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Life Insurance and Long-Term Care Overview

The federal government offers both group life and long term care insurance programs. Both plans provide employees with a long-term safety net that is becoming increasingly rare in the private sector. Short summaries of the two plans are provided below.

FEGLI is a group term life insurance program. It consists of Basic life insurance coverage and three options. In most cases, if you are a new Federal employee, you are automatically covered by Basic life insurance and your payroll office deducts premiums from your salary unless you waive the coverage. In addition to the Basic, there are three forms of Optional insurance that you can elect. (Standard, Additional, and Family). The program offers the opportunity to retain your coverage for your entire life.

As a new employee, you have the opportunity to enroll for long term care insurance under the FLTCIP with minimal underwriting. However, applying for long term care insurance coverage does not automatically guarantee you will be approved for that coverage and enrolled. The decision to approve your application will be based on your answers and explanations on the application. A limited number of medical conditions will prevent a new employee from being approved for coverage. Long term care helps people to perform daily activities if they have an ongoing illness or disability. This Program offers a choice of benefits that can provide a variety of services, including but not limited to: nursing home care, assisted living facility care, adult day care and at home care.

Source: Office of Personnel Management