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Benefits Information for New Hires

 
New employees should review the Benefits Overview Brochure brochure for an overview of the available benefits and to determine benefits eligibility. Eligibility for certain benefits depends on your appointment type. This website contains some additional information on benefits as well as enrollment information. After your start date, you will also receive a packet in the mail describing these benefits.  
 
The deadline to enroll in most benefits is 60 days from your first day of employment. All enrollments must be made before the enrollment deadline. After this deadline passes, there are only very limited opportunities to enroll. Please note that you cannot enroll in benefits in advance of your start date. Once you have started and after the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C. has processed your employment paperwork, you will be able to enroll online. This may take a few days. Enrollment information will be sent to your court email address. 
 
 
1.  FEDERAL EMPLOYEES HEALTH BENEFITS (FEHB)
 
DEADLINE:  You have 60 days from your start date to enroll. 
 
Healthcare information is available on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website - www.OPM.gov. This site offers reference materials and a comparison tool to assist employees with choosing a health plan that best meets their needs.  For information on available plans, please review the following links:
 
Plan Information – find plans available in your area
Compare Plans –  compare health plans available in your area (when prompted, choose "Non-postal" and "biweekly")
 
The earliest your health benefits can be made effective is the first Monday of the pay period that begins AFTER your start date, and after you submit your enrollment form (this is usually two weeks after your start date). Please refer to the Schedule of Pay Periods to determine the best time to submit your enrollment. Once you make your election it can NOT be changed, so please carefully consider your options when making your selection. You will only be able to make changes during the annual Open Season (November to early December) or if you experience a qualifying life event such as marriage or birth of a child.
 
 
2. FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE (FEGLI)   
 
DEADLINE:  You have 60 days from your start date to enroll. 
 
Information on Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) is also available on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website - www.OPM.gov. For detailed information on FEGLI, please review the following links:
 
FEGLI Calculator  - use this to determine the value of your coverage and calculate premiums.
YouTube Video on FEGLI  - 15 minute video explaining FEGLI coverage to employees.
 
You will be automatically enrolled in basic coverage on your start date, and deductions will be taken directly from your pay to cover the cost of this plan.  To waive coverage and avoid deductions to your paycheck, you will need to submit a waiver before the end of your first pay period.  If you do waive coverage, there is a one year minimum waiting period from the date of the signed waiver, and you must provide satisfactory medical evidence of insurability before re‐enrolling.
 
Note to Rehired Federal Employees:  If you are a previous federal employee with a break in federal service of less than 180 days, upon your start with us, you will automatically pick up your exact previous FEGLI election (or if you waived coverage, you will continue in a waived status).
 
If you elect life insurance coverage, please complete a Designation of Beneficiary Form (SF‐2823). Two witnesses are required. Forms may not contain corrections of any kind (scratch outs, whiteout, etc).  You can designate/change beneficiaries at any time. Submit a hard copy of the original completed form to Human Resources.
 
 
3.  FEDERAL EMPLOYEES DENTAL AND VISION PROGRAM (FEDVIP) 
 
DEADLINE:  You have 60 days from your start date to enroll. 
 
Depending on your needs, and the health plan you select, you may find that your plan provides adequate dental and vision benefits or it may fall short. If dental and vision coverage are a concern for you, you may want to explore supplemental coverage. You can elect coverage even if you are not enrolled in a Federal Employee Health Benefit plan. You can elect a dental plan, a vision plan, or both. You can select either a self only plan, a self plus one plan, or family plan.  To view plan information, visit https://www.benefeds.com
 
If you won't need dental or vision services right away, it may be worthwhile to wait until Open Season to enroll in order to save on premiums.  Elections made during Open Season will be made effective in January of the following year.  
 
 
4.  FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS FOR HEALTH CARE, DEPENDENT CARE, AND COMMUTER PARKING
 
DEADLINE:  You have 60 days from your start date to enroll in Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending accounts. There is no deadline for enrolling in a Commuter Parking account - you can enroll or stop your enrollment at any time.
 
Flexible spending accounts allow participants to set aside part of their paycheck on a pre-tax basis to pay for certain health care and dependent care expenses incurred throughout the year. Eligible expenses include those items that a participant would be paying for out-of-pocket anyway, such as a co-pay for an doctor’s visit or prescription, a co-insurance amount for a hospital stay, certain over- the- counter medicines, or payment to a day care provider. This pre-tax election reduces the amount on which federal income taxes, Social Security taxes and, in most cases, state and local income taxes, are based thereby increasing take-home pay.  For more information, please see the Flexible Benefit Program Summary Plan Description.  
 
Please note that if you enroll in a high deductible health plan with a Health Savings Account component, or are covered by a Health Savings account through a family member or otherwise, you are NOT eligible to elect a Health Care Reimbursement Account under the Judiciary's Flexible Benefit Program. An individual is not permitted to have a Health Savings Account and a Health Care Reimbursement Account at the same time.
 
The Federal Judiciary Commuter Parking Benefit Program has been designed to assist employees in defraying the cost of certain parking expenses. The account allows you to set aside part of your salary on a pre-tax basis. This means that your monthly contributions are deducted from your salary before taxes are deducted, thereby increasing your spendable income. For more information, please see the Commuter Benefit Summary Plan. You can enroll or make changes to your account at any time.
 
 
5.  LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE
Long-term care is care that you need if you can no longer perform everyday tasks by yourself due to a chronic illness, injury, disability or the aging process. Long-term care includes the supervision you might need due to a severe cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease. Long-term care insurance programs include coverage for nursing home care (all levels received in a licensed facility), community based care (assisted living facilities, adult daycare and home health services), hospice care, caregiver support and alternative plans of care. Long-term care expenses are not covered by traditional medical insurance plans such as FEHB. Note that the younger you are when you apply for long-term care insurance, the lower your premiums will be throughout your lifetime. Two different insurance programs are available to help protect you against the high costs of long-term care.  
 
As a Judiciary employee, you can enroll in the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program at any time, but you receive abbreviated medical underwriting if you enroll within the first 60 days of employment. You can apply online or download an application from the FLTCIP website at www.ltcfeds.com
 
 
6.  EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential benefit that’s provided to help you and your family cope with the “pressing issues” of the day in a positive way. The program offers assessment, referral, short-term counseling, and follow-up for employees confronted with family and marital problems, financial problems, substance abuse, eating disorders, stress, depression, and any other emotional challenges. In addition to counseling services for personal matters, EAP provides useful resources to help manage financial matters, legal matters, family matters and health matters. EAP is easily accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1-800-222-0364 to speak with a helpful customer service representative.  This is an automatic benefit that does not require enrollment. For more information, visit www.foh4you.com.