Office of Personnel Management July 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to ensure the continuation of certain benefits and services that could be impacted by a lapse in appropriations. First, the proposed rule implements Section 1110 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20 NDAA) which designates certain Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) services as emergency services under the Antideficiency Act. These services are deemed as services for emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property. The law also provides that employees furloughed as a result of a lapse in appropriations shall, during such lapse, be deemed to be in pay status, for purposes of enrolling or changing enrollment in the FEHB Program. Secondly, the proposed rule implements a section of law which authorizes continuation of coverage under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) for enrollees who are furloughed or excepted from furlough and working without pay due to a lapse in appropriations, and provides that coverage may not be cancelled as a result of nonpayment of premiums or other periodic charges due to such a lapse. The proposed rule also clarifies that upon the end of a lapse in appropriations, FEDVIP and FLTCIP premiums will be paid from back pay or may be paid back from another source for FLTCIP enrollees who elected to make payments directly to the Carrier.

The Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a new information collection request Standard Form 3119, Application for Court-Ordered Benefits for Former Spouses.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, is announcing an opportunity for public comment on a new proposed collection of information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on new collection proposed by the Agency.

This rule adjusts the level of civil monetary penalties contained in U.S. Office of Personnel Management regulations implementing the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986.

According to the provisions of section 10 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice is hereby given that the July 16, 2020, meeting of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee previously announced in the Federal Register on Monday, December 23, 2019, is being changed to a virtual meeting via teleconference. There will be no in-person gathering for this meeting.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to revise the table of reduction factors for early commencing dates of survivor annuities for spouses of separated employees who die before the date on which they would be eligible for unreduced deferred annuities, and to revise the annuity factor for spouses of deceased employees who die in service when those spouses elect to receive the basic employee death benefit in 36 installments under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986. These rules are necessary to ensure that the tables conform to the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries and published in the Federal Register on April 6, 2020.