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).
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-13445 — Promoting Employee Accountability
The Office of Personnel Management and Merit Systems Protection Board want to make it easier for agencies to hold employees accountable for poor work or bad behavior. They’re proposing clearer rules for performance-based actions and better training for supervisors. This affects federal employees and agencies, with comments open until August 3, 2026, and aims to save time and improve fairness without extra costs.
2026-13154 — Suitability and Fitness
Starting July 30, 2026, the government is updating how it checks if people are fit and suitable for federal jobs. These changes affect current employees and job applicants by making background checks faster, fairer, and tougher on serious misconduct. The goal is to keep the federal workforce honest, efficient, and consistent with merit-based hiring rules.
2026-12976 — Uniform Allowances
Starting July 13, 2026, federal employees who get uniform allowances will see the maximum yearly amount jump to $1,500. This change makes sure the allowance keeps up with costs and clears up some confusing details. No one objected to this update, so it’s all set to roll out smoothly and help employees cover their uniform expenses better.
2026-11140 — Federal Independent Dispute Resolution Operations
Starting soon, health plans and insurers must share clearer info when they pay or deny surprise medical bills. They’ll use special codes to explain these decisions, especially when dealing with folks they don’t have contracts with. This helps patients and providers understand bills better and speeds up fixing disputes, with no extra costs for most people.
2026-07245 — Uniform Allowances
The Office of Personnel Management is boosting the yearly uniform allowance from $800 to $1,500 for federal employees who need uniforms. This change starts July 13, 2026, and helps agencies better manage uniform programs while clarifying what counts as a uniform versus protective gear. If no big complaints come in by May 14, 2026, the new rules will roll out smoothly, putting more money and clearer rules in employees’ pockets.
2026-07198 — Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities
Federal employees who fight planned wildland fires could soon get a 25% pay boost for their risky work. This change affects General Schedule and Federal Wage System workers directly involved in controlling these fires. Comments on this proposal are open until June 15, 2026, so now’s the time to weigh in!
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-10723 — Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
SAMHSA wants to keep collecting info from its grant recipients to check how well programs for substance abuse and mental health are doing. This helps them track progress and figure out what training or help grantees might need. If you’re involved with these grants, you might see no big changes, but your feedback on the process is welcome before the extension is approved.
Next: 2026-10725 — Information Collection Requirement; Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, Contract Pricing
The Department of Defense wants to keep collecting info from businesses about contract pricing to make sure everything stays fair and clear. This info collection is set to continue for another three years, and they’re asking for your thoughts by July 28, 2026. If you’re a business working with the DoD, this means a bit of paperwork but helps keep contracts smooth and transparent.