Benefits Newsletter: October, 2024

Did you know that the Federal Benefits Open Season happens only once a year?  Unless you experience a Qualifying Life Event during the year, the Open Season is your only opportunity to enroll, cancel your enrollment, or make a change to your enrollment for the participating programs.  The Open Season will run November 11 – December 9, 2024. This is the time to review and update your benefits, if needed.  Don’t miss out on this important opportunity. 

Do you have questions about the 2025 plans? There will be three In-Person Benefits Open Season Fairs that will be available to NIH employees.  No registration is required. 

NOVEMBER 6, 2024
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
NIH Shady Grove Campus 
Building Lobby
9609 Medical Center Drive 
Rockville, MD 20850

Do you want to learn the basics of the health plans offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program?  If so, listen to a short 20-minutes Insurance 101 on-demand webinar.  Registration is required.  Topics discussed are:

Last year, NIH employees lost an estimated $5.8 million in annual leave. Don’t let your leave disappear!  Please donate your unused “Use-or-Lose” annual leave to the NIH Leave Bank or Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) by January 11, 2025! 

Leave donations to the NIH Leave Bank or VLTP reinforce the charitable and giving spirit of the NIH community and ensure your fellow employees experiencing a personal or family medical emergency have the paid leave they need. 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determines what are considered eligible expenses for all Flexible Spending Accounts. A listing of eligible expenses can be found on the FSAFEDS website.

Questions may be directed to FSAFEDS at 877-372-3337.

To view the list of frequently asked insurance questions, visit the insurance FAQ page on the Office of Personnel Management’s website.   

Questions may be directed to your Benefits Contact or [email protected].

Dual enrollment in the FEHB Program is prohibited, except under very limited circumstances.  Dual enrollment is when you or an eligible family member covered under your “self and family” or “Self Plus One” enrollment is also covered under another FEHB enrollment.  For circumstances where dual enrollment is allowed, it must be authorized by the Retirement & Employee Benefits Bran

To be eligible to continue your health benefits enrollment into retirement, you must: (1) have retired on an immediate annuity (that is, an annuity which begins to accrue no later than one month after the date of your final separation); and (2) have been continuously enrolled (or covered as a family member) in any FEHB Program plan (not necessarily the same plan) for the five years of service immediately preceding retirement, or if less than five years, for all service since your first opportunity to enroll.