Family Member Verifica�on Annual No�ce

Federal law prescribes which family members may be covered under your Federal Employees Health 

Benefits (FEHB) Program plan. This annual no�fica�on from OPM and your employing agency requires 

you to review eligibility rules and verify that your family members are eligible to be covered under your 

plan. Please carefully review the following eligibility informa�on (also available in the Family Members

sec�on of the FEHB Handbook) and ensure that all your family members are eligible to be covered. If 

you have family members covered by your enrollment who are no longer eligible, you must contact the 

DLA Benefits Center to remove them immediately. We may request documenta�on of eligibility at any 

�me and documenta�on is required if you make a change to your FEHB enrollment. 

It is your responsibility to verify that covered family members are eligible and to work with the DLA 

Benefits Center or your FEHB Carrier to remove any family members who become ineligible. In most 

cases ineligible family members will not be removed automa�cally. Not verifying the eligibility of 

covered family members leads to the risk of fraud and improper payments, and ul�mately may result in 

higher premiums for the en�re group. As a reminder, any inten�onally false statement or willful 

misrepresenta�on, such as including an ineligible family member on your health insurance coverage, is a 

viola�on of the law punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment of not more than 5 

years, or both (18 USC 1001), and may be subject to inves�ga�on. 

Below is a summary of which family members are eligible for coverage. For full details, please visit the 

Family Members section of the FEHB Handbook. 

Which family members may I cover? 

Your current spouse 

By law, you cannot cover a former spouse under your enrollment in an FEHB Program plan, even if there 

is a court order requiring you to provide health insurance. See informa�on regarding former spouses in 

the “Which family members are not eligible?” sec�on below. 

If you are in a valid marriage or common law marriage, then your spouse is eligible for FEHB coverage. A 

common law marriage must be ini�ated in a state that recognizes common law marriages for the 

marriage to be considered valid. 

Your children under age 26 

Your children under the age of 26 are eligible for FEHB coverage if they are your: 

• Biological children, 

• Legally adopted children, 

• Stepchildren, 

• Foster children for whom you are the primary source of financial support and with whom you 

have a parent-child rela�onship (you cannot add a foster child without approval from the

DLA Benefits Center. 
Note: In the case of a stepchild, the birth cer�ficate must list your current spouse as parent, and you 

must also verify your spouse’s eligibility even if you are not enrolling your spouse. In most cases, your 

stepchild loses coverage a�er your divorce or annulment from, or the death of, the parent. 

Your married child is eligible to be covered under your FEHB plan, but their spouse and/or children are 

not eligible to be covered under your enrollment. 

Except as noted below, once your child reaches age 26, they are no longer eligible as a family member 

and must be removed from your FEHB enrollment. 

Your adult child who is incapable of self-support 

Your disabled child over the age of 26 who is incapable of financially suppor�ng themselves because of a 

physical or mental disability is eligible for FEHB coverage if: 

• their physical or mental disability existed before the age of 26; and 

• their disability is expected to con�nue for at least a year. 

Which family members are not eligible? 

• Your former spouse is not eligible once your divorce is finalized. 

• Your children are no longer eligible upon their 26th birthday (unless determined to be incapable 

of self-support). 

• Your parents are not eligible. 

• Grandchildren are not eligible unless they meet the requirements to be considered a foster child 

as determined by the DLA Benefits Center.

• Domes�c partners are not eligible. 

What do I do if one of my family members is no longer eligible? 

You must no�fy the DLA Benefits Center within 60 days of a family member becoming ineligible. The 

DLA Benefits Center will inform your family member of their op�on to enroll in FEHB for themselves 

under Temporary Con�nua�on of Coverage (TCC) or as a Former Spouse. In addi�on, you may also have 

the opportunity to change your plan or enrollment type. 

How do I verify that my family member is s�ll eligible? 

You can find more detail about how to verify your family member’s eligibility in the Family Members

sec�on of the FEHB Handbook on OPM’s website. Please contact the DLA Benefits Center for assistance.