Civil Service 

Retirement 

System 

Federal Employees’ 

Group Life 

Insurance Program 

Federal Employees 

Health Benefits 

Program 

Federal Employees 

Retirement 

System 

Long Term 

Care Insurance 

Program 

United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 02-403 Date: August 28, 2002 

Subject: 2002 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program Open Season: 

Ordering and Distribution of Material 

OVERVIEW 

Open Season Materials 

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prepares open season materials for employees and 

other FEHB enrollees to use during the open season and throughout the year. 

The following materials will be available during the 2002 open season: 

• 2003 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans (FEHB Guides). There are 

different FEHB Guides for various groups of enrollees. They contain a comparison chart 

giving general information about the plans and their benefits and premiums, the annual 

FEHB customer satisfaction survey results, and information on which plans are 

accredited by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA), the Joint 

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and the American 

Accreditation Healthcare Commission (URAC). 

• Plan brochures. These brochures are the statements of benefits, exclusions, and 

limitations. 

• Materials for the visually impaired. 

• SF 2809 (Health Benefits Election Form) 

Shipping and Packing 
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Printing contractors will continue to use color-coded shipping labels to distinguish between 

FEHB Guides (goldenrod) and plan brochures (pink). FEHB Guides and plan brochures will 

be packaged in groups of 25 and boxed at up to 250 items per container. 

FEHB GUIDES 

Names and Numbers 

• 2003 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for Federal Civilian Employees 

(RI 70-1). Most employees use this Guide. The rates shown are the enrollee's share of the 

biweekly and monthly premiums. [The corresponding Guide for Postal employees is RI 70-

2.] 

• 2003 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for TCC and Former Spouse 

Enrollees (RI 70-5). This Guide shows the monthly premiums for Spouse Equity enrollees 

(total premium) and Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) enrollees (total premium 

plus 2 percent administrative add-on). 

• 2003 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for Certain Temporary 

Employees (those eligible to enroll in FEHB under 5 U.S.C. 8906a) (RI 70-8). This Guide 

shows the full biweekly and monthly premiums (without a Government contribution) for 

eligible temporary employees. 

 

How Do We Get the Guides? 

We will arrange to have supplies of the FEHB Guides shipped to your designated shipping 

points. In addition, you can download and print all of the FEHB Guides from our FEHB web 

site: www.opm.gov/insure. 

How Many Guides Do We Get? 

You will receive an amount of RI 70-1 and RI 70-8 equal to 25% of your agency’s 

population, unless you request a smaller amount. We understand that some agencies require 

a wider distribution of printed material. We will work with you to make additional printed 

copies available in those cases. Call (202) 606-0623 for more information on how to order 

additional printed copies. 

We will print the RI 70-5 in the same quantities as in the past (an amount equal to 111 % of 

your agency's TCC and Spouse Equity population). 

What Should We Do with the Guides? 

Since the RI 70-1 and RI 70-8 will not be printed in sufficient quantities to give a personal 

copy to each employee, you must notify employees of the availability of these Guides before 

open season begins. You should give employees the name of an agency person to contact to 

get copies of the guides, if they are considering making a change during open season and 

don’t wish to access the guides on our web site. 
3

PLEASE NOTE: To help you easily distinguish between the Guides, RI 70-5 (for 

TCC/Spouse Equity enrollees) and RI 70-8 (for temporary employees) will be 

different colors. RI 70-5 will be printed on light green paper, and RI 70-8 will be 

printed on buff paper. 

You should hold a quantity of RI 70-1 and RI 70-8 in reserve for use during calendar year 

2003. Throughout the year, you must give the appropriate FEHB Guide to new employees 

and others who become eligible to participate in the FEHB Program. 

You are responsible for distributing RI 70-5 to the Spouse Equity and TCC enrollees whose 

enrollments you maintain. (Those agencies for which the National Finance Center maintains 

these accounts do not have this responsibility). 

Can We Order More? 

You can order limited additional quantities after January 1, 2003. Only agency headquarters 

Insurance Officers can submit a request for additional Guides. We will not fill a request 

from an agency field office. 

Fax your request to: OPM/RIS, Forms Analysis and Design, Room 4H28, ATTN: RI-[insert 

the number of the Guide being ordered]. The FAX number is (202) 606-0910. 

Be sure to include the shipping address and an agency contact and telephone number. 

PLAN BROCHURES 

 All Plan brochures are available for downloading from the FEHB web site: 

www.opm.gov/insure. Please encourage your employees to use the web site as their 

primary resource. 

How Do We Get Fee-for-Service Plan Brochures? 

Fee-for-service plans will ship a supply of their brochures to each of your designated 

distribution points. 

How Do We Get Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Plan Brochures? 

You must order HMO brochures directly from the plans. We will provide you with a list of 

plan contacts for this purpose in a later BAL. 

The personnel official designated for each agency installation must determine the number of 

employees working at or serviced by the installation who are eligible to enroll in each HMO, 

i.e., the number of employees located in the plan's service area. The installation must then 

contact each plan in its area and provide the plan with the following: 

• An estimate of the number of eligible employees (Be sure to include Spouse Equity 

and TCC enrollees in this estimate) 

 • The address to which the plan should ship the brochures
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The plan will then ship a supply of brochures directly to the installation. 

How Do We Get Brochures for Plans with a Point of Service Product? 

Fee-for-service plans with a point of service product will ship a supply of their brochures to 

each of your designated distribution points. 

For HMOs with a point of service product, you must order plan brochures directly from the 

plans as described above. 

How Many Brochures Do We Get? 

Fee-for-service plans will get a distribution list that shows the quantity they are to ship to 

each distribution point (generally 15 % of the eligible FEHB population). 

Agencies order HMO (and HMO point of service) brochures directly from the plans. The 

plans will compute a quantity equal to 15 % of the number of eligible employees and will 

send that number to each agency. 

What Should We Do with Them? 

Each employee currently enrolled will receive a brochure directly from his/her plan. 

You must keep a supply of brochures on hand for reference and for distribution to employees 

who decide to enroll or change plans. These brochures must be readily accessible to 

employees. 

Maintain close control over issuing plan brochures. Employees should be allowed to take 

copies home for review. If an employee enrolls or changes health plans, he/she should keep 

the brochure for that plan. The employee must promptly return other brochures to the 

personnel office. 

You must give your Spouse Equity and TCC enrollees the same access to brochures as 

employees. Tell your Spouse Equity and TCC enrollees how to obtain brochures and SF 

2809 enrollment forms if they are interested in changing plans. The employing office 

maintaining the enrollment should tell the individual to call the plan at the telephone number 

listed in the FEHB Guide if they cannot fill a request for a brochure. (e.g., if the enrollee 

lives in an area not served by the plans for which the employing office has brochures) 

How Do We Order More Brochures? 

You must request additional brochures directly from the plans. 

MATERIAL FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED 

What Is Available? 

• 2003 Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans for Federal Civilian Employees 
5

(RI 70-10). The content in this Guide is the same as in RI 70-1, but it is printed in large type 

on 11" x 17" paper. 

• 2003 fee-for-service plan cassette tapes for visually impaired employees. These are toneindexed cassette tapes of the brochures for the open fee-for-service plans. 

All of the information in the FEHB Guides, as well as each health plan brochure, is available on 

the FEHB web site in electronic formats suitable for the visually impaired. 

How Do We Get RI 70-10? 

OPM will arrange to have supplies of RI 70-10 shipped to your headquarters distribution 

points based on the quantities indicated by headquarters Insurance Officers. This amount 

should be sufficient for open season use, as well as for distribution to visually impaired 

employees who become eligible to enroll during 2003. 

Agency headquarters Insurance Officers may order additional copies by calling (202) 606-

0623. Be sure to include the shipping address and an agency contact and telephone number. 

How Do We Get Cassette Tapes? 

You must order cassette tapes directly from the open fee-for-service plans. A list of plan 

contacts to use for ordering the tapes is attached. 

Agency Responsibilities 

All Federal agencies at the headquarters and installation levels must take steps to seek out 

visually impaired employees and to let them know that the large-print FEHB Guide, the cassette 

tapes, and the FEHB web site are available. All of the information in the FEHB Guides, as 

well as each health plan brochure, is also available in electronic formats accessible to the 

visually impaired on the website. Please encourage your employees to visit the website at 

www.opm.gov/insure.

SF 2809 (HEALTH BENEFITS ELECTION FORM) 

Ordering SF 2809 

You must order the SF 2809 from General Services Administration (GSA) supply centers, just as 

you order any other OPM-issued Standard Forms, using the normal FEDSTRIP/MILSTRIP 

procedures. Contact your purchasing or acquisitions office for your agency's procedures. The 

SF 2809 should also be available from GSA Customer Service Centers. 

The SF 2809 is not available from OPM; however it is available on our web site: 

www.opm.gov/insure/health/sf2809.htm. 

If your employees have access to Employee Express to make open season changes, you should 

keep this in mind when determining how large a supply of the SF 2809 you need to order. 
6

What Should We Do with the Form? 

You must keep sufficient quantities of the SF 2809 available to handle employee requests, 

both during open season and throughout the year. You must give the form to employees, 

Spouse Equity, and TCC enrollees who are enrolled in plans that will not be participating in 

the FEHB Program in 2003. 

PREMIUMS 

OPM announces premium changes each year in a news release. Agency payroll offices, 

however, must not use these rates to update their payroll systems. OPM's Office of Systems, 

Finance, and Administration will issue a Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) giving the 

official enrollee withholding rates and Government contribution rates and other information 

relevant to payroll offices. The BAL will also provide agencies with information on obtaining a 

PC-compatible floppy disk containing the 2003 FEHB rates. 

WEBSITE 

The 2003 Open Season website will be up no later than November 1, 2002. All 2003 Open 

Season information including plan brochures, FEHB Guides, plan rates and more will be easily 

accessible from the site. All of the information in the FEHB Guides, as well as each health 

plan brochure, is also available in electronic formats accessible to the visually impaired on 

the website. All Federal agencies at the headquarters and installation levels must take steps to 

seek out visually impaired employees and let them know that the FEHB web site is available. 

We encourage you and your employees to visit the website at www.opm.gov/insure. The 

website will be updated regularly with current information including new plan terminations and 

more. 

 

 Abby L. Block 

 Assistant Director 

 for Insurance Programs 

Attachment 
7

PLAN CONTACTS FOR ORDERING AUDIO CASSETTE TAPES 

PLAN CONTACT PHONE FAX

Alliance Cal Foster (202) 939-6369 (202) 939-6389 

APWU Ken Perlberg (301) 622-5731 (301) 622-5717 

BC/BS Paula Spurway (202) 942-1274 (202) 942-1263 

GEHA Lisa McDonald (816) 257-3334 (816) 257-3333 

Mail Handlers Gloria Gedrich (301) 517-2032 (301) 517-2127 

NALC Cal Engle (703) 729-8101 (703) 729-8109 

PBP Health Plan Linda Griffin (703) 683-1664 (703) 683-2937