not complete a hard-copy form. Please note that 

employees cannot use Employee Express for FEGLI 2004 elections. 

7. FEGLI Program Booklet - 50th Anniversary Edition 

OFEGLI has prepared an updated version of the FEGLI Program Booklet (FE-76-21, 

formerly RI 76-21) that provides detailed information about the FEGLI Program. You 

should NOT provide a Booklet to every FEGLI eligible employee. Rather, you should 

direct your employees to the FEGLI 2004 Open Season website during Open Season 

(www.fegli2004.opm.gov) and the regular FEGLI website anytime 

(www.opm.gov/insure/life) to view the Booklet. 

You must provide an updated Booklet to all new employees hired on or after 

September 1, 2004. Please order sufficient Booklets for your anticipated new hires 

through December 31, 2004. Agency Headquarters Federal Benefits Officers may order 

additional Booklets after the Open Season on an ongoing basis from OFEGLI, as usual. 

 

ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS 

How Do I Order Open Season Materials? 

It’s easy. Just complete and submit the attached FEGLI 2004 Open Season Material Order Form. 

The order form will also be available during Open Season at www.fegli2004.opm.gov. 

Submit completed forms to agencyhelp@fegli2004.com or by fax to 973-667-1677. (Yes, this 

email address uses dot com.) Use this email address and fax only for material orders and 

questions about your orders. 

To ensure you receive your order before Open Season starts on September 1, you MUST 

submit your completed order form(s) no later than July 30, 2004. Please be sure you complete 

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ALL items on the form -- incomplete forms will delay the fulfillment process. 

Who Should Place the Orders? 

Agency Headquarters Federal Benefits Officers must place the orders. OFEGLI will not accept 

requests from other sources (unless your Agency Headquarters Federal Benefits Officer has 

alerted OFEGLI by sending an email to agencyhelp@fegli2004.com stating which “subagencies” or bureaus are authorized to place their own orders.) 

How Much Should I Order? 

The Order Form includes guidelines to assist you with the ordering process. 

May I Put More Than One Shipping Location on the Same Form? 

No. You will need to submit a separate form for each agency shipping location. 

Is There a Limit On How Many Shipping Locations I Can Submit? 

OFEGLI will fulfill requests for a reasonable number of shipping locations per agency. They 

will not accept separate order forms for every field installation. Please be reasonable in your 

requests. While there is no cost to you for these materials, the cost is absorbed by the 

Employees’ Life Insurance Fund. Excessive costs may require a premium increase. 

How Will Employees Receive their Open Season Enrollment Packets? 

You decide. There are three options to choose from: 

1. Packets can be mailed by OFEGLI’s subcontractor to your employees’ homes, if 

your agency has determined that providing employees’ names and addresses to an 

outside vendor is consistent with your agency’s “routine uses” for such information. 

If you select this option, you must send a mail file on a disk or CD-ROM containing 

your employees’ names and mailing addresses by July 30, 2004 to the shipping 

vendor, Federal Direct. This vendor has prior experience with Federal Government 

mailings and places the utmost importance on protecting employees’ privacy. 

Send the mail file to: Federal Direct, c/o The FEGLI Program, 95 Main Street, 

Clifton, NJ 07014-1707. Alternatively, you can upload the file to Federal Direct’s secure 

server. Go to ftp.feddirect.com, enter the username FEGLI and the password g3uc55, 

upload the file and exit. This server will be checked several times a day and can only 

be used to attach mail files. It cannot be used to read files. No one other than Federal 

Direct will have access to these mail files. 

Mail files must use the following fixed field format: Agency Name/ID, Last Name, 

First Name, Street Address 1, Street Address 2 (if applicable), City, State and Zip. 

Each file must be marked with your agency name and number of employees 

contained on the mail file. 

Only vendor personnel responsible for the mailing will have access to the mail files. 

The mail files will only be used for mailing the FEGLI 2004 Open Season Enrollment 

Packets and will be destroyed after that use. Alternatively, you can request that your 

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original file be returned to you. Federal Direct will NOT retain a copy of the files. 

Neither OPM nor OFEGLI will have access to your employees’ names and mailing 

addresses. 

2. Packets can be shipped to a fulfillment vendor of your choice, for further 

mailing to your employees’ homes. You must provide the name and address of your 

agency’s fulfillment vendor on the Order Form. You will be responsible for costs 

associated with the vendor’s mailing to your employees. 

3. Packets can be shipped to your specified agency distribution points for your 

further distribution to your employees’ worksites. You must provide the address 

of your agency distribution point on the Order Form. Use a separate form for each 

agency distribution point. You will be responsible for further distributing the bulk 

shipments to your employees. 

Can I Indicate More Than One Option for Enrollment Packets on the Same Form? 

Yes. Just check the option(s) you want to use, and indicate the quantity for each. However, if 

you have more than one shipping location for any single option shown above, you must submit a 

separate form for each shipping location. 

When Should We Place Our Orders? 

Agency Headquarters Federal Benefits Officers should place their orders immediately, but no later 

than July 30, 2004, to ensure delivery by September 1. The sooner you submit your order, the 

sooner you’ll receive the materials, although no shipments will go out before the second week in 

August. 

When Will Materials Arrive? 

OFEGLI will begin shipping materials to agencies on/about the second week in August, based 

on completed orders received to date. Remember, materials will NOT be shipped without an 

order. Orders will be fulfilled in the order they are received. ORDER EARLY. If OFEGLI 

receives your order by July 30, 2004, your materials will be shipped no later than mid-August. 

Order earlier, and you’ll get your materials earlier. If OFEGLI needs clarification on your order, 

they will contact you directly, and that may affect delivery time. That is why it is critical that 

you complete the order form(s) correctly and legibly. 

If you choose the first distribution method for the enrollment packets (mailed directly to 

employees’ homes) AND provide the mail file by July 30th, packets will be mailed directly to 

employees’ homes before the start of Open Season. 

What If My Order Doesn’t Arrive? 

You should contact OFEGLI by sending an email to agencyhelp@fegli2004.com. 

When Must Employees Receive an Enrollment Packet? 

To ensure that all eligible employees have an opportunity to take advantage of this Open Season, 

they must receive a FEGLI 2004 Open Season Enrollment Packet no later than the first week of the 

Open Season. You should distribute packets as soon as you receive them. 

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Do Agencies Pay for Open Season Materials? 

No. There is no cost to agencies for FEGLI 2004 Open Season materials. However, please note 

that agencies that elect to distribute Open Season materials through their own fulfillment vendors 

must cover the costs associated with that distribution. 

Employees May Get the Election Form (FE-2004) Before September 1. Is That Okay – 

Can They Submit Forms Early? 

Some employees may get their packets, including the election form, before September 1. While 

it is preferable that employees wait and submit the form between September 1 and September 30, 

forms will not be invalid if agencies receive them before September 1. 

What if I Need More Materials After I Placed My Initial Order? 

You can place additional orders at any time. However, OFEGLI cannot guarantee that you will 

receive the additional materials before Open Season starts if you place the order after July 30, 

2004. 

If I Need More FEGLI Program Booklets After Open Season, Do I Still Need To Use the 

Open Season Order Form? 

No. After Open Season ends, Agency Headquarters Federal Benefits Officers can order FEGLI 

Program Booklets for new hires directly from OFEGLI just as they do now. Regional and local 

agency office locations need to coordinate with their Agency Headquarters Officers, just as they 

do now. 

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION 

What Messages Can We Include On Leave And Earnings Statements To Highlight the 

FEGLI 2004 Open Season? 

We strongly encourage you to use this simple means to communicate information to your 

employees. Here are two sample messages you can use on your employees’ leave and earnings 

statements (LES). You may need to edit them, depending on the character limits for your leave and 

earnings statements: 

Coming Soon Message (for LES issued before September 1) 

Don’t miss the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Open Season. 

September 1 to September 30, 2004. More information soon! 

Message During Open Season (for LES issued September 1 – 30) 

The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) 2004 Open Season is here! 

No medical questions to answer. Don’t miss it. Open Season ends on Thursday, 

September 30th. Visit www.fegli2004.opm.gov. 

Does the Enrollment Packet include A Handout Highlighting the Need to Update 

Designations of Beneficiary? 

No, it does not. We decided to highlight the importance of updating designations of beneficiary 

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closer to the earliest month that new coverage will be effective -- September 2005. If an 

employee submits an otherwise valid designation of beneficiary form during Open Season, and it 

mentions coverage that is not yet effective, that designation will be valid for that new coverage 

once that new coverage is effective, unless another valid designation has been submitted in the 

meantime. Of course, any valid designations will cover existing coverage immediately. Each 

designation of beneficiary form supercedes the prior one. 

You play a critical role in the success of this Open Season and we thank you in advance for your 

support. 

Just a reminder -- please ORDER YOUR MATERIALS IMMEDIATELY. 

 Frank D. Titus

 Assistant Director

 for Insurance Services Programs 

Attachment 

FEGLI 2004 Open Season Materials Order Form 

 

 

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