[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-6045]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: March 16, 1994]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 890

RIN 3206-AF17

 

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Coverage of Temporary 
Employees

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final 
regulations clarifying the eligibility of temporary employees to 
continue their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage when 
they become compensationers. These regulations also allow temporary 
employees an opportunity to change health plans if their salary is 
insufficient to pay the premium withholdings, show the effective date 
of such an enrollment change, and provide for the termination of these 
employees' enrollment if they do not change health plans.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 15, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen Leibach, 202-606-0191.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 13, 1993, OPM issued interim 
regulations (58 FR 47823) concerning health benefits for temporary 
employees. These regulations clarified when a temporary employee's 
eligibility under 5 U.S.C. 8906a is considered his or her first 
opportunity to enroll. Many eligible temporary employees do not enroll 
in the FEHB Program, since there is no Government contribution and they 
must pay the full cost of the premium. In implementing 5 U.S.C. 8906a, 
OPM believed it would be unfair to consider eligibility under this 
section to be an employee's first opportunity to enroll for purposes of 
continuing health benefits into retirement, since temporary employees 
are precluded from participating in a retirement system. This may have 
inadvertently appeared to deny temporary employees eligibility for 
continued health benefits while receiving compensation from the Office 
of Workers' Compensation (OWCP), since for the purposes of chapter 89 
of title 5 U.S.C., compensationers are considered to be annuitants.
    The interim regulations clarified that for the purpose of 
continuing health benefits as a compensationer, a temporary employee's 
first opportunity to enroll is when he or she first becomes eligible 
under 5 U.S.C. 8906a. The regulations also granted temporary employees 
an opportunity to change health plans if their pay is insufficient to 
make premium withholdings for the plan in which they are enrolled, 
specified the effective date of such a change, and provided for the 
termination of enrollment of temporary employees in this situation who 
do not, or cannot, choose a lower cost health plan.
    OPM received one comment from a Federal agency; this comment 
concurred with our interim regulations.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    I certify that these regulations will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they 
affect only temporary Federal employees.

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 890

    Administrative practice and procedure, Government employees, Health 
facilities, Health insurance, Health professions, Hostages, Reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements, Retirement.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Lorraine A. Green,
Deputy Director.
    Accordingly, under authority of 5 U.S.C. 8913, OPM is adopting its 
interim regulations under 5 CFR part 890 as published on September 13, 
1993, (58 FR 47823) as final rules without change.

[FR Doc. 94-6045 Filed 3-15-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-M