Collapse to view only § 870.201 - Types of insurance.
- § 870.201 - Types of insurance.
- § 870.202 - Basic insurance amount (BIA).
- § 870.203 - Post-election BIA.
- § 870.204 - Annual rates of pay.
- § 870.205 - Amount of Optional insurance.
- § 870.206 - Accidental death and dismemberment.
§ 870.201 - Types of insurance.
(a) There are two types of life insurance under the FEGLI Program: Basic and Optional.
(b) There are three types of Optional insurance: Option A (standard optional insurance), Option B (additional optional insurance), and Option C (family optional insurance).
§ 870.202 - Basic insurance amount (BIA).
(a)(1) An employee's Basic insurance amount (BIA) is either:
(i) The employee's annual rate of basic pay, rounded to the next higher thousand, plus $2,000; or
(ii) $10,000; whichever is higher, unless the employee has elected a Living Benefit under subpart K of this part. Effective for pay periods beginning on or after October 30, 1998, there is no maximum BIA. Note: If an employee's pay is “capped” by law, the amount of the Basic insurance is based on the capped amount, which is the amount the employee is actually being paid. It is not based on the amount the employee's pay would have been without the pay cap.
(2) The BIA of an individual who is eligible to continue Basic Life insurance coverage as an annuitant or compensationer is the BIA in effect at the time his/her insurance as an employee would stop under § 870.601.
(b) An employee's BIA automatically changes whenever annual pay is increased or decreased by an amount sufficient to raise or lower pay to a different $1,000 bracket, unless the employee has elected a Living Benefit under subpart K of this part.
(c) The amount of an employee's Basic Life insurance coverage is equal to his/her BIA multiplied by the appropriate factor based on the employee's age, as follows:
| Age | Factor | 35 or under | 2.0 | 36 | 1.9 | 37 | 1.8 | 38 | 1.7 | 39 | 1.6 | 40 | 1.5 | 41 | 1.4 | 42 | 1.3 | 43 | 1.2 | 44 | 1.1 | 45 or over | 1.0 |
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§ 870.203 - Post-election BIA.
(a) The BIA of an individual who elects a Living Benefit under subpart K of this part is the amount of insurance left after the effective date of the Living Benefit election. This amount is the individual's post-election BIA.
(1) The post-election BIA of an individual who elects a full Living Benefit is 0.
(2) If an employee elects a partial Living Benefit, the employee still has some Basic insurance. OFEGLI determines this amount by computing the BIA as of the date it receives the completed Living Benefit application and reducing the amount by a percentage. This percentage represents the amount of the employee's partial Living Benefit payment, compared to the amount the employee could have received if he or she had elected a full Living Benefit. The amount that is left is rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of $1,000. (If the amount is midway between multiples, it is rounded up to the next higher multiple.)
(b) The post-election BIA cannot change after the effective date of the Living Benefit election.
(c) If an employee elected a partial Living Benefit and that employee is under age 45 at the time of death, OFEGLI will multiply the post-election BIA by the appropriate factor, as specified in § 870.202(c), in effect on the date 9 months after the date OFEGLI received the completed Living Benefit application.
§ 870.204 - Annual rates of pay.
(a)(1) An employee's annual pay is the annual basic pay of the position as fixed by law or regulation, except as otherwise provided by specific provision of law or OPM regulation. Annual pay for this purpose includes the following:
(i) Any pay of a type that is treated as basic pay for purposes of the retirement systems established under 5 U.S.C. chapters 83 and 84, consistent with 5 U.S.C. 8331(3), and pay that is annual pay for purposes of the FEGLI Program as provided in Federal law and regulation;
(ii) Any geographic-based pay supplement that is equivalent to a locality-based comparability payment under 5 U.S.C. 5304; and
(iii) Any special pay supplement for a defined subcategory of employees that is equivalent to a special rate supplement under 5 U.S.C. 5305.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) (1) of this section, annual basic pay does not include the following:
(i) Bonuses, allowances, overtime pay, military pay, or any other pay to a covered civilian employee given in addition to the base pay of the position, except as otherwise provided by specific provision of law or OPM regulation.
(ii) Physicians comparability allowances under 5 U.S.C. 5948.
(b) To convert a pay rate of other than annual salary to an annual rate, multiply the pay rate by the number of pay units in a 52-week work year.
(c) The annual pay for a part-time employee is his/her basic pay applied to his/her tour of duty in a 52-week work year.
(d) The annual pay for an employee on piecework rates is the total basic earnings for the previous calendar year, not counting premium pay for overtime or holidays.
(e) The annual pay for an employee with a regular schedule who works at different pay rates is the weighted average of the rates at which the employee is paid, projected to an annual basis.
(f) The annual pay for a non-Postal intermittent employee or an employee who works at different pay rates without a regular schedule is the annual rate which he/she is receiving at the end of the pay period.
(g)(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (g)(2) and (3) of this section, if an employee legally serves in more than one position at the same time, and at least one of those positions entitles the employee to life insurance coverage, the annual pay for life insurance purposes is the sum of the annual rate of basic pay fixed by law or regulation for each position.
(2) Paragraph (g)(1) of this section does not apply to—
(i) An employee of the Postal Service who works on a part-time flexible schedule; or
(ii) A temporary, intermittent decennial census worker.
(3) If an employee's annual pay includes premium pay or availability pay under paragraphs (e), (f), or (g) of this section, the annual pay is determined by multiplying the employee's annual rate of basic pay by the applicable percentage factor.
(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the annual pay for a phased retiree, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 8336a and 8412a, is deemed to be the rate of a full-time employee in the position to which the phased retiree is appointed, as determined under 5 CFR 831.1715(a)(2) or 848.205(a)(2), as applicable.
§ 870.205 - Amount of Optional insurance.
(a) Option A coverage is $10,000. Effective for pay periods beginning on or after October 30, 1998, Option A cannot exceed this amount. Exception: This does not apply to annuitants who retired with a higher amount of Option A before the removal of the maximum on Basic insurance (the first pay period beginning on or after October 30, 1998).
(b)(1) Option B coverage comes in 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multiples of an employee's annual pay (after the pay has been rounded to the next higher thousand, if not already an even thousand). Effective for pay periods beginning on or after October 30, 1998, there is no maximum amount for each multiple.
Note:If an employee's pay is “capped” by law, the amount of the Option B insurance is based on the capped amount, which is the amount the employee is actually being paid. It is not based on the amount the employee's pay would have been without the pay cap.
(2) The amount of Option B coverage automatically changes whenever annual pay is increased or decreased by an amount sufficient to raise or lower pay to a different $1,000 bracket.
(c) Effective April 24, 1999, Option C coverage comes in 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multiples of the following amounts: $5,000 on the death of a spouse and $2,500 on the death of an eligible child. Payments are made to the insured individual.
§ 870.206 - Accidental death and dismemberment.
(a)(1) Accidental death and dismemberment coverage is an automatic part of Basic and Option A insurance for employees.
(2) There is no accidental death and dismemberment coverage with Option B or Option C.
(3) Individuals who are insured as annuitants or compensationers do not have accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
(b)(1) Under Basic insurance, accidental death benefits are equal to the BIA, but without the age factor described in § 870.202(c).
(2) Under Option A, accidental death benefits are equal to the amount of Option A.
(c)(1) Under Basic insurance, accidental dismemberment benefits for the loss of a hand, foot, or the vision in one eye are equal to one-half the BIA. For loss of 2 or more of these in a single accident, benefits are equal to the BIA.
(2) Under Option A, accidental dismemberment benefits for the loss of a hand, foot, or the vision in one eye are equal to one-half the amount of Option A. For loss of 2 or more of these in a single accident, benefits are equal to the amount of Option A.
(3) Accidental dismemberment benefits are paid to the employee.
(4) Accidental death benefits are paid to the employee's beneficiaries.