Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System

United States

Office of 

Personnel Management

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service

 Benefits Administration Letter

 

Number: 99-410 Date: September 17, 1999 

Subject: Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: Enrollment and

Reconciliation Issues

We would like to address a few areas to make enrollment reconciliation and 1999 open season

enrollment changes work smoother and better.

The Office of Insurance Programs is still receiving reports from our Federal Employees Health

Benefits (FEHB) Program carriers indicating they are not receiving quarterly reconciliation

reports from some employing offices. We have assisted several carriers by contacting the

employing offices that failed to submit the reports.

We want to remind all employing offices of their obligation to provide quarterly reconciliation

reports as specified in Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) 99-206, issued on February 17,

1999. Employing offices are required administratively, and now also by regulation, to provide the

reports in a format and containing information as specified in OPM Payroll Office Letter 92-06,

issued on March 24, 1992. This letter was reissued with Payroll Office Letter 97-06 on March

27, 1997. Please ensure that all personnel actions are processed timely so correct and up to date

information is included in the quarterly reports.

As also indicated in BAL 99-206, employing offices must provide documentation to resolve any

discrepancies the carrier discovers between its enrollment records and the quarterly report. Under

the new disenrollment regulations, carriers may disenroll individuals if they do not receive the

necessary documentation within 31 days of a request.

Needless to say, we do not want to see individuals wrongfully disenrolled due to incorrect

information being supplied on quarterly reconciliation reports or employing offices failing to

respond timely to carrier requests for information to resolve discrepancies. Providing timely,

accurate quarterly reconciliation reports and settling any enrollment discrepancies that arise will

save unnecessary work and frustration for both employing offices and enrollees.
We also want to remind employing offices of the proper use of the SF 2810 when individuals

separate from Federal service. BAL 98-207, issued on October 21, 1998, should have cleared up

any confusion over elimination of the transfer-out SF 2810. As indicated in the BAL, properly

completed SF 2810s must be forwarded to carriers when individuals leave Federal service.

In light of the considerable public awareness of potential year 2000 (Y2K) systems problems,

individuals who make open season enrollments and enrollment changes may be very anxious to

receive their new ID cards. To avoid heightened enrollee concern it is imperative that agencies

process open season changes on a daily basis. The carriers will then have time to complete the

work necessary to issue ID cards prior to January 1, 2000.

The BALs referenced in this letter are available on our web site at http://www.opm.gov/asd. If

you have any questions, contact Jay Fritz of my staff at 202/606-0004 or JDFRITZ@opm.gov.

Abby L. Block, Chief

 Insurance Policy 

 and Information Division