Suspending and Restarting FEHB

I have been told that when you retire you can request to suspend your FEHB and at a later open season or qualifying life event restart it. I would like to know if this is true and how it can be accomplished.

FedSmith.com author John GrobeBy Categories Q&A Leave a comment

Q: I have been told that when you retire you can request to suspend your FEHB and at a later open season or qualifying life event restart it. I would like to know if this is true and how it can be accomplished.

A: You can suspend your FEHB after retirement, but only in limited situations. Those situations are:

  1. to enroll in Tricare for Life (military retirees) or CHAMPVA (spouses/survivors of certain veterans);
  2. to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan (if eligible for Medicare); and
  3. to enroll in the Peace Corps health plan (if you join the Peace Corps after retiring).

I just double-checked on the OPM website and TRICARE, not just TFL, qualifies you to suspend your coverage. If you do not qualify under one of the above situations, you are not allowed to suspend your FEHB after retirement.  You sure don’t want to drop it after retirement, as you will not be allowed to re-enroll.

Agencies can request to have John Grobe, or another of Federal Career Experts' qualified instructors, deliver a retirement or transition seminar to their employees. FCE instructors are not financial advisers and will not sell or recommend financial products to class participants. Agency Benefits Officers can contact John Grobe at johnfgrobe@comcast.net to discuss schedules and costs.
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About the Author

John Grobe is President of Federal Career Experts, a firm that provides pre-retirement training and seminars to a wide variety of federal agencies. FCE’s instructors are all retired federal retirement specialists who educate class participants on the ins and outs of federal retirement and benefits; there is never an attempt to influence participants to invest a certain way, or to purchase any financial products. John and FCE specialize in retirement for special category employees, such as law enforcement officers.

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