Leaving the Government

The law says that an employee’s failure to meet the five-year FEHB enrollment requirement must be due to exceptional circumstances. OPM has the authority to waive the five-year enrollment requirement when, because of exceptional circumstances, it would be against equity and good conscience not to allow the retiring employee to continue coverage. When someone is retiring voluntarily, a waiver may not be appropriate -if he or she can continue working until the requirement is met. A retiring employee must be enrolled or covered under the FEHB Program for the five years of service immediately before retirement, or if less than five years, for all service since the first opportunity to enroll. When circumstances under these conditions otherwise warrant a waiver, we will notify the individual's employer.