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

Payroll Office Letter

 

Number: P-99–24 Date : November 3, 1999

Subject: YEAR 2000 FEHB OPEN SEASON INFORMATION

This letter discusses the information to be used by agency payroll offices for the Year 2000

Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program Open Season.

OFFICIAL YEAR 2000 WITHHOLDING AND CONTRIBUTION RATES (EXHIBIT A);

The Year 2000 premium rates are effective with the first full pay period beginning after

December 31, 1999. The premium rates contained in this letter are the official rates. These rates

are the only premium rates payroll offices should use for withholdings and contributions for pay

periods beginning after December 31, 1999.

The rates for Year 2000 are available in two media:

1) A printed copy of the rates is included with this letter as EXHIBIT A.

2) A computer-readible 3.5” diskette, containing ASCII and DBF file formats. If you would

like a diskette, please email you request to us at finance@opm.gov.

For 2001, we are seeking to develop the capability to provide FEHB premium rates for

downloading on the OPM website. We will provide you with more details as they are

ascertained. 

SIGNIFICANT YEAR 2000 PLAN CHANGES

Please refer to Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) 99-411 for the significant events affecting

participating plans during the Year 2000 Open Season. BAL 99-411 identifies plans that will

participate in the Program for the first time in Year 2000, those that will terminate their

participation, those with name changes, etc. We suggest you obtain a copy of BAL 99-411 by

downloading it from the OPM website at http://www.opm.gov/asd, or obtaining it from the Health

Benefits Officer in your agency’s personnel office. If you cannot obtain a copy in either of these

ways, we will provide you one.
 

Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System

TERMINATION OF PLANS IN FEHBP

This is to advise you of the termination of the following three health plans effective,

December 31, 1999:

• Healthcare of Puerto Rico (code 7U)

• Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England (code 70) and

• Athens Health Plan Select (code 8Y)

We were notified of these events too late in the process to eliminate them from Exhibit A and

from the diskettes. There will be a Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) in reference to this

matter and that will be available on the OPM website at Http://www.opm.gov/asd.

ADDRESSES FOR HEALTH PLANS (EXHIBIT B)

Exhibit B contains the most current addresses we have on file for the plans that will participate

in the Program during Year 2000. These are the official addresses you should use to mail

enrollment documents and enrollment reconciliation-related information.

TIMELY PROCESSING OF ENROLLMENT DOCUMENTS

Many carriers participating in the FEHB Program still express difficulty in reconciling their

enrollment records with agency payroll offices. To help address this problem, copies of the

Health Benefits Registration Form (SF2809) must not be accumulated for more than one week

during Open Season before forwarding it to the plans. Please also ensure that the "losing" plans

receive their copies of the SF2809 in a timely manner. Your accurate and timely processing of

SF2809's during the Open Season will help decrease the number of enrollment discrepancies

encountered.

The accurate and timely processing of enrollment documents has become even more important

as a consequence of a recent regulation. This regulation provides FEHB plans the authority to

terminate the enrollment of individuals for whom the plan cannot reconcile enrollment with the

employing agency. Please refer to Payroll Office Letter P-99-06 for additional guidance on the

new disenrollment rules.

INQUIRIES

If you should have questions about the matters discussed in this letter, please contact us on

(202) 606-0680 or via email at finance@opm.gov.
 

Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System

Robert A. Yuran, Chief

Financial Policy Staff

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Enclosures