United States Office of Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 21-403 Date: October 8, 2021 

Subject: 2021 Federal Benefits Open Season: 

Significant Plan Changes 

This Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) is the third and final in our series of 

2021 Federal Benefits Open Season BALs for the Federal Flexible Spending 

Account Program (FSAFEDS), the Federal Employees Dental and Vision 

Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Employees Health Benefits 

(FEHB) Program. This BAL provides information on significant FEHB plan 

changes for 2022. 

There are no significant changes for 2022 for FSAFEDS or FEDVIP. 

This year’s Federal Benefits Open Season will run from Monday, November 8 

through Monday, December 13, 2021. 

FEHB Program

The remainder of this letter provides important information on the significant 

changes affecting certain plans in the FEHB Program for the upcoming Open 

Season. 

Attachment 1: FEHB Significant Plan Changes identifies those FEHB 

plans and their corresponding significant changes. Some of these events will 

require action on the part of agencies and enrollees. 

There are five plans leaving the FEHB Program at the end of 2021. 

Employees in these terminating plans must enroll in a new plan during Open 

Season or their employing agency will enroll them in GEHA Indemnity 

Benefit Plan Elevate (the lowest-cost nationwide plan option for 2022 as 

determined by OPM). See Benefit Administration Letter 16-202 Enrollment 

Options Following the Termination of a Plan or Plan Option for additional 
Benefits Administration Letter 21-403 

2 

information on how to automatically enroll individuals who do not make an 

enrollment election during the allotted time period. This BAL provides 

specific instructions on how his happens. 

Please distribute the attached list of significant FEHB plan changes to all 

employees so they can check to see if they will be affected by 2022 FEHB 

plan or service area terminations. 

For Tables 1 and 2 

• Table 1: Plans Leaving the FEHB Program 

• Table 2: Plans Reducing Service Areas and Terminating Enrollment 

Codes

What Must Employees Do? 

• Employees in terminating plans (Table 1) or service area reductions 

with terminating enrollment codes (Table 2) must enroll in a new 

health plan during Open Season. If they do not enroll in a new plan, 

their employing agency will enroll them in GEHA Indemnity Benefit 

Plan Elevate (the lowest-cost nationwide plan option for 2022 as 

determined by OPM). 

• New Coverage: Coverage under an enrollee’s new health plan will be 

effective the first day of the pay period beginning on or after January 

1, 2022; for most employees this will be Sunday, January 2, 

2022. Enrollees will remain covered and receive the 2021 benefits of 

the old plan until coverage under the new plan becomes effective.

What Must You Do? 

• You must notify employees enrolled in the plans listed in Table 1 and 

Table 2 to select new plans. Advise your employees if they do not 

choose new plans, they will be enrolled in GEHA Indemnity Benefit 

Plan Elevate (the lowest-cost nationwide plan option for 2022 as 

determined by OPM). 

• Distribute copies of this list to employees with your agency’s notice 

about Open Season along with copies of Attachment 2: FastFacts -

What to do When Your Health Plan is Terminating Coverage in 

Your Area or Leaving the Federal Employees Health Benefits 

(FEHB) Program.

• Follow up with employees in these plans and remind them to select 

new plans.

• Belated changes: Some employees still might not receive 

instructions to change plans during Open Season. We encourage you 

to accept belated Open Season changes from employees enrolled in 
Benefits Administration Letter 21-403 

3 

terminating plans or plans with service area reductions and 

terminating enrollment codes up until the beginning of 2022 plan year. 

After the beginning of the plan year, more closely review any requests 

for belated Open Season changes to ensure the circumstances that 

prevented a timely enrollment change were truly beyond the 

employee’s control.

What Will Health Plans Do? 

Plan Notification: The plans in Table 1 and Table 2 have been instructed 

to notify enrollees of the need to select new plans for 2022; however, as

some plans’ enrollment and address lists may not be up to date, we 

encourage you to accept belated changes. 

For Table 3 

• Table 3: Plans Terminating Options and Enrollment Codes 

What Must Employees Do? 

• Employees in a plan dropping an option (Table 3) may choose a new 

health plan during Open Season or remain with their current plan and 

their FEHB plan will switch their coverage into the plan’s option 

specified in Table 3. See Benefit Administration Letter 16-202 

Enrollment Options Following the Termination of a Plan or Plan Option. 

New Coverage: Coverage under an enrollee’s new health plan or 

option will be effective the first day of the pay period beginning on or 

after January 1, 2022; for most employees this will be Sunday, 

January 2, 2022. Enrollees will remain covered and receive the 2021 

benefits of the old plan or option until coverage under the new plan 

becomes effective.

What Must You Do? 

• Advise your employees who are enrolled in the plan that is dropping an 

option (Table 3) that if they do not choose a new health plan, they 

will be automatically transferred into the plan’s option as specified in 

Table 3. 

• Distribute copies of this list to employees with your agency’s notice 

about Open Season.

• Follow up with employees in the plan and remind them that if they do 

not choose a new health plan, they will be automatically transferred 

into the plan’s option specified in Table 3. 

• Belated changes: Some employees still might not receive 

instructions regarding their plan dropping an option. We encourage 
Benefits Administration Letter 21-403 

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you to accept all belated Open Season changes up until the beginning 

of 2022 plan year from employees enrolled in the plan dropping an 

option listed in Table 3. After the beginning of the plan year, more 

closely review any requests for belated Open Season changes to 

ensure the circumstances that prevented a timely enrollment change 

were truly beyond the employee’s control.

What Will the Health Plan Do? 

• Plan Notification: The plans in Table 3 have been instructed to 

notify enrollees that their current plan option is being discontinued and 

that if they do not change to another plan during Open Season, they 

will be switched automatically into the plan’s option specified in Table 

3. 

For Tables 4 through 9 

• Table 4: Plans Adding New Options and Enrollment Codes 

• Table 5: Service Area Expansions Without New Enrollment Codes 

• Table 6: Service Area Expansions Adding New Enrollment Codes 

• Table 7: New Plan Entering the FEHB Program 

• Table 8: Plans Changing Name 

• Table 9: Plans Changing Names of Existing Plan Options 

What Must You Do? 

You must include the plans with new options, the plans with expanded 

service areas, and the new plans entering the FEHB Program (Tables 4-7) 

when you count the number of eligible employees and place your order for 

brochures. Plan contact information is available on our website at 

www.opm.gov/plancontacts. 

Conclusion 

We encourage you and your employees to visit our website at 

www.opm.gov/openseason for the most up-to-date information. Please note 

that 2022 plan information will be posted on our website in November. We 

look forward to working with you to ensure Federal employees have a 

successful Open Season. 

Sincerely, 

Laurie Bodenheimer 

Associate Director 

Healthcare and Insurance 
Benefits Administration Letter 21-403 

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Encl.: 

Attachment 1: FEHB Significant Plan Changes 

Attachment 2: FastFact: What to do When Your Health Plan is Terminating 

Coverage in Your Area or Leaving the Federal Employees Health Benefits 

(FEHB) Program