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Federal workers affected by partial shutdown to be billed for dental, vision coverage
Politics
Federal workers affected by partial shutdown to be billed for dental, vision coverage
By Lisa Rein and Eric Yoder
January 23 at 8:12 PM
The 800,000 federal employees furloughed by the partial government shutdown and working without pay were warned Wednesday that they must pay their dental and vision premiums beginning this week or they could lose their coverage. ... The workers are not at risk of losing their health insurance benefits, which will stay in effect through the duration of the shutdown — and for as long as a year — even if they are not receiving a paycheck, with their accumulated premiums deducted from their pay once their agency reopens.
However, that protection does not extend to vision and dental insurance, and starting with their second missed paycheck at the end of this week, employees will be billed directly for premiums for dental and vision coverage. If the shutdown continues for another two weeks into a third missed pay period, the company that provides long-term care insurance to federal workers also will start billing them directly.
The shift in benefits, included in an updated memo Wednesday by the Office of Personnel Management, will be another financial hit to employees, many of whom already are struggling with severe cash flow problems as the shutdown slogs past the one-month mark.
....
The shutdown also is blocking employees from changing insurance companies or policies because of unforeseen circumstances, like marriage or divorce — changes called “qualifying events.” However, the Office of Personnel Management says an exception is for the birth or addition of a child. That would require an agency to have a human resources office up and running to process the paperwork.
Lisa Rein covers federal agencies and the management of government in the Trump adminstration. At The Washington Post, she has written about the federal workforce; state politics and government in Annapolis, and in Richmond; local government in Fairfax County, Va. and the redevelopment of Washington and its neighborhoods. Follow https://twitter.com/Reinlwapo
Eric Yoder is a National reporter at The Washington Post. He has reported for The Post since 2000, concentrating on federal employee issues, the budget and government management policies. Follow https://twitter.com/EricYoderWP
Federal workers affected by partial shutdown to be billed for dental, vision coverage
By Lisa Rein and Eric Yoder
January 23 at 8:12 PM
The 800,000 federal employees furloughed by the partial government shutdown and working without pay were warned Wednesday that they must pay their dental and vision premiums beginning this week or they could lose their coverage. ... The workers are not at risk of losing their health insurance benefits, which will stay in effect through the duration of the shutdown — and for as long as a year — even if they are not receiving a paycheck, with their accumulated premiums deducted from their pay once their agency reopens.
However, that protection does not extend to vision and dental insurance, and starting with their second missed paycheck at the end of this week, employees will be billed directly for premiums for dental and vision coverage. If the shutdown continues for another two weeks into a third missed pay period, the company that provides long-term care insurance to federal workers also will start billing them directly.
The shift in benefits, included in an updated memo Wednesday by the Office of Personnel Management, will be another financial hit to employees, many of whom already are struggling with severe cash flow problems as the shutdown slogs past the one-month mark.
....
The shutdown also is blocking employees from changing insurance companies or policies because of unforeseen circumstances, like marriage or divorce — changes called “qualifying events.” However, the Office of Personnel Management says an exception is for the birth or addition of a child. That would require an agency to have a human resources office up and running to process the paperwork.
Lisa Rein covers federal agencies and the management of government in the Trump adminstration. At The Washington Post, she has written about the federal workforce; state politics and government in Annapolis, and in Richmond; local government in Fairfax County, Va. and the redevelopment of Washington and its neighborhoods. Follow https://twitter.com/Reinlwapo
Eric Yoder is a National reporter at The Washington Post. He has reported for The Post since 2000, concentrating on federal employee issues, the budget and government management policies. Follow https://twitter.com/EricYoderWP
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