Federal Long Term Care Insurance

US Senior Government Information Senior Dating

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program for Federal Employees (FLTCIP)

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is sponsoring a high-quality long term care insurance program for members of the Federal Family. They contracted with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and John Hancock Life Insurance Company, who have come together as LTC Partners to provide this insurance.

The long term care insurance program is not available YET, but it will be soon. An early enrollment opportunity is planned from March 25 through May 15 and an open season from July 1 through December 31, 2002.

Eligible Groups (the Federal family)

The “Federal family” could approach or exceed 20 million people.

As specified in the law, individuals eligible to apply for this insurance coverage are:

	Employees - Federal employees (including employees of the U.S. Postal Service and Tennessee Valley Authority, but not employees of the District of Columbia Government) and members of the uniformed services
	Annuitants - Federal annuitants, survivors of Federal employees receiving a survivor annuity, survivors of Federal annuitants receiving a survivor annuity, individuals receiving compensation from the Department of Labor, members or former members of the uniformed services entitled to retired or retainer pay, and retired military reservists at the time they qualify for an annuity.
	Current Spouses of employees and annuitants (including survivors receiving a survivor annuity from the uniformed services).
	Adult children (at least 18 years old, including adopted children and stepchildren) of living employees and annuitants
	Parents, parents-in-law, and stepparents of living employees (but not of annuitants)

The law gives authority to issue regulations to cover other relatives, (for example, grandparents, brothers and sisters, foster children, etc.). OPM can add these groups at any time. However, given the size of the program already, and the education and communication challenges, there is no reason to increase, no matter how slightly, the risk of a successful program launch. Therefore, additional groups of relatives will not be added in the near future. The issue of additional groups of qualified relatives will be re-visited the once the program is up and running successfully for the core groups identified in statute.

Back