The Office of Personnel Management (OMP) has established a toll-free number available from 7 a.m. through 9 p.m., CDT, seven days a week. The number is 1-800-307-8298 and is available for inquiries about benefits, including pay and leave, health, and other insurance benefits, as well as annuity payments that may have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Health insurance carriers have already been contacted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and they have agreed to offer federal employees maximum flexibility under their OPM contract, including the following:
1. Employees will have continuous coverage of health insurance benefits.
2. We expect fee-for-service plans (such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and HMOs (such as Coventry) to relax requirements about notification and levels of benefit payment when victims are taken to non-plan and/or non-PPO hospitals or other treatment centers.
3. We expect plans to make certain that FEHB members get additional supplies of medications as backup for emergency situations if necessary.
4. Though charges for work-related injuries sustained by Federal workers are payable by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), FEHB plans have been encouraged to provide immediate payment and seek subsequent reimbursement from OWCP.
The Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) has already instituted its expedited payment procedures, in the event life insurance benefits need to be paid to federal employees, including FBI employees. If you believe you may be entitled to receive life insurance benefits due to death or dismemberment as a result of Katrina, you should contact the Employee Benefits Unit, Insurance Office by telephone at (202) 220-9011 with whatever details you may have, including the name of the FBI employee who had FEGLI coverage. The Insurance Office will verify coverage and make sure the OFEGLI is contacted even if you don't yet have all the information to certify the coverage and submit the claim form(s).
The OFEGLI will be waiving the requirement for a death certificate for deaths in this situation. OFEGLI will accept a written statement from the FBI that the insured was in the area affected by Katrina when the death occurred or, to the best of their knowledge, the insured is missing and presumed (or confirmed) dead. If such a statement is not available, OFEGLI will consider whatever information is available, including newspaper accounts or information from other reliable sources, including reliable sites on the Internet.
Specific instructions have been provided to the Insurance Office to submit claims on your behalf and they will be handled expeditiously.
FLTCIP enrollees who live in the affected areas and miss premium payments during this time of crisis will not have their coverage canceled. Long Term Care Partners will work with these enrollees at a later time to bring their accounts up to date.
Federal employees who have had major losses due to a declared natural disaster may apply for a grant up to $400 from the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund by filling out an Emergency Assistance application. (Only one grant per household) No-interest loans up to $600 are also available.
Loans will only be made payable to a specific creditor, i.e., shelter costs, clean-up, repairs/supplies, etc. The amount of each loan will depend on the number of requests and our program's financial ability to assist with those requests.
The employee should complete the entire application including the "Applicant Loan Agreement" even if they are only requesting the grant at this time and not a loan. Then if the employee does apply for a loan in the future, the application will be complete thus making the loan process go more quickly.
Loans are repaid by payroll allotment at $30 a pay period so a voluntary allotment space must be available to receive a loan. Loan applicants must also meet regular eligibility requirements as explained on the application.
An employee may have lost their home and/or have been forced to make temporary living arrangements. In this case, a current mailing address where a check can be sent should be given or call our office to make other arrangements, eg., sending the check to the work place. Our number is 1-800-338-0755. (Fall 2004)
In order to be considered for the grant, the following information is requested, even if you listed it previously on the application.
Name of disaster (if any)_____________________ Date:_____________
Spouse employed by: _______________________________________
Name/s: _______________________
Employed by: _________________________________
As of close of business September 1, 2005, we have been advised by the U.S. Department of Justice, that a recommendation has been made to the Attorney General to delegate to the head of each component, the authority to grant administrative leave through October 1, 2005, if necessary. At that time, we will be advised if additional administrative leave is necessary.
Employees who are unable to report for work will be carried on administrative leave at least through September 12, 2005. We expect to have additional information on or before that date with regard to leave matters.
Many people are seeking loved one or friends or want to report that a friend or loved one has been found. The Red Cross website at www.redcross.org has a Family Links Registry designed for that purpose.
The Office of Personnel Management also has provided links to many resources available to Katrina victims, and those who want to help, at: http://www.opm.gov/Katrina/resources.asp
We will be updating this page as additional information becomes available concerning leave and benefits information. The Administrative Services Division is also making arrangements to have human resources specialists available in the affected area to take your questions and provide additional information. We will provide their contact information on this page as soon as possible.