Washington, D.C. - The Office of Personnel Management announced the number of enrollees in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (the FLTCIP) increased in 2004 by 5,500. At the end of 2004, with 206,200 enrolled individuals, the FLTCIP remains the largest group long term care insurance program in the nation. As of December 2003, there were 200,750 individuals enrolled in the FLTCIP.

Kay Coles James, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, stated, "Long term care insurance is an important component of financial planning that I strongly encourage employees and annuitants to consider. The increased enrollment in the FLTCIP indicates Federal employees are continuing to assess their needs and those of their families and I am pleased with the growth in the program."

OPM created the FLTCIP, the largest employer-sponsored long term care insurance plan in the nation, which became available to Federal employee in 2002. Individuals within the Federal team eligible to apply for coverage under the FLTCIP, including employees and retirees of the Federal government and the U.S. Postal Service, active and retired members of the uniformed services, some employees of the District of Columbia government, and qualified relatives.

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program is administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC, a partnership formed by John Hancock Life Insurance Company and MetLife. The OPM-sponsored FLTCIP is the result the Long Term Care Security Act (PL 106-265).