Proposed Rule2026-02192
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Modification of Effective Date of Coverage for Employees With an Initial Opportunity To Enroll
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 3, 2026
Issuing agencies
Personnel Management Office
Abstract
The Office of Personnel Management withdraws a proposed rule published on February 1, 2024. The notice of proposed rulemaking proposed to modify the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) regulations and would have also applied to the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program, to allow for coverage to take effect as soon as an employee becomes eligible for coverage under the FEHB Program.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 4857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02192]
========================================================================
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2026 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 4857]]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 890
[Docket ID: OPM-2023-0037]
RIN 3206-AO47
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Modification of
Effective Date of Coverage for Employees With an Initial Opportunity To
Enroll
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Withdrawal of proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management withdraws a proposed rule
published on February 1, 2024. The notice of proposed rulemaking
proposed to modify the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB)
regulations and would have also applied to the Postal Service Health
Benefits (PSHB) Program, to allow for coverage to take effect as soon
as an employee becomes eligible for coverage under the FEHB Program.
DATES: OPM withdraws the proposed rule as of February 3, 2026.
ADDRESSES: The docket for this withdrawn rule is available at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OPM-2023-0037">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OPM-2023-0037</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meredith Gitangu by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f39e968196979a879bdd949a87929d9486b39c839edd949c85"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ef828a9d8a8b869b87c188869b8e81889aaf809f82c1888099">[email protected]</span></a> or by telephone at 202-606-2378.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 1, 2024, the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM or
proposed rule) titled ``Federal Employees Health Benefits Program:
Modification of Effective Date of Coverage for Employees with an
Initial Opportunity to Enroll,'' in the Federal Register. See 89 FR
6436. The NPRM proposed to modify the Federal Employees Health Benefits
(FEHB) regulations to allow for coverage to take effect as soon as an
employee becomes eligible for coverage under the FEHB Program. The
rulemaking would have also applied to the Postal Service Health
Benefits (PSHB) Program within the FEHB Program. The proposed changes
would have allowed FEHB and PSHB coverage to become effective at the
beginning of the pay period that the employee in pay status has an
initial opportunity to enroll.
In response to the NPRM, OPM received approximately 47 comments
during the 60-day comment period which ended on April 1, 2024. Some
commenters raised significant implementation and legal concerns with
the proposal.
OPM is withdrawing the proposed rule and does not intend to issue a
final rule. OPM did not receive widespread support from the larger
federal employee population or agency partners, including those from
outside the executive branch that would have been impacted by the
changes in the proposed rule. We have determined that pursuing a final
rule does not align with current needs, priorities, and objectives.
Further, the associated costs are not an effective use of limited
agency resources and valuable taxpayer dollars.
The Director of OPM, Scott Kupor, reviewed and approved this
document and has authorized the undersigned to electronically sign and
submit this document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication.
Office of Personnel Management.
Jerson Matias,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2026-02192 Filed 2-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-63-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 3, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.