United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Benefits Administration Letter 

 

Number: 07-204 Date: October 24, 2007

Subject: California wildfires and the FEHB, FEGLI, FEDVIP, FLTCIP and FSAFEDS 

Programs

Our hearts go out to those affected by the California wildfires. Here’s a quick update on how this 

disaster may affect our various benefit programs. 

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) 

We are contacting FEHB carriers to ask them to demonstrate maximum flexibility under 

their OPM contract, including the following: 

• We expect fee-for-service carriers to relax certain provisions such as their 

pre-certification requirement that the plan must be notified within two 

business days of an emergency admission. 

• We expect fee-for-service and HMOs to relax requirements about 

notification and levels of benefit payment when victims are taken to nonplan and/or non-PPO hospitals or other treatment centers. 

• We expect plans to make certain that FEHB members get additional 

supplies of medications as backup for emergency situations if necessary. 

Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI) 

The Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) has already 

instituted its expedited payment procedures. 

What Is the First Step for the Agency? 

If your agency receives information that one of your insured employees and/or insured 

family members was killed or accidentally dismembered as a result of the wildfires, 

please let us know by emailing fegli@opm.gov with whatever details you may have, 

including the enrollee’s name, even if you don't yet have all the information to certify 

the coverage and submit the claim form(s). Please put “California Wildfires” in the 

subject line of the email. 
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What Are the FEGLI Program's Expedited Procedures? 

We are waiving the requirements for a death certificate for deaths in this situation. 

OFEGLI will accept a written statement from the agency that the insured was in the 

area affected by the California wildfires when the death occurred and perished in the 

wildfires, or to the best of their knowledge, the insured is missing and presumed (or 

confirmed) dead. 

If such a statement is not available, OFEGLI will consider whatever information is 

available, including newspaper accounts or information from other reliable sources, 

including reliable sites on the Internet. 

Should Agencies Annotate FEGLI Claim Forms? 

Yes, this will help immensely. Please indicate on any claim forms and certification 

forms sent to OFEGLI that such an incident is a California Wildfires Claim. That will 

help OFEGLI know that special expedited procedures should be followed. 

Where Should Agencies Send the FEGLI Claim Forms and Certifications? 

Please send such claims to the same address you use for other FEGLI claims - OFEGLI, 

P.O. Box 2627, Jersey City, NJ 07303-2627 and write “California Wildfires Claim” on 

the front of the envelope. You may wish to send the claims via an overnight service in 

which case you must use a street address (OFEGLI, 2 Montgomery Street, Jersey City, 

NJ 07302-3802, phone 1-800-633-4542). 

Federal Employees Dental Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) 

We do not anticipate any service disruptions since Dental Plans and Vision Plans in 

California are nationwide. Please contact us at FEDVIP@opm.gov if there are any 

issues with FEDVIP claims that are causing a hardship on affected employees and their 

families.

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) 

FLTCIP enrollees who live in the affected areas and miss premium payments during 

this time of crisis will not have their coverage cancelled. Long Term Care Partners will 

work with these enrollees at a later time to bring their accounts up to date. 

Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) 

We do not anticipate any difficulties with FSAFEDS allotments resulting from the 

wildfires. Please contact us at fsa@opm.gov if there are any issues with FSAFEDS 

claims that are causing a hardship on affected employees and their families. 

Thank you for your help in providing the best possible service for your affected employees and 

their families. 

Kathleen M. McGettigan 

Deputy Associate Director 

Center for Retirement and Insurance Services