[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77899-77900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21803]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Submission for Review: Revision and Consolidation of Two Existing 
Information Collections Related to Health Benefits Election Forms

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general 
public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a 
revised information collection request (ICR) for two forms: SF 2809 
Health Benefits Election Form and OPM 2809 Health Benefits Election 
Form.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until October 24, 
2024. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection request by selecting ``Office of 
Personnel Management'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check 
``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
these information collection activities, please contact: Retirement 
Services Publications Team, Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E 
Street NW, Room 3316-L, Washington, DC 20415, Attention: Cyrus S. 
Benson, or sent via electronic mail to [email protected] or 
faxed to (202) 606-0910 or via telephone at (202) 936-0401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Personnel Management, in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the public with an opportunity to comment on 
proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This 
helps OPM assess the impact of its information collection requirements 
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand OPM's information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format. On May 5, 2024, OPM published 
notice of its intent to combine OMB Control Nos. 3206-0160 and 3206-
0141 into a single, updated collection in the Federal Register at 89 FR 
37269.
    The SF 2809 and the OPM 2809 forms are generally very similar in 
terms of the information collected, with only a few different data 
points to reflect differences between an employee and an annuitant. 
Nonetheless, the forms were historically managed under two different 
information collections. OPM is not currently planning to consolidate 
the forms into a single form because the

[[Page 77900]]

instructions for annuitants are different than the instructions for an 
employee. OPM expects that retaining separate forms helps annuitants 
better understand what information is required.
    OPM anticipates that both forms will generally require revisions at 
the same time and that comments relevant to one form will generally 
apply equally to the other form. Therefore, because the forms serve the 
same purpose (for two different populations) and collect virtually 
identical information, OPM is proposing to combine the two information 
collections and to manage the two forms under a single information 
collection, OMB Control No. 3206-0160, going forward.
    As part of this process, the forms have been updated to improve 
clarity and ease of use. OPM consulted with Agency Benefit Officers, 
Federal benefit electronic enrollment systems, FEHB insurance carriers 
and conducted several employee focus groups to determine proposed 
changes. Some changes to instructions for the SF 2809 form have not 
been made to the OPM 2809 form to accommodate a larger use of paper 
forms by the annuitant population.
    OPM received fourteen comments in response to its 60-day notice, 
including six unique comments and one comment representing eight 
submissions. We have made additional edits to the SF 2809 form based on 
these comments. Specifically, the form will now allow a respondent to 
list addresses for minor children who live at a different location than 
the enrollee; the form will provide an option to remove a family 
member; and the form will also include a date field for the Initial 
Opportunity to Enroll. The SF 2809 form also makes a technical 
correction by noting that a common law spouse is eligible only if the 
marriage was initiated in a ``state, the District of Columbia, or other 
jurisdiction'' (instead of just ``state'') that recognizes such 
marriages; this technical correction is necessary to account for common 
law marriages in the District of Columbia.
    We declined several comments. Specifically, we declined comments 
about formatting of the paper form because most enrollees will use 
electronic systems to enroll. There were comments about the electronic 
Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) that were beyond the scope of this 
information collection request.
    One commenter questioned the use of drop-down menus in some areas 
of the application. Drop-down menus are not functional for manually 
printed forms. We are declining to remove these because they are 
intended for use when completing an electronic fillable, printable 
form, and are only used for short, direct answers. Drop-down choices 
are listed in the instructions of the form so employees using a printed 
version will have them available.
    There were also comments related to adding a checkbox or fillable 
section for family member eligibility documents and a reminder that, 
without required documents, family members are not enrolled. We are 
declining these suggestions because we wish to limit freeform text and 
believe this information is available in many other places related to 
enrollment including the form instructions, FEHB Handbook, and OPM 
brochures.
    A commenter noted that the requirement to enter Event Codes 1A and 
1B have been removed, noting that processing may need these codes which 
represent Initial Opportunity to Enroll and Open Season. We are 
declining to implement this suggestion because these codes relating to 
the Initial Opportunity to Enroll (1A) and Open Season (1B) are among 
the most popular codes and we want to make it relatively easy for users 
to check the box rather than find an event code. Moreover, agencies 
should have these event codes programmed in their automated enrollment 
systems.
    Finally, as part of the establishment of the new Postal Service 
Health Benefits (PSHB) Program, a separate Program with the FEHB 
Program, OPM will be offering the use of a new online enrollment 
system. The information collected using the system will be identical to 
the paper and electronic PDF versions of the SF 2809 and OPM 2809 
forms; however, users will be able to enter the information using a 
series of prompts that provide additional instructions and guidance.
    The information collection for form SF 2809 (OMB Control number 
3206-0160) is currently approved with an estimated public burden of 
9,000 hours for 18,000 responses. The information collection for form 
OPM 2809 (OMB Control number 3206-0141) is currently approved with an 
estimated public burden of 11,667 hours for 30,000 responses. As OPM is 
proposing to combine these information collections, the collective 
estimated public burden for both forms for the revised information 
collection is 20,667 hours for 48,000 responses.
    The purpose of this notice is to notify the public that OPM is 
submitting the information collection to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and to allow an additional 30 days for public 
comments. OPM is soliciting comments on the proposed information 
collection request (ICR) that is described below. OMB is especially 
interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) 
whether this collection is necessary to the proper functions of OPM; 
(2) whether this information will be processed and used in a timely 
manner; (3) the accuracy of the burden estimates; (4) ways in which OPM 
might enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and (5) ways in which OPM might minimize the burden of 
this collection on the respondents, including through the use of 
information technology. Written comments received in response to this 
notice will be considered public records.

Analysis

    Agency: Office of Personnel Management.
    Title: Health Benefits Election Forms.
    OMB Number: 3206-0160.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Eligible individuals who wish to enroll in FEHB 
(including the new, separate Postal Service Health Benefits Program) 
for the first time or to change an existing enrollment.
    Number of Respondents: 48,000 [SF 2809--18,000; OPM 2809--30,000 
(20,000--written & 10,000 verbal)].
    Estimated Time per Respondent: SF 2809 [30 minutes]; OPM 2809 [30 
minutes (written) & 10 minutes (verbal)].
    Total Burden Hours: 20,667 [SF 2809--9,000; OPM 2809--11,667 
(written--10,000 & verbal--1,667)].

Office of Personnel Management.
Alexys Stanley,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2024-21803 Filed 9-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-38-P