As an NIH employee, you may be entitled to the seven benefit programs (health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, life, long term care, and retirement). For more information about these programs and their rates, go to www.opm.gov/insure. The Retirement & Employee Benefits Branch (REBB) is located in Building 31, B Wing, Room 1B37. You may contact your servicing Benefits representative at 301-496-2404.
Federal Employees’ Health Benefits (FEHB)
The FEHB offers a wide variety of health plans from which to choose, including traditional fee-for-service plans, health maintenance organizations, and high- deductible plans with Health Savings Accounts. Some plans also offer dental and vision benefits. You have a choice of coverage for you or for you and your eligible family members. The Federal government pays approximately 75% of the cost of the plan and you pay the balance on a pre-tax basis. To choose the best plan for you, we recommend using the FEHB comparison tool and to contact health carriers to ask questions about coverage.
If you would like to elect health coverage, you must complete and submit your health election form (SF-2809), available in Onboarding Manager, to BPLB within 60 days of appointment date. Enrollment is not retroactive, and it cannot be made effective the day you enter on duty as you must have been in a pay status during some part of the pay period which precedes the one in which your enrollment becomes effective. Once this requirement has been met, your enrollment will become effective on the first day of the first pay period that begins after your enrollment form has been received in the BPLB office. Thus, the earliest your health insurance can possibly become effective is the beginning of the pay period that begins after the pay period in which you are hired.
Federal Employees’ Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
FEDVIP offers a variety of plans from which to choose to supplement coverage offered through your health plan. You have a choice of coverage for yourself, yourself plus one family member, or yourself and all your family members. You pay the entire premium on a pre-tax basis. To make an informed decision about your dental and vision plans, you can use the FEDVIP comparison tool. If you would like to elect dental and/or vision coverage you must complete and submit your election through FEDVIP within 60 days of employment.
Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance
The FEGLI program offers term life insurance coverage. The program offers a basic benefit which is approximately $2,000 more than your base salary and is automatic at appointment. The Federal government pays one-third of the cost for basic coverage. In addition to the basic coverage, you may elect optional insurance to increase your benefit, as well as to provide coverage for your family. You pay the entire premium for any optional coverage you elect. We recommend that you use the FEGLI calculator so that you can make an informed decision about your life insurance coverage. You must complete and submit your life insurance election form (SF-2817), available in Onboarding Manager, to BPLB within 60 days of employment. Insurance (FEGLI)
Flexible Spending Accounts
The FSA is a tax-favored program that allows you to set aside pre-tax money from your salary to pay for a variety of eligible expenses. There are three types of FSAs:
| Health Care FSA | Limited Expense Health Care FSA | Dependent Care FSA |
|---|---|---|
| Covers eligible health care expenses not reimbursed by your medical, dental, or vision care plans. | Covers only dental and vision benefits if you are covered under a high deductible health plan and are not eligible for a regular health care FSA. | Covers eligible dependent care expenses incurred so you and your spouse, if married, can work, can look for work, or attend school full time. |
| Over-the counter medicines and products are also reimbursable when the product is used for medical purposes. | ||
| Eligible dependents for this account include anyone you claim on your Federal income tax return as a qualified IRS dependent and/or a person with whom you jointly file your taxes. | Eligible dependents for this account include your IRS tax dependent(s) under age 13 or a dependent at any age if he/she is unable to care for him/herself. This includes parents if they are considered dependents. |
You may choose to participate in the health care account and/or the dependent care account. Each year a benefit open season occurs in mid-November through early December. During the open season you may assess your FSA account and must re-enroll if you want to contribute the following tax year. To learn more about eligible expenses, go to the FSA eligible expenses website.
If you would like to take advantage of this pre-tax program, you must submit your election on www.fsafeds.com within the first 60 days of employment. Enrollments received after October will be applied the following tax year.
Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)
The FLTCIP offers protection in the event that you are unable to take care of your everyday needs such as bathing, dressing, and eating. Coverage is offered in your own home, an assisted-living facility, or nursing home. You have a choice of coverage for yourself, spouse, parents, parents-in-law, and adult children. You pay the entire premium. To enroll in FLTCIP, you must complete and submit an electronic application, available on the FLTCIP website. Enrollments filed within 60 days of employment are subject to the abbreviated application.
After 60 days, employees are subject to full underwriting.
Federal Employees Retirement System – Revised Annuity Employees (FERS- FRAE)
Three Components of FERS-FRAE:
- Basic Benefit Plan – Defined benefit plan
- Social Security – Old age, survivor, and disability benefits.
- Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) – Defined contribution plan 10.4% of your basic pay is withheld each pay period as a mandatory contribution toward your retirement plan. You pay 4.4% (for anyone hired after January 1, 2014) of basic pay to the Basic Benefit Plan and 6.2% of taxable earnings to Social Security taxes. Social Security and TSP are “portable,” so that if you leave Federal employment, you may continue the benefits.
The Thrift Savings Plan is a tax deferred retirement savings account and a critical component of building an adequate retirement income. You will have an automatic 3% of your basic pay withheld from your salary and it will be deposited into the G fund of your TSP account. This contribution, along with an additional 4% of your pay (agency automatic 1% and the 3% matching contributions) will be deposited into your TSP account.
Once your account has been established, you may choose to invest your contributions and the agency contributions in any of the five investment funds or the life-cycle funds. For help estimating how much you need to save for retirement, use the Ballpark Estimate calculator.
TSP Agency Contributions (bi-weekly):
- Agency automatic contribution – 1% of your basic pay (vested after 3 years of Federal service)
- Agency matching contributions – up to 4% of your basic pay
- First 3% you contribute – 100% agency matching/ dollar for dollar
- Next 2% you contribute – 50% agency matching/ 50 cents on the dollar
TSP Fund Options:
- G Fund – Government Securities Investment Fund
- F Fund – Fixed Income Index Investment Fund
- C Fund – Common Stock Index Investment Fund
- S Fund – Small Cap Stock Index Investment Fund
- I Fund – International Stock Index Investment Fund
- Lifecycle Funds (L Funds) – professionally determined investment mixes that are tailored to meet investment objected based on various time horizons. The objective is to strike an optimal balance between the expected risk and return associated with each fund.
You may start, stop or change your contributions at any time by submitting the TSP Election form (TSP-1) to the BPLB or, once your myPay account is established, by modifying your contribution in myPay. However, if you wish to not have any contributions withheld on your first pay check, you must submit this form no later than the first Friday in the pay period you entered on duty. If you would like to request a refund of the automatic TSP withholdings, you have 90 days from your enter on duty date to complete a Request for an Automatic Enrollment Refund form (TSP-25) and fax it to TSP at 1-866-817-5023. More information about TSP and TSP account access is available at www.tsp.gov.
Designation of Beneficiaries
Your completion of these forms is optional, but if not completed, in the event of death any monies will be paid according to the normal order of precedence, as follows:
- Spouse, if any.
- Otherwise to children in equal shares, if any.
- Otherwise to parents in equal shares, if living.
- Otherwise to executor of the estate, if any.
- Otherwise to your next of kin under applicable state law.
If you wish money to be paid in a manner and/or to individuals not listed in the order of precedence shown above, you should complete one or all of these forms, as you deem appropriate. Please note that all of the forms require two witnesses to your signature. Anyone can sign as a witness as long as he/she is not a named beneficiary. Forms must be free of any erasures or changes. Beneficiary forms can be found on the Office of Personnel Management’s Designation of Beneficiary page or within Onboarding Manager (within 60 days of coming onboard).
- Retirement (SF-2808/3102) - This form is used if you wish to designate a specific beneficiary for lump sum benefits in the event you leave no spouse or children eligible for survivor benefits.
- TSP (TSP-3) – This form is for your TSP account. This form should NOT be submitted to the TSP Service office until AFTER you receive account information.
- FEGLI (SF-2823) - This form is for any life insurance benefit payable.
- Unpaid Compensation (SF-1152) - This form is for any unpaid compensation (for example, final paycheck, any accrued annual leave, etc.) payable by the Department of Health & Human Services.
Completed beneficiary forms are filed in your eOPF except the TSP beneficiary form which is maintained by TSP. You may access your eOPF to review the forms.