§179 Personnel application and insurance programs

Summary

Treats judges of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims as federal officers for applying federal personnel rules. It lets a judge who retires under section 178 and who was enrolled in the federal health plan keep that coverage even if they do not meet the usual annuitant eligibility rule, if the judge gives the required notice in time. Normally the judge must notify before the first day of the open enrollment period that comes before the calendar year when their coverage would otherwise stop. If notice is timely, the continued coverage starts when it would have stopped and runs until the last day of the next calendar year after that open enrollment period. Special rules apply the first time this is used when the judge’s term of office is ending. If the judge stays enrolled for 5 straight years (counting their active service right before retirement and the continued retired coverage), then after that 5-year period they are treated as if they met the usual annuitant rule on the last day of the period, and the temporary continued-enrollment rule ends. Open enrollment period: the period described in section 8905(g)(1) of title 5. Also, for life insurance under chapter 87, these judges in active service or retired under section 178 are treated the same as the judges described in section 8701(a)(5).