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Federal Benefits Open Season Is Here!

DATE: Monday, November 9, 2026

November 9 – December 14, 2026

Open Season is officially here! This is the time of year when employees can enroll in or change health benefits, supplemental dental and vision coverage, and elect a flexible spending account for the 2027 plan year.

https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/open-season 

Premiums

FEHB Premium Rates

FEDVIP

Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance

FSAFEDS

Flexible Spending Accounts

FEHB ➯ Health Benefits

Changes and new elections are effective on January 10, 2027. Open season changes must be made online on the Employee Express Website.

FEHB: Continuing the Going Green Initiative 

Paper copies of health plan brochures will not be mailed automatically to FEHB program members. Remember that copies of all FEHB plan brochures are available on the OPM plan information website.  

Your current health plan provider will mail you a notice about their Open Season package, highlighting updates to the plan and information about how to obtain the full plan brochure. 

FEDVIP ➯ Supplemental Dental and Vision

Changes and new elections are effective on January 1, 2027.

Compare plans and make elections or changes on the BENEFEDS site.  

Visit the OPM Plan Comparison Tool for FEDVIP. 

FSAFEDS ➯ Flexible Spending Accounts

Your FSA elections are effective on January 1, 2027.

Enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts.  

REMEMBER – Current participants must Re-Enroll. 

  • Carryover has been adopted for Health Care and Limited Expense Health Care FSAs. Participants who have enrolled in one of these FSAs in 2026 will be able to carry over $680 unspent funds from 2026 into 2027 providing participants re-enroll for the 2027 benefit period.
  • The maximum annual election for a Health Care Flexible Spending Account and the Limited Expense Health Care Flexible Spending Account is $3,400 for the 2027 Benefit Period.
  • The maximum annual election for a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account is $7,500 for the 2027 Benefit Period. There is no carryover for this account, but there is still a grace period for reimbursement until March 15, 2028. 

NEW THIS OPEN SEASON!

FEHB Family Member Eligibility Verification

If you add a family member to your FEHB enrollment or make changes to an enrollment that includes eligible family members, you will be required to provide supporting documentation if it has not already been submitted and verified by HR.

What Employees Need to Do

  1. Prepare Documentation First: Before starting your FEHB Open Season enrollment or making changes in Employee Express, have all required supporting documentation ready to upload.
  2. Add Eligible Family Members: When enrolling or changing plans in Employee Express, add or re-add every eligible family member in the “Covered Family Members” section.
  3. Upload Supporting Documentation: Upload the required supporting documentation for each eligible family member.
  4. Review Your Information Carefully: Confirm that your plan selection, covered family members, and uploaded documents are complete and accurate before submitting your Employee Express transaction.
  5. Plan Ahead: Consider submitting your FEHB elections early to allow time to address any potential issues, upload errors, or other unforeseen delays.

After You Submit

All FEHB Open Season transactions will undergo an HR review process. Additional documentation may be added after submission only while the Employee Express transaction status is “Awaiting Review.”

You will receive an email notification once HR has completed their review.

To check your Employee Express transaction status, use the left-hand menu and navigate to: Federal Employee Health Benefits > History Tab > Transaction History. Find the date of your FEHB change, click on the transaction, and view the “Review Status” and “Review Comments” fields under the “New Enrollment Information” section.

Need to Correct or Reconsider a Transaction?

Contact HR as soon as possible while your transaction is still in the review process. If you discover an error or decide to make a change after submission, your available options will depend on the transaction’s status.

Find Out More:

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