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If your agency has buyout authority, you may not need to write to the OPM. If you think you might qualify for a waiver of the 5-year coverage requirement, contact your Human Resources Office for information. If you meet the requirements, your agency will attach a memorandum to your retirement application stating that you meet the requirements for waiver by the OPM.

It depends.  FEHB law requires a retiring employee to be covered under FEHB for the 5 years of service immediately before retirement or, if less than 5 years, for all service since the employee’s first opportunity to enroll in FEHB.  In the above situation, the employee’s 2 years of previous FEHB coverage would count toward his 5-year FEHB coverage requirement if he had a break in service and therefore could not have had FEHB as an employee.

For example:  The employee was enrolled in FEHB from 2003-2005 and then separated from Federal employment.  He returned to Federal service in 2010 and was enrolled in FEHB from 2010-2013.  The 2 years he was enrolled in FEHB from 2003-2005 along with the 3 years he was enrolled in FEHB from 2010-2013 enable him to meet the 5-year coverage requirement. 

However, if the employee had been continuously employed and eligible for FEHB, but had a break in his FEHB coverage from 2003-2009 because he cancelled his FEHB, he would have to begin the 5-year period over again.