Federal employees will soon need to verify the eligibility of any dependent they add to their health plan under a new rule finalized by the Office of Personnel Management.
The rule, published June 2, implements the FEHB Protection Act of 2025, which directed OPM to establish a verification process by July 4, 2026. It applies to both the FEHB Program and the Postal Service Health Benefits Program, where roughly 4 million dependents are estimated to receive coverage.
Under current rules, proof of eligibility is required only when an enrollee adds a family member through a qualifying life event. The new rule extends that requirement to all additions, including those made during open enrollment.
A 2024 agency self-audit of more than 19,000 cases found nearly 2% of dependents were not eligible for benefits, with up to 4.4% potentially ineligible due to nonresponse or insufficient documentation.
OPM projects the rule will generate between $81.9 million and $225.5 million in savings over the next decade. Congress allocated $66 million over ten years for the agency to carry out the broader requirements of the FEHB Protection Act, including a forthcoming family member eligibility audit.
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