United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 07-403 Date: August 28, 2007 

Subject: 2007 Federal Benefits Open Season: Ordering and Distribution of Materials 

This is the third Benefits Administration Letter (BAL) in our series of 2007 Federal 

Benefits Open Season BALs. The first BAL (07-401) provided an introduction to the 

new focus of the Federal Benefits Open Season which incorporates the Federal Flexible 

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

Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) 

Program. The second BAL (07-402) provided the ordering information for the Guide to 

Federal Benefits. This third BAL (07-403) provides instructions for the ordering and 

distribution of Open Season materials including program-specific materials. These 

materials will be available on our web site the week before Open Season begins. 

This year’s Federal Benefits Open Season will run from Monday, November 12 through 

Monday, December 10, 2007. 

Guide to Federal Benefits (formerly the FEHB Guide) 

The 2008 Guide will be available at www.opm.gov/insure/08/guides in early November 

and will contain important summary information and enrollment instructions on 

FSAFEDS, FEDVIP and FEHB. The Guide will also provide information on the plans 

participating in FEDVIP and FEHB including premium rates, benefits and availability. 

Guides can be downloaded and printed as needed which may be a better alternative if you 

need small quantities. The actual cost of items will vary, depending upon the various 

specifications and quantity. However, the most economical way of obtaining bulk 

quantities is to ride the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) printing requisition(s). 

See BAL 07-402 for additional information. 

We encourage you and your employees to visit www.opm.gov/insure for additional 

information about these benefit programs including enrollment information, links to plan 

websites, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The website will be updated 

regularly with current information. 

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FSAFEDS 

The following FSAFEDS materials will be available for Open Season: 

Overview/Eligible Expense Brochure 

This 8-1/2 x 11 inch full color brochure describes the program, how it works and how to 

enroll. It also provides an overview of the expenses eligible for reimbursement under the 

program. 

Agencies participating in FSAFEDS must keep a supply of FSAFEDS brochures on hand 

for reference and for distribution to employees who decide to enroll. These brochures 

must be readily accessible to employees. Employees should be allowed to take copies 

home for review. If an employee enrolls, he/she should keep the brochure. Please note 

that only the officially approved brochure should be distributed to employees. 

The FSAFEDS brochure will also be available in early November for downloading at 

www.FSAFEDS.com. 

Program Video 

This 12 minute video describes the program and how it works. It is available in a choice 

of three formats: CD-R, DVD and VHS formats. 

Open Season Poster Set 

This set of three 13x10 inch posters promote FSAFEDS awareness and the need to enroll 

during Open Season. 

Ordering Materials 

There is no charge for the FSAFEDS brochures, videos or posters. You can order these 

items by sending an email to fsafeds-hr@shps.com or by contacting 

bart.turney@shps.com or calling 1-502-267-3157. We want everyone to have these 

materials, but do ask that you coordinate within your agency. If you are from a field 

office and your headquarters office is ordering materials for you, please do not also order 

materials. 

Information about the Program will also be available in the Guide to Federal Benefits and 

at www.FSAFEDS.com, including information on eligibility, eligible expenses, 

enrollment and enrollment types (Dependent Care FSA, Health Care FSA and Limited 

Expense Health Care FSA). 

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Enrollment 

Employees must go to www.FSAFEDS.com to enroll in FSAFEDS. They cannot enroll 

through an agency self-service system such as Employee Express, EBIS, MyPay or 

Employee Personal Page. 

Please note: Enrollment in FSAFEDS does not carry over from year to year. If 

employees want to participate in 2008, they must make a new election. We encourage 

you and your employees to check the 2008 FEDVIP and FEHB brochures to see how any 

benefit changes may affect out-of-pocket health care expenses. In addition, all Federal 

agencies at the headquarters and installation levels must let the visually impaired know 

that FSAFEDS information is available and accessible on our web site at 

www.opm.gov/insure/pretax/fsa/index.asp as well as at www.FSAFEDS.com. If you 

have any questions, please contact us at fsa@opm.gov 

FEDVIP 

The following FEDVIP materials will be available for Open Season: 

Plan Brochures 

The FEDVIP plan brochures are the statements of benefits, exclusions, and limitations. 

The FEDVIP plan brochures look similar to the FEHB plan brochures and follow a 

standard format for ease in comparison. 

You must request FEDVIP plan brochures from each carrier listed in Attachment 1. Each 

FEDVIP plan will determine the number of brochures to send each agency based on the 

number of employees located at each agency. You should receive FEDVIP plan 

brochures by November 1, 2007. If you do not receive FEDVIP plan brochures by this 

date, please contact the carriers. Please refer to Attachment 1 for the list of carrier 

contacts for FEDVIP plan brochures. 

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. Employees should be allowed to take copies home for review. 

If an employee enrolls or changes plans, he/she should keep the brochure for that plan. 

The employee should return other brochures to the personnel office. Please note that 

only the officially approved brochures should be distributed to employees. 

All plan brochures will be available for downloading at 

www.opm.gov/insure/dentalvision. Please encourage your employees to use the website 

as their primary resource. The portable document format (PDF) brochures will be in the 

Adobe Acrobat 7.0 version. 

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Enrollment 

FEDVIP enrollments automatically continue from year to year like FEHB enrollments. 

FEDVIP enrollments also continue when enrolled employees retire. Employees who 

wish to enroll or to change or cancel their enrollment in a FEDVIP plan must do so by 

visiting the BENEFEDS website at www.BENEFEDS.com or by calling BENEFEDS at 

1-877-888-FEDS (1-877-888-3337), TTY 1-877-889-5680 during Open Season. 

Last year we allowed FEDVIP paper enrollment forms to be submitted because of 

unexpectedly high demands on the web site. The web site has been redesigned for ease 

of use and speed. Therefore, paper enrollment forms will not be used for FEDVIP this 

year, with very rare exceptions. If you have employees with absolutely no phone or 

Internet access during all of Open Season, please contact us at 

BENEFEDSPortal@opm.gov and we can make arrangements for enrollments. 

Please Note: Employees cannot enroll or change their enrollment in a FEDVIP plan 

using the Standard Form (SF) 2809 (Health Benefits Election Form) or through an 

agency self-service system such as Employee Express, PostalEase, EBIS, MyPay or 

Employee Personal Page. However, those sites may provide a link to 

www.BENEFEDS.com. 

Materials for the Visually Impaired 

Audio cassettes of FEDVIP plan brochures are not available. However, all of the plan 

brochures will be available at www.opm.gov/insure/dentalvision and will be compliant 

with Section 508 requirements for materials for the visually impaired. All Federal 

agencies at the headquarters and installation levels must let the visually impaired know 

that FEDVIP information is available and accessible on our web site. 

Any Questions? 

Please call 1-866-639-3917 for information on FEDVIP plans and rates. This number 

will be available from October 3 through December 10, 2007. Please contact the 

individual plans for specific plan information such as covered services, exclusions or 

limitations. A listing of the plans and their contact information is available at 

www.opm.gov/insure/dentalvision/plancontact.asp. Also, to enroll during Open Season 

or if you have questions on how to enroll, please contact BENEFEDS at 

www.BENEFEDS.com or at 1-877-888-FEDS (1-877-888-3337), TTY 1-877-889-5680. 

 If you have any other questions, please contact us at fedvip@opm.gov. 

FEHB PROGRAM 

The following FEHB materials will be available for Open Season: 

Plan Brochures 

The health plan brochures are the statements of benefits, exclusions and limitations. 

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Please encourage your employees (including those who are considering a plan change but 

have not yet decided) to use the electronic versions of the plan brochures that will be at 

www.opm.gov/insure/health. The PDF brochures will be in the Adobe Acrobat 7.0 

version. Plan brochures will also be available and accessible for the visually impaired at 

the same web site. Please refer to page six of this BAL for more information on FEHB 

materials for the visually impaired. 

We have attached a list of carrier contacts for ordering health plan brochures (Attachment 

2) and contact information, including street addresses, for submitting enrollment forms 

(Attachment 3) to Carriers for the 2007 FEHB Open Season. The list includes high 

deductible health plans (HDHPs), consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) as well as the 

traditional fee-for-service (FFS) plans, health maintenance organization (HMO) plans 

and HMO plans offering a point of service (POS) product. 

Shipping and Packing 

The plan brochures will be packaged in groups of 25 and boxed at up to 250 items per 

container. 

How Do We Get FFS Plan Brochures? 

FFS plans will ship a supply of their brochures to each of your designated distribution 

points. In addition, all plan brochures will be available at www.opm.gov/insure/health. 

FFS 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). 

How Do We Get HMO, CDHP, and HDHP Plan Brochures? 

You must order these brochures directly from the plans (see Attachment 2). The 

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

employees eligible to enroll in each plan, 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 estimated number of eligible employees (be sure to include Spouse Equity and 

Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) enrollees in this estimate); and 

the address to which the plan should ship the brochures. 

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

will send that number to each agency installation. 

How Do We Get Brochures for Plans with a POS Product? 

FFS plans with a POS product will ship a supply of their brochures to each of your 

designated distribution points. However, for HMO plans with a POS product, you must 

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order plan brochures directly from the plans as described above. 

What Should We Do with the Brochures? 

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. 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 should 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 

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). 

Materials for the Visually Impaired 

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

out the visually impaired and let them know that the audio cassette tapes and our web site 

will be available. Each plan brochure will be available at www.opm.gov/insure/health as 

a PDF in Adobe Acrobat 7.0 version and will be compliant with Section 508 

requirements for materials for the visually impaired. Please encourage your employees to 

visit www.opm.gov/insure/health. 

2008 FFS plan audio cassette tapes for the visually impaired will be available. These will 

be tone-indexed cassette tapes of the brochures for the open FFS plans. To order audio 

cassette tapes for the visually impaired, please use the contact list below: 

OPEN FFS PLAN CONTACTS 

FOR ORDERING AUDIO CASSETTE TAPES 

Plan Code Plan Name Contact Phone Fax 

47 APWU Jennifer Simon (410)424-1507 (410)424-1572 

10 & 11 BCBS Paula Spurway (202)942-1274 (202)942-1263 

31 GEHA Bunny Kimbrough (816)257-5500 

ext. 5104 

(816)257-3333 

41, 45, 48 Mail Handlers Gloria Gedrich (301)517-2032 (301)517-2127 

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

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Enrollment 

SF 2809 (Health Benefits Election Form) 

The following individuals may use the SF 2809 if they are eligible to enroll in or are 

currently enrolled in the FEHB Program: 

 Employees, including temporary employees eligible under Title 5 United States 

Code (U.S.C.) 8906a; 

 Annuitants (other than Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal 

Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuitants), including individuals 

receiving monthly compensation from the Office of Workers’ Compensation 

Programs (OWCP); 

 Former spouses eligible under the Spouse Equity provisions of FEHB law or 

similar statutes; and 

 Individuals eligible for temporary continuation of coverage (TCC), including: 

o Former employees (who separated from service); 

o Children who lose FEHB coverage; and 

o Former spouses who are not eligible under the Spouse Equity provisions 

of FEHB law. 

SF 2809 Ordering Information 

You may order the SF 2809 directly from the General Services Administration’s (GSA) 

Federal Supply Service using the normal FEDSTRIP/MILSTRIP procedures. Ordering 

information is provided below: 

Form Number Title of Form National Stock No Estimated Cost

SF 2809 Health Benefits Election Form 7540-01-231-6227 $29.19 per 100 

The SF 2809 can also be accessed at www.opm.gov/insure/health. Employees can also 

enroll or change their enrollment in an FEHB plan through an agency self-service system 

such as Employee Express, PostalEase, EBIS, MyPay or Employee Personal Page. (If 

your employees have access to any of these agency self-service systems, please keep that 

in mind when deciding how many forms to order.) 

FEHB Premiums 

OPM announces FEHB premium changes each year in a news release. However, agency 

payroll offices must not use these rates to update their payroll systems. OPM's Center for 

Financial Services will issue a BAL giving the official enrollee withholding and 

Government contribution rates and other information relevant to payroll offices. The 

BAL will also provide agencies with information on obtaining a compact disc containing 

the 2008 FEHB rates. 

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Any Questions? 

If you have any questions, please contact us at fehb@opm.gov. 

CONCLUSION 

We look forward to working with you in the upcoming 2007 Federal Benefits Open 

Season for enrollment for the 2008 Plan Year. Again, we encourage you and your 

employees to visit www.opm.gov/insure/health. Open Season materials will be available 

on our web site the week before Open Season begins. 

Sincerely, 

Howard Weizmann 

Deputy Director 

Enclosures 

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