NOTICE

Health Benefits Open Season

The 2006 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season is scheduled for November 13 through December 12, 2006, 5:00 P.M. CT. Many open season changes may be made via self-service on PostalEASE. During this open season, eligible employees may make any one, or a combination of, the following changes:

• Enroll if not enrolled.

• Change from one plan to another plan.

• Change from one option to another option.

• Change from Self Only to Self and Family.

• Change from Self and Family to Self Only.

• Cancel enrollment.

• Change from pre-tax to post-tax payment of health insurance premiums, or vice versa.

Enrollment changes and new enrollments made during the 2006 open season will be effective January 6, 2007 (Pay Period 02-07).

Distribution of Open Season Materials

Employees

Before the start of the FEHB Open Season, the 2007 Guides to Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Plans for (1) career employees (RI 70-2); (2) Postal Inspection Service and Office of Inspector General (OIG) employees (RI 70-2IN); and (3) certain temporary (noncareer) employees (RI 70-8PS) will be mailed from the national level to each employee's address of record. Each 2007 Guide includes:

• An overview of FEHB Program eligibility requirements and election choices during open season.

• A comparison of biweekly premium costs of participating plans.

• An explanation of the pre-tax payment feature, including a current list of qualifying life events (status changes).

• Enrollee survey results provided by the individual health plans.

• Information about accreditation of the key systems and processes that managed care organizations use.

This year, all employees eligible for FEHB will also receive the 2007 Guide to Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP BK-1).

Installations

To assist in publicizing this FEHB Open Season, all installations are asked to post on bulletin boards the open season notice provided on page 16 of this Postal Bulletin and to leave it posted through December 12, 2006. Also provided on page 18 is the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program notice which should be posted through December 11, 2006.

The Material Distribution Center (MDC) will distribute most fee-for-service brochures to the same offices that receive Thrift Savings Plan and Flexible Spending Account materials. This distribution is to all customer service district offices, processing and distribution centers, airport mail centers, bulk mail centers, remote encoding centers, the Office of Inspector General, selected Postal Inspection Service divisions, and selected Headquarters field units.

The Rural Carrier Benefit Plan will be distributed to district and area Human Resources offices (not to the TSP/FSA installation distribution list). Additional copies may be requisitioned from the MDC:

• RI 72-5, Rural Carriers Benefit Plan (individual plan brochure for the rural carriers closed enrollment fee- for-service plan) - postal stocking number (PSN) 7690-03-000-3809.

The SAMBA Plan will be distributed to Inspection Service divisions and to the Office of the Inspector General. Additional copies may be requisitioned from the MDC:

• RI 72-06 SAMBA Health Benefit Plan (individual plan brochure for Inspection Service and Office of Inspector General employees.) - PSN 7690-90-000-9136.

The following items may be requisitioned from the MDC:

• RI 70-2, 2007 Guide to FEHB Plans (postal career employees) - PSN 7690-03-000-3774.

• RI 70-2IN, 2007 Guide to FEHB Plans (USPS Inspectors and Office of the Inspector General employees) - PSN 7690-09-000-9077.

• RI 70-5, 2007 Guide to FEHB Plans (temporary continuation of coverage and former spouses) - PSN 7690-03-000-3772.

• RI 70-8 PS, 2007 Guide to FEHB Plans
(certain temporary/noncareer employees) - PSN 7690-03-000-3754.

• FEDVIP BK-1, 2007 Guide to Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program - PSN 7610-09-000-9112.

Order directly from plan sponsors:

• Brochures for health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and Point of Service Plans (POSs).

These two forms are available on the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site:

• PS Form 8201, Pre-Tax Health Insurance Premium Waiver/Restoration Form for Career Employees.

• PS Form 8202, Pre-Tax Health Insurance Premium Election/Waiver Form for Noncareer Employees.

To find these forms, go to http://blue.usps.gov; under "Essential Links," click on Forms.

Additional Information

Publication 12, Health Benefits Open Season Administrative and Processing Information, November 2006, addresses FEHB Open Season administrative issues. It contains the following:

• Open season materials, including details of when and how to requisition a residual supply of materials.

• Eligibility requirements for coverage.

• A list of FEHB health plan withdrawals and other significant changes.

• Comprehensive medical plan (HMO) contact information.

• Personnel processing information.

• Open season publicity material.

The November 2006 edition of Publication 12 will be available on the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site by November 13.

• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

• Under "Essential Links" in the left-hand column, click on References.

• Under "References" in the right-hand column, under "Policies," click on PolicyNet.

• Click on PUBs.

— Compensation,
Human Resources, 10-26-06

Federal Employees Health Benefits

Open Season
November 13, 2006, to December 12, 2006

HEALTH BENEFITS OPEN SEASON
ON PostalEASE

The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season will be held from November 13 to December 12, 2006, closing at 5:00 P.M. CT. Employees should complete the PostalEASE FEHB worksheet included in the mailing to their s and enter enrollment information directly into PostalEASE via the Web, kiosk, or telephone.

During this open season, eligible employees may make any one, or a combination, of the following changes using PostalEASE:

• Enroll if not enrolled.

• Cancel enrollment.

• Change from one plan to another plan.

• Change from one option to another option.

• Change from Self Only to Self and Family.

• Change from Self and Family to Self Only.

Enrollment changes and new enrollments made during the 2006 FEHB Open Season will be effective January 6, 2007 (Pay Period 02-07). New premium payments will be reflected in paychecks dated January 26, 2007.

— Compensation, Human Resources, 10-26-06

Please post on all bulletin boards through December 12, 2006.

New Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program

Open Season
November 13 to December 11, 2006

DENTAL AND VISION INSURANCE OPEN SEASON

www.benefeds.com

The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) Open Season will be held from November 13 to December 11, 2006, closing at 11:59 P.M. ET. Employees will receive a mailing to their addresses of record with complete program information about this new pretax group insurance offering.

During this open season, eligible employees may elect dental insurance, vision insurance, or both via the portal at www.benefeds.com. Employees without access to a computer may call 877-888-FEDS (877-888-3337). Employees who are deaf or hard of hearing may place a TTY call to 877-889-5680.

New enrollments made during the 2006 FEDVIP Open Season will be effective December 31, 2006.

— Compensation, Human Resources, 10-26-06

Please post on all bulletin boards through December 11, 2006.

REMINDER

Office of Government Ethics Form 450 Filing Deadline Is February 15, 2007

Employees who are required to file the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, are reminded that the OGE is modifying the existing OGE 450 report and has changed the deadline for filing the annual report. Filers are not required to file a report by October 31, 2006. Instead, reports are due by February 15, 2007. The reports cover the period from October 1, 2005, through December 31, 2006. Employees who are required to file a report will be notified and sent materials, including the new OGE 450 form, in January 2007.

— Ethics and Federal Requirements,
Law Department, 10-26-06

NOTICE

Penalty Overtime Exclusion

As referenced in Article 8, Sections 4 and 5, of the USPS-NALC and USPS-APWU national agreements, the December period (during which penalty overtime regulations are not applicable) consists of 4 consecutive weeks. This year, the December period begins Pay Period 25-06, Week 2 (December 2, 2006), and ends Pay Period 01-07, Week 1 (December 29, 2006).

— Policies and Programs,
Labor Relations, 10-26-06

POST OFFICES WITH RURAL DELIVERY SERVICE

Rural Carrier Guarantee Period

Each year the Postal Service™ establishes the 52-consecutive-week guarantee period for rural carriers working under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) section 7(b)(2). Last year's guarantee period ran from Saturday, October 29, 2005, through Friday, October 27, 2006. This year's guarantee period year runs from Saturday, October 28, 2006, through Friday, October 26, 2007.

Postal Service personnel managing rural carriers working under FLSA section 7(b)(2) must ensure those carriers work only the permitted number of hours during the guarantee period. Carriers are permitted to work 2,080 hours and earn overtime up to 2,240 hours during the guarantee period. If a carrier works more than 2,240 hours within the guarantee period, section 7(b)(2) is voided and the carrier will have to be compensated for all hours worked during the guarantee period according to FLSA section 7(a). Managers must enforce the overtime rules to avoid having to comply with FLSA section 7(a).

— Rural Delivery,
Delivery and Retail, 10-26-06