United States Office of Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency 

Tribal Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 21-703 Date: October 8, 2021 

Subject: 2021 FEHB Open Season for Tribal 

Employees: FEHB Program Significant Plan Changes 

This Tribal Benefits Administration Letter (TBAL) is the third and final in our 

series of 2021 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season for 

Tribal Employees TBALs. This TBAL provides information on significant plan 

changes for the FEHB Program for 2022. This year’s Open Season for Tribal 

Employees will run from Monday, November 8, through Monday, December 

13, 2021. 

This TBAL 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 to this TBAL identifies the 

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

require action on the part of tribal employers and tribal employees. 

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

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

Season or their Tribal employer will enroll them in GEHA Indemnity Benefit 

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

by OPM). To inform employees of these terminating plans, please distribute 

this list to your employees. It is your responsibility to monitor employees 

who are covered by these terminating plans and follow up with those who 

have not submitted an enrollment change before the end of Open Season. 

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. 
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For Tables 1 and 2 

• Table 1: Plans Leaving the FEHB Program and 

• Table 2: Plans Reducing Service Areas and Terminating Enrollment 

Codes 

What Must Tribal Employees Do? 

• Tribal 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 

FEHB plan, they will be enrolled in GEHA Indemnity Benefit Plan 

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

determined by OPM). See Tribal Benefits Administration Letter 16-601 

Enrollment Options Following the Termination of a Plan or Plan Option

for additional information on how to automatically enroll individuals 

who do not make an enrollment election during the allotted time 

period.

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

will be effective beginning January 1, 2022. FEHB 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 FEHB 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 tribal employees with your tribal 

employer’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 tribal employees still might not receive 

instructions to change plans during Open Season. We encourage you 

to accept belated Open Season changes up until the beginning of 2022 

plan year from tribal employees enrolled in terminating plans or plans 

with service area reductions and terminating enrollment codes. After 

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

belated Open Season changes to ensure the circumstances that 
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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 FEHB enrollees of the need to select new FEHB plans for 2022; 

however, because some plans’ enrollment and address lists may not be upto-date, we encourage you to accept belated changes.

For Table 3 

• Table 3: Plans Terminating Option and Enrollment Codes 

What Must Employees Do? 

• Tribal employees in the plan dropping an option and enrollment codes 

(Table 3) will be automatically enrolled into the plan option that is 

identified in the attached table unless they enroll in another plan 

during Open Season. See Tribal Benefits Administration Letter 16-601 

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 January 1, 2022.

What Must You Do? 

• Advise your tribal 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 

specified in Table 3. 

• Distribute copies of this list to tribal employees with your tribal 

employer’s notice about Open Season.

• Follow up with tribal 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 tribal employees still might not receive 

instructions regarding their plan dropping an option. We encourage 

you to accept belated Open Season changes up until the beginning 0f 

2022 plan year from tribal 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.
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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 tribal employees and place your order 

for brochures. Plan contact information is available on our website at 

www.opm.gov/plancontacts. 

We encourage you and your tribal employees to visit our website at 

www.opm.gov/tribalprograms 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 tribal employees have a 

successful Open Season. 

Sincerely, 

Laurie Bodenheimer 

Associate Director

Healthcare and Insurance 
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Encl.:

Attachment 1: FEHB Program Significant Plan Changes

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