OPM Revises Health Form to Verify Family Coverage Eligibility
Published Date: 5/29/2026
Notice
Summary
The Office of Personnel Management is updating the Health Benefits Election Form to help verify who’s eligible for family coverage, following a new law aimed at cutting waste and fraud. Federal employees and their families will see changes to the form and instructions, with a new rule expected by July 4, 2026. Comments on these updates are open until July 28, 2026, so now’s the time to speak up!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Family Coverage Verification Changes
If you (or a family member) get health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program, OPM will update the SF 2809 / OPM 2809 forms and instructions to verify eligibility for family coverage. OPM says it expects to issue a regulation implementing these verification requirements by the statutory deadline of July 4, 2026.
Annual Paperwork Burden: 101,000 Respondents
OPM estimates 101,000 people will respond to the Health Benefits Election Forms each year. OPM estimates each respondent will take about 30 minutes, for a total annual burden of 50,500 hours (OMB Control Number 3206-0160).
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