# 2026-12596: OPM Expands Health Records System to Include Postal Benefits 2026-12596, Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records, is a Federal Register notice from Personnel Management Office published 2026-06-23, effective 2026-06-23; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-30). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12596 - As of: 2026-06-30 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-12596 - Title: Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records - Type: Notice - Agencies: Personnel Management Office - Citation: 91 FR 37439 - Published: 2026-06-23 - Effective: 2026-06-23 - Comments close: 2026-07-23 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-30 ## In one line OPM Expands Health Records System to Include Postal Benefits ## Summary The Office of Personnel Management is updating its health benefits records system to include Postal Service Health Benefits data and more details about medical claims for federal employees and their families. This change affects anyone covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and takes effect immediately, with some parts kicking in by July 23, 2026. No new costs are mentioned, but you can comment on the changes until that date. ## Abstract In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to modify and republish in full a system of records previously titled "OPM/Central-15, Health Claims Data Warehouse Records" which will be renamed "OPM/Central-15, Health Benefits Claims and Cost Records." The modification is necessary to include Postal Service Health Benefits Program records in the system, to provide notice of additional data fields collected to support the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, as well as to provide notice of additional routine uses to the system. The system of records contains health benefits service use and cost data about enrollees and their family members, who are or have been covered under the FEHB Program. As in previous notices for this system of records, the term "service use and cost data" includes, but is not limited to, medical claims data, pharmacy claims data, encounter data, and provider data. The system of records also includes Medicare service use and cost data about FEHB- covered individuals who are enrolled in Medicare. This notice clarifies that references in the system of records to the "FEHB Program" or "FEHB" include the Postal Service Health Benefits Program ("PSHB Program" or "PSHB") within the FEHB Program. ## Effects PRIA read - Postal Service Plans Added to FEHB Records: cost, low. If you are covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, that now explicitly includes the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program. This change is effective upon publication (June 23, 2026) and means PSHB enrollees and their family members will be in the same OPM health clai… - More Detailed Medical and Pharmacy Data Collected: mixed, medium. OPM will collect more detailed service use and cost data, including National Drug Codes (NDC), J-codes, provider charges, amounts paid by other payers (coordination of benefits), pharmacy rebate information, and dates of service. The system may also include Medicare service use and cost data about… - New Sharing Rules for Fraud and Do Not Pay: cost, medium. OPM added routine uses that allow sharing records with other Federal agencies and contractors to administer health benefits programs and to detect, prevent, and recover improper payments, including disclosures to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for the Do Not Pay Working System. These routine u… - Pseudonymization and Access Limits Applied: benefit, low. OPM will pseudonymize records for routine analysis: names, SSNs, Subscriber ID, and addresses (except ZIP) are replaced by nulls, date of birth is reduced to year, and Member ID is cryptographically hashed. Only limited, authorized personnel can access identifiable Member ID for validation. ## Related documents - [2026-19222](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19222): Employment in the Excepted Service, 2026-09-18 - [2026-18828](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18828): Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions, 2026-09-15 - [2026-18800](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18800): Reduction in Force; Correction, 2026-09-15 - [2026-16687](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16687): Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities, 2026-08-14 - [2026-15650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15650): Suitability Action Appeals, 2026-08-03 - [2026-15666](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15666): Reduction in Force Appeals, 2026-08-03 ## Sources - [2026-12596 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/23/2026-12596/privacy-act-of-1974-system-of-records) - [2026-12596 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-23/pdf/2026-12596.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-12595, Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holdin…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12595) - [Next: 2026-12600, Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore the Commonweal…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12600) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12596 (as of 2026-06-30).