Open season set for three civilian benefit programs Published Nov. 3, 2011 By Kathryn Iapichino, Benefits Counselor Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Office of Personnel Management officials have announced open season for three civilian benefit programs will be Nov. 14 through Dec. 12. Those programs are the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program and Federal Flexible Spending Account. Federal Employees Health Benefits Premiums for the 2011 FEHB program will increase 3.8 percent, half of last year's 7.3 percent increase. There are many plan choices in 2011, including high-deductible and consumer driven health plans. Employees should review their health care coverage during open season, not only to make desired changes, but to ensure their plan continues to meet their medical needs, or has not been altered or discontinued. Employees should also review their plan premiums for 2011 since some will see bi-weekly cost increases. To review 2011 FEHB premium costs, open season comparison guides and individual plan brochures, go to www.opm.gov/insure/health/planinfo/index.asp. Air Force-serviced civilian employees can make their FEHB open season enrollments or changes by one of two methods: the Employee Benefits Information System or Benefits and Entitlements Service Team phone system. EBIS, a secure web application, is located behind the Air Force Portal and AFPC secure website. Employees making an election via EBIS have the advantage of printing a copy of the Standard Form 2809, Health Benefits Election Form, as soon as they complete the election. Employees in the U.S. who want to use the BEST automated phone system can call 800-525-0102: press 2 for civilian employees, then 2 for benefits and entitlements, and follow the prompts. Employees overseas can dial the AT&T toll-free direct access number for the country they are in, then 800- 525-0102. Go to www.usa.att.com/traveler/index.jsp for direct access numbers. Hearing impaired employees may call the TDD line at 800-382-0893, or commercial 210-565-2276 within San Antonio. Counselors are available Sunday from 3 to 11 p.m.; Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., central time. The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program provides supplemental dental and vision insurance coverage. FEDVIP is group coverage under which employees pay 100 percent of the premiums. Four plans offer nationwide and overseas dental coverage, and several regional plans are available to choose from this open season. There are three vision plans to choose from, and all plans provide nationwide as well as overseas coverage. Three enrollment categories are available: self only, self plus one, and self and family. Coverage and benefits vary, but they generally include preventive-care services, oral and eye exams, orthodontia, and a variety of eye- and oral-care products and procedures. FEDVIP and FEHB are entirely separate programs. Federal employees eligible to enroll in the FEHB program may enroll in FEDVIP, even if they have not enrolled in FEHB. Eligibility is the key. FEDVIP enrollment automatically continues from year-to-year like FEHB enrollment. FEDVIP enrollment also continues when enrolled employees retire. There is no five-year rule and employees cannot cancel FEDVIP coverage due to retirement alone. Federal employees who want to enroll, change plans, or cancel their enrollment in FEDVIP during the open season must visit the BENEFEDS website at https://www.benefeds.com or call BENEFEDS toll-free at 877-888-3337 or TTY 877-889-5680. BENEFEDS will turn off open season enrollment functions at midnight eastern time, Dec. 12. The enrollment process involves two steps. First, enrollees must create a BENEFEDS.com account by providing demographic and employment information. When this one-time step is complete, eligible employees can compare plans and enroll. The 2012 coverage plan will be effective Jan. 1. For Air Force-serviced employees, premium deductions will begin with the pay period beginning Jan. 1, and will be reflected in the leave and earnings statement for that pay period. Premiums will be deducted on a pre-tax basis for employees. To review FEDVIP 2012 premium costs and individual plan brochures go to the OPM open season website at www.opm.gov/insure/openseason. Federal Flexible Spending Account During the open season, eligible employees may enroll in the calendar year 2012 Federal Flexible Spending Account program. There are three types of FSA accounts: the Health Care FSA, the Limited Expense Health Care FSA, and the Dependent Care FSA. The FSAFEDS program allows federal employees to set aside pre-tax money for a wide range of medical and dependent care expenses. The money is set aside from the employee's salary before taxes are withheld; the employee incurs eligible expenses and receives reimbursement. Enrolling in FSAFEDS lowers the amount of the employee's income tax because the salary set aside for FSAFEDS is exempt from federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, and from most, state and local taxes. Employees who are eligible to enroll in the FEHB program may participate in the FSAFEDS program, even if they are not currently enrolled in FEHB. Employees who enroll in one of the high deductible health plans and are eligible for a health savings account may not have a regular Health Care FSA account, but they may enroll in the Limited Expense Health Care FSA. All employees with qualified dependents may enroll in a Dependent Care FSA, except temporary employees with no fixed work schedule whose tour of duty is six months or less. The maximum annual election for the Health Care FSA and for the Limited Expense Health Care FSA is $5,000. The Dependent Care FSA annual maximum is $5,000 per household or $2,500 if married and filing separate tax returns. The minimum annual amount for each type of FSA account is $250. The FSAFEDS program also has a 2.5-month grace period. If the 2012 account is not exhausted by Dec. 31, 2011, eligible expenses incurred Jan. 1 through March 15, 2012 will be applied to the remaining 2011 balance. Enrollments are made via the FSAFEDS website or by calling toll-free 877-372-3337 or TTY 800-952-0450. Enrollment does not carry over automatically from year to year. Employees must submit a new enrollment for each year they wish to participate. For further information, including an online calculator that will help estimate the FSA contribution and potential annual tax savings may be found visit the FSAFEDS website at www.fsafeds.com or call 877-372-3337 or TTY 800-952-0450. Detailed information on the FSA program is available on the FSAFEDS website, including an online calculator that will help estimate the FSA contribution and potential annual tax savings. For more information on any of these programs or other civilian employee benefits and entitlements, visit the Air Force Personnel Services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil, select the civilian tab, and then select benefits and entitlements.