Civil Service 

Retirement 

System 

Federal Employees’ 

Group Life 

Insurance Program 

Federal Employees 

Health Benefits 

Program 

Federal Employees 

Retirement 

System 

Federal Long 

Term Care 

 Insurance 

Program 

United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 02-408 Date: November 27, 2002 

Subject: 2002 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program Open Season: 

Processing Open Season Changes 

This Letter provides you with instructions for processing open season enrollment changes. 

I. PROCESSING ROUTINE OPEN SEASON CHANGES

 A. Employees who want to continue their current enrollment do not need to take any 

action during the open season. However, employees whose plans will not participate 

in the FEHB Program after December 31, 2002, or whose plans are dropping an 

enrollment code, must enroll in a different plan to continue FEHB coverage in 2003. 

 B. Employees who wish to make an open season change and do not have access to 

Employee Express (or who choose not to use it) must complete a Standard Form (SF) 

2809 (Health Benefits Registration Form) and submit it to the employing office. 

Open season SF 2809s generally should be processed in the same manner as 

registrations handled at other times. You should, however, note the following: 

 1. The event code permitting the change, to be shown in Part D, item 1, of the SF 

2809, is 1B; and November 11, 2002, should be entered in Part D, item 2, as 

the date of event that permits the change. 

2. If there is a change from one plan or option to another, or from self only to self 

and family, show the old plan name in Part C, item 1, and the old enrollment 

code in Part C, item 2. 

 3. Complete Part H of the SF 2809. Be sure to enter the date the new enrollment 

takes effect in item 3. Please note that you no longer need to enter the SF 

2811 report number in item 4 since these forms are no longer being used. 
2

 4. Enter the correct eight-digit payroll office number (the number of the office 

that actually withholds the premiums) in Part H, item 5. (This number can be 

obtained from your payroll office.) 

 

 5. As a reminder, for temporary employees eligible for coverage under 

 title 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) 8906a, the following statement should be 

included in the "Remarks" section of the SF 2809: "Temporary employee 

eligible under 5 U.S.C. 8906a must pay full premium amount with no 

Government/agency contribution." 

 6. For spouse equity enrollees, enter the name and date of birth of the employee 

or former employee in the "Remarks" section. 

 7. For temporary continuation of coverage (TCC) enrollees, in the "Remarks" 

section of the new SF 2809, transfer the following information from the 

original SF 2809: the enrollment authority, the date TCC eligibility ends, and 

the circumstance that permits the TCC enrollment; i.e., separated employee, 

former spouse, or child marrying or reaching age 22. 

 8. Send copy 2 of the SF 2809s to the new carriers to notify them of their new 

enrollments. This will enable them to complete the paperwork needed to 

cover their new enrollees and issue identification cards. 

 9. Send copy 3 of the SF 2809s to the old carriers so that they do not guarantee or 

provide benefits to employees or family members after enrollments terminate. 

 (Discard this copy for new enrollments or for enrollment changes within the 

same plan.) 

II. PROCESSING OPEN SEASON CHANGES WHEN THE EMPLOYEE SEPARATES, 

TRANSFERS, RETIRES, OR DIES 

WHAT MUST YOU DO WHEN AN EMPLOYEE SEPARATES? 

A. If you know an employee will resign or separate before the open season change takes effect, 

do not accept an open season SF 2809. 

B. If you have completed processing the employee's open season change, but the employee 

separates before the change takes effect, do the following: 

1. Void the open season SF 2809. Attach a copy to the carrier’s copy of the 2809. Send 

copies of the voided SF 2809 to both the old and new carriers. 

 2. Complete an SF 2810 terminating the enrollment in effect at the time the employee 

separates. In the "Remarks" section, write: "Separated [date]. Open season SF 2809 

change dated [date] is void." 
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WHAT MUST YOU DO WHEN AN EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS? 

A. If you know an employee will transfer on or before the effective date of the open season 

change, do the following: 

 1. Have the employee complete an open season SF 2809. Instead of completing Part H, 

have the authorized agency official initial and date Part H to show that the open 

season registration was submitted timely. The name of the losing installation and the 

signature of its certifying officer should not appear on the SF 2809. 

 2. Return the SF 2809 to the employee and tell him or her to give it to the new employing 

office to complete processing upon entering on duty. 

 3. The gaining office will transfer in the old enrollment on SF 2810 before processing the 

open season SF 2809. 

B. If you have processed the open season change, but the employee transfers on or before the 

effective date of the change, do the following: 

 1. Void the SF 2809. Send a copy of the voided SF 2809 to both the old and new 

carriers. 

 2. Prepare a memo for the Official Personnel Folder (OPF) stating: "Transferred [date]. 

Open season SF 2809 change dated [date] is void. Accept a new open season SF 

2809." 

 3. Tell the employee that you voided the change. Then, if possible, have the employee 

complete a new SF 2809. Handle the new form as discussed in paragraph B1 of this 

section. 

 4. If it is not possible to obtain a new SF 2809 before the transfer, notify the gaining 

agency that the employee's timely filed open season change has been voided and that 

the gaining agency should accept a new open season SF 2809. 

WHAT MUST YOU DO WHEN AN EMPLOYEE RETIRES? 

A. If you know an employee will retire before the open season change takes effect, do the 

following: 

1. Have the employee complete the open season SF 2809. Instead of 

completing Part H, have the authorized agency official initial and date Part H to show 

that the SF 2809 was submitted timely. The name of the installation and the signature 

of its certifying officer should not appear on the SF 2809. 

 2. Attach the SF 2809 to other health benefits documents and the Individual Retirement 
4

Record (SF 2806 under CSRS; SF 3100 under FERS) when they are submitted to the 

retirement system. Keep a copy of this SF 2809 in the employee's OPF as verification. 

 3. After assuring that the five-year rule has been met, prepare a memo to the retirement 

system stating that the open season SF 2809 was submitted timely and should be 

accepted for processing. The retirement system will transfer in the old enrollment on 

an SF 2810 and then process the open season SF 2809. 

B. If you have processed the employee's open season change, but the employee retires before the 

change takes effect, do the following: 

 1. Void the SF 2809. Send a copy of the voided SF 2809 to both the old and the new 

carriers. 

 2. After assuring that the five-year rule has been met, prepare a memo to the retirement 

system stating: "Employee retired [date]. Open season SF 2809 dated [date] is void. 

 Accept a new open season SF 2809." 

 3. Attach the OPF copy of the memo to other health benefits documents (including the 

voided SF 2809) and the Individual Retirement Record when they are submitted to the 

retirement system. 

 4. Tell the employee that you voided the change. Have the employee complete a new SF 

2809. Handle the new form as discussed in paragraph C1 of this section. 

WHAT MUST YOU DO WHEN AN EMPLOYEE DIES? 

A. If you have processed an open season change, but the employee dies before the change takes 

effect, void the SF 2809. Send a copy of the voided SF 2809 to both the old and new carriers. 

B. If the employee had a self only enrollment, or had a self and family enrollment and there are 

no known survivors eligible to continue the enrollment: 

1. Complete an SF 2810 terminating the enrollment in effect at the time of death. In the 

"Remarks" section write: "Employee died [date]. Open season SF 2809 dated [date]

is void." 

 2. Attach a copy of the voided SF 2809 to the carrier's copy of the SF 2810, and send 

them to the carrier. 

C. If the employee had a self and family enrollment and there is at least one survivor who 

appears eligible to continue the enrollment: 

 1. Prepare a memo to the retirement system stating: "Employee died [date]. Open 

season SF 2809 dated [date] is void. Accept a new open season SF 2809 from the 

survivor if [he or she] wishes to make a change." 
5

 2. Send a copy of the voided SF 2809 to the carrier at the same time the death benefit 

application and/or other health benefits documents (including the voided SF 2809) 

with the Individual Retirement Record are forwarded to the retirement system. 

 3. Inform the survivor that you voided the change. Give him or her the opportunity to 

make an open season change. Handle the change as discussed in paragraph C1 of this 

section. If you are unable to contact the survivor, attach a notice to the records 

forwarded to the retirement system stating that the survivor should be informed of the 

open season opportunity. 

Please note the following important points to stress when you counsel individuals: 

 When transfer, retirement, or death occurs before the effective date of an open season 

change, the change must be processed by the new agency or the retirement system. 

 There will be a delay in processing the open season change until the new agency or the 

retirement system receives the paperwork. The enrollee and the carrier may not have a 

record of the enrollment change by the effective date of the change. 

 FEHB premiums will be collected by the new agency or the retirement system, 

effective on the transfer-in date. 

 

 Abby L. Block 

 Assistant Director 

 for Insurance Programs