Human Resources

Health Benefits Open Season

The 2007 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season is scheduled for November 12 through December 11, 2007, 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 2007 open season will be effective January 5, 2008 (pay period 02-08).

Distribution of Open Season Materials

Employees

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has renamed the Guide to Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans. The new title is Guide to Benefits. The 2008 Guide to Benefits 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 2008 Guide to Benefits includes:

• Overview of FEHB program eligibility requirements and election choices during open season.
• Overviews of the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), Flexible Spend­ing Account Program (FSA), Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI), and Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP).
• Comparison of biweekly premium costs of participat­ing plans.
• Explanation of Postal Service premium categories 1 and 2.
• Explanation of the pre-tax payment feature, including a current listing of qualifying life 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.

All employees eligible for FEHB will also receive the 2008 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 67 and keep it posted through December 11, 2007.

The Material Distribution Center (MDC) will make an automatic distribution of most fee-for-service brochures to the offices that receive Thrift Savings Plan 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 auto­matically to district and area Human Resources offices (not to the TSP/FSA installation distribution list). Additional cop­ies may be requisitioned from the MDC; ordering informa­tion is shown below.

The SAMBA Plan will be distributed to Inspection Ser­vice divisions and to Office of the Inspector General. Addi­tional copies may be requisitioned from the MDC; ordering information is shown below.

The following items may be requisitioned from the MDC by using touch-tone order entry (TTOE): Call 800-273-1509.

Note: You must be registered to use TTOE. To register, call 800-332-0317, option 1, extension 2925, and follow the prompts to leave a message. (Wait 48 hours after register­ing before placing your first order).

• RI 70-2, 2008 Guide to Benefits for Career USPS Employees — postal stocking number (PSN) 7690-03-000-3774.
• RI 70-2IN, 2008 Guide to Benefits for United States Postal Inspectors and Office of Inspector General Employees — PSN 7690-09-000-9077.
• RI 70-5, Guide to Federal Benefits for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) and Former Spouse Enrollees — PSN 7690-03-000-3772.
• RI 70-8 PS, 2008 Guide to Benefits for Certain Tem­porary (Non-Career) USPS Employees — PSN 7690-03-000-3754.
• RI 72-5, Rural Carrier Benefit Plan (individual plan brochure for the rural carriers closed enrollment fee-for-service plan) — PSN 7690-03-000-3809.
• RI 72-6 SAMBA Health Benefit Plan (individual plan brochure for Inspection Service and Office of Inspec­tor General employees) — PSN 7690-90-000-9136.
• FEDVIP BK-1, 2008 Guide to Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program for USPS Employees (including Law Enforcement) — PSN 7610-09-000-9112.

Order directly from plan sponsors:

• Brochures for health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and point of service plans (POSs).

These 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 2007) addresses FEHB Open Season administrative issues. It contains the following information:

• Open season materials, including details of when and how to requisition a residual supply of materials.
• Eligibility requirements for coverage.
• List of FEHB health plan withdrawals and other sig­nificant changes.
• Comprehensive medical plan (HMO) contact information.
• Personnel processing information.
• Open season publicity material.

Publication 12 is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site:

• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
• Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click on References.
• On the PolicyNet page, click on PUBs.

— Compensation,
Human Resources, 10-25-07

Federal Employees Health Benefits

Open Season
November 12, 2007, to December 11, 2007

HEALTH BENEFITS OPEN SEASON
ON PostalEASE

The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season will be held from November 12 to December 11, 2007, closing at 5:00 p.m. CT. Employees should complete the PostalEASE FEHB worksheet included in the mailing to their homes 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 2007 FEHB Open Season will be effective January 5, 2008 (Pay Period 02-08). New premium payments will be reflected in paychecks dated January 25, 2008.

— Compensation, Human Resources, 10-25-07

Please post on all bulletin boards through December 11, 2007.

(See article on page 104.)

Federal Employees Dental and Vision
Insurance Program

Open Season
November 12 to December 11, 2007

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 12 to December 11, 2007, 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 2007 FEDVIP Open Season will be effective December 31, 2007.

— Compensation, Human Resources, 10-25-07

Please post on all bulletin boards through December 10, 2007.

(See article on page 104.)