Benefit

Program

Note the deadlines...

Find out about eligibility and options...

Prepare for and

make your elections...

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Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB)

Program

Opens: 11/14

Closes: 12/13

5:00 p.m. CT

or

Qualifying Life Event (through HRSSC)

Guides to Benefits

Updates coming soon

n APWU Career Em­ployees

n Non-APWU Career Employees

n PCES Employees

n Postal Inspectors and OIG Employees

n Noncareer Employ­ees

Prepare PostalEASE FEHB Worksheet

Use PostalEASE

n You must enter dependents if electing a new Self and Family plan.

n Individual plan brochures are available at www.opm.gov/insure/health or by calling the health plan.

Coming to you in the mail: Guide to Benefits (program summary) with PostalEASE FEHB Worksheet.

Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)

Opens: 11/14

Closes: 12/12

11:59 p.m. ET

or

Qualifying Life Event (through BENEFEDS, not HRSSC)

Guide to Dental and Vision Insurance Program

Update coming soon

n All Employees

Use www.benefeds.com

877-888-3337

TTY 877-889-5680

n If you are eligible to participate in FEHB, you are eligible to enroll in FEDVIP, even if you are not enrolled in FEHB.

n USPS does not contribute.

n You pay full cost of premiums on a pre-tax basis.

n You may enroll in a dental plan, a vision plan, or both.

n You may enroll in a plan for Self Only, Self Plus One, or Self and Family coverage.

Coming to you in the mail: FEDVIP Guide.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Opens: 11/07

Closes: 12/25

5:00 p.m. CT

or

Qualifying Life Event (through HRSSC)

FSA Brochure

Update coming soon

Prepare PostalEASE FSA Worksheet

Use PostalEASE

FSA Customer Service Center:

800-842-2026

Employees who are deaf/hard of hearing call via 711 (TRS).

n Health Care FSA maximum is $5,000.

n Dependent Care (day care) FSA maxi­mum is $5,000.

n Changes for the FSA debit card:

n UnitedHealthcare has begun replac­ing the blue Consumer Accounts Card with the new white Health Care Spending Card. Both cards work ex­actly the same and may be used for certain expenses for the Health Care FSA and the Dependent Care FSA.

n You may take your over-the-counter prescription to the pharmacist to be filled and have a prescription number assigned, and then use the card to pay for it.

n You can use your Consumer Accounts Card or Health Care Spending Card for some mail order prescription providers, including Caremark and Medco.

Coming to you in the mail: Post cards, leaflet, and brochure.

Annual Leave Exchange (ALE)

Opens: 11/15

Closes: 12/15

11:59 p.m. CT

Letter mailed to eligible employees

Prepare PostalEASE ALE Worksheet (mailed to eligible employees)

Use PostalEASE

n Most career nonbargaining unit employ­ees from Rate Schedule Codes (RSCs) D, E, F, S, U, V, and Z may exchange from 8 to 128 hours in whole-hour incre­ments if their annual leave balance is at least 160 hours as of close of business on January 13, 2012.

n Bargaining unit employees from RSCs C, G, K, and P, and for employees from RSCs M, N, T, and Y only as provided for in pending successor agreements to current agreements, may exchange from 8 to 40 hours in whole-hour incre­ments if their annual leave balance is at least 440 hours and if they have used less than 75 hours of sick leave for the leave year as of close of business on January 13, 2012.

n For nonbargaining unit and bargaining unit employees, the lump sum is calcu­lated on salary as of January 14, 2012, and included in the February 3, 2012, paycheck.

n These lump sum payments are taxable in 2012.

Coming only to eligible employees in the mail: Letter about annual leave exchange.

Allotments/

Net-to-Bank (Direct Deposit)

Any time

Processed at 3:00 p.m. CT, 2nd Wednesday of pay period

Prepare PostalEASE Net-to-Bank Worksheet

Use PostalEASE

n You must provide your financial institu­tion’s routing number and your account number.

Thrift Savings Plan

Regular Contributions

Any time

Processed at 3:00 p.m. CT, 2nd Wednesday of pay period

https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tspbk08.pdf

Prepare PostalEASE TSP Worksheet

Use PostalEASE

n The IRS annual limit on elective deferrals for 2012 is increasing to $17,000. FERS employees who want to maximize con­tributions while avoiding the loss of USPS matching contributions should make a whole dollar contribution per pay period equal to the announced max­imum divided by 26.

n Contribution elections for 2012 will be accepted beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT on December 14, 2011.

Coming to you in the mail: TSP enrollment information letter and PostalEASE TSP Worksheet.

TSP 50+ Catch-Up Contributions

Any time

Processed at 3:00 p.m. CT, 2nd Wednesday of pay period

https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tspbk08.pdf

Prepare PostalEASE TSP 50+

Catch-Up Worksheet

Use PostalEASE

n The IRS annual limit remains $5,500 for those age 50 or older during 2012.

n Catch-up contribution elections for 2012 will be accepted beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT on December 14, 2011. You must certify that your regular TSP contri­butions will reach the IRS maximum.

Coming only to eligible employees in the mail: TSP enrollment information catch-up letter and PostalEASE TSP Catch-Up Worksheet.

TSP Investment Choices

Any time

https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tspbk08.pdf

Use www.tsp.gov

Have TSP acct. no. or Custom User ID

Have Web password

877-968-3778

TDD 877-847-4385

Have TSP acct. no.

Have TSP PIN

Mail Form TSP-50

(available from HRSSC)

to TSP

n Via the ThriftLine you may request:

n A new TSP PIN.

n A new 8-character Web password.

n A copy of your TSP account number.

n Quarterly participant statements.

n Via www.tsp.gov you may request:

n A new 8-character Web password.

n A copy of your TSP account number.

n Create a Custom User ID

n Printable views of quarterly partici­pant statements.

n Cancellation of request to have quar­terly participant statements mailed.

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)

You may apply any time —underwriting required

www.ltcfeds.com/usps

Click Who’s Eligible
Choose category of eligibility
Click Information Kit

Use www.ltcfeds.com/usps
Click Who’s Eligible
Choose category of eligibility
Click Application

n New and newly eligible employees may enroll with the abbreviated application within the first 60 days of becoming eli­gible.

n You may download the information kit and the application or have them mailed to you.

Commuter Program

Any time

Monthly Election Deadline for payroll deduction amount is the 15th of the month, 11:59 p.m. ET, 1 month ahead of payroll deduction month. Funds added to your card or account each pay day.

Order Deadline — additional deadline if you have a Transit Pass or Parking Plan. The cutoff for placing, changing, or canceling order is 10th of the month, 11:59 p.m. ET, 1 month ahead of commuting month. (For Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North Railroad, cutoff is the 4th.)

www.wageworks.com

Use www.wageworks.com
877-924-3967

TTY 866-361-8017

M-F 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET

n New career employees receive a bro­chure in the mail and must allow up to 30 days for information to be entered in the Wageworks system.

n Other employees can enroll at any time.

n Elections, changes, cancellation for Commuter Program take effect 1 month after monthly election and/or order deadlines.

n 2012 IRS monthly limits are $125 for mass transit, and $240 for parking. (Congress may still extend the current law, which would raise the mass transit limit to $240, but as it stands, the mass transit limit will be $125.)