Frequently Asked Questions

Cost

Paying for Coverage

1. What are my choices for paying premiums?
    
2. Can you tell me more about the different payment options - automatic bank withdrawal, payroll/annuity deduction, and automatic direct billing?
    
3. How can I find out my payroll/annuity office identifier?
    
4. Can Navy Personnel Command (BUPERS) employees and retirees pay premiums through payroll/annuity deduction?
    
5. Can eligible District of Columbia employees and annuitants pay premiums through payroll/annuity deduction?
    
6. Can D.C. Courts employees and annuitants pay premiums through payroll deduction?
    
7. I chose payroll deduction of premiums. When will the deductions start being taken out of my pay?
    
8. I chose annuity deduction of premiums. When will the deductions start being taken from my annuity?
    
9. Can employees/annuitants pay for the insurance premiums from their Federal salary/annuity for qualified relatives?
    
10. In order to pay for the insurance premiums from my Federal salary/annuity for my qualified relatives, do I also have to be enrolled?
     
11. Can surviving spouses of active members of the uniformed services and surviving spouses of retired members of the uniformed services elect to have premiums deducted from their survivor annuity?
     
12. When are premiums waived?
     
13. If I stop paying premiums, will I still have benefits based on what I've already paid in premiums?
     
14. If I cancel my coverage, or if I don't use the benefits, will I get my premiums back?
     
15. I pay my FLTCIP premiums via payroll deduction and am transferring to a new agency. Will my payroll deduction switch over automatically to my new location?
     
16. I'm retiring. I currently pay my FLTCIP premiums through payroll deduction. What do I need to do to pay my premiums through my annuity?
     
17. Why have I received a "Bill for Uncollected Annuity Premium" when I am currently paying my premiums through annuity deduction?
     
18. Why have I received a "Bill for Uncollected Payroll Premium" when I am currently paying my premiums through payroll deduction?
     
19. Can Compensationers have premiums deducted from compensation payments?

1. What are my choices for paying premiums?

You have three options for paying your long term care insurance premiums:

• Automatic Bank Withdrawal
• Payroll/Annuity Deduction
• Direct Billing

You may also pay the premiums for any of your qualified relatives who apply and are approved for coverage, even if you don't apply or you apply and are denied coverage.

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2. Can you tell me more about the different payment options - automatic bank withdrawal, payroll/annuity deduction, and automatic direct billing?

Automatic Bank Withdrawal. You can choose to have premiums automatically deducted from your savings or your checking account. You can choose this option on your application, or change to this option at any time for any reason, after submitting your application. To change to this option, you will need to complete a billing change form.

The deduction will automatically be processed from your checking or savings account on the third business day of every month. You must provide details about your account. For checking account deductions, provide a voided check. For savings account deductions, provide a savings deposit slip. You must also sign a written authorization for the deductions to begin

Payroll / Annuity Deduction. Most employees, annuitants, and active and retired members of the uniformed services can choose to pay for their premiums through payroll or annuity deduction. You can choose this option on your application, or change to this option at any time or for any reason, after submitting your application. To change to this option, you must complete a billing change form.

You must provide your payroll/annuity office identifier. You will need to know the name of your agency or the office that pays your annuity. If you have one, you'll need to indicate your annuity claim number (CSA, CSF or CSI number).

Direct Billing. You can choose this option on your application, or change to this option at any time for any reason, after submitting your application. To change to this option, you will need to complete a billing change form.

You will receive a bill at the designated mailing address you indicated on your application (or any subsequent address you gave Long Term Care Partners). The bill will arrive during the month before your premium is due. You have to pay at least one month's premium, but you can pay in advance if you'd like.

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3. How can I find out my payroll/annuity office identifier?

To find your payroll/annuity office identifier, go to the Payroll/Annuity Office Identifier Tool. In order to look up your proper identifier, you will need to know the name of your agency or the office that pays your annuity.

If you are a Federal civilian (or U.S. Postal Service) annuitant and your annuity is serviced by OPM, your identifier is 24900002. If you are a U.S. Postal Service employee your identifier is 18000009.

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4. Can Navy Personnel Command (BUPERS) employees and retirees pay premiums through payroll/annuity deduction?

Payroll/annuity deduction is not available for Navy Personnel Command (BUPERS) employees and retirees at this time. They have the choice of paying premiums through automatic bank withdrawal or by direct billing.

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5. Can eligible District of Columbia employees and annuitants pay premiums through payroll/annuity deduction?

At this time, eligible District of Columbia employees cannot have premiums deducted from their pay. However, eligible District of Columbia annuitants may have premiums deducted from their annuity. Annuitants will be asked to provide a "payroll/annuity office identifier" and their CSA/CSF number on their applications. The annuity office identifier is 24900002.

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6. Can D.C. Courts employees and annuitants pay premiums through payroll deduction?

Yes. You must provide a "payroll/annuity office identifier" on your application. Choose the appropriate payroll/annuity office identifier as shown below:

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7. I chose payroll deduction of premiums. When will the deductions start being taken out of my pay?

Your first deduction should be taken from the paycheck that covers the first full pay period that begins on or after your effective date of coverage. For many employees, this means that you may not actually see the premiums deducted from your pay until several weeks or so after your coverage has gone into effect.

For example, a February 1 effective date may be in the middle of a pay period. Premium deduction will begin during the next full pay period and show up in your check following that pay period.

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8. I chose annuity deduction of premiums. When will the deductions start being taken from my annuity?

Your first deduction will be taken from the annuity check that pays you for the month in which your coverage begins. Since your annuity is paid in arrears, your premiums won't be deducted until the month after your effective date of coverage.

For example, if you have a February 1 effective date, your first deduction will be taken from the check you receive in March, since that check covers your February payment. Your coverage would still be effective on February 1.

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9. Can employees/annuitants pay for the insurance premiums from their Federal salary/annuity for qualified relatives?

Yes, but both parties must agree to this arrangement — the employee/annuitant and the relative who was approved for the insurance coverage.

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10. In order to pay for the insurance premiums from my Federal salary/annuity for my qualified relatives, do I also have to be enrolled?

No.

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11. Can surviving spouses of active members of the uniformed services and surviving spouses of retired members of the uniformed services elect to have premiums deducted from their survivor annuity?

No they cannot. The system that processes their annuity payments is not equipped to deduct premiums from the survivor annuity.

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12. When are premiums waived?

You do not have to pay premiums if you are eligible for benefits and have satisfied your waiting period. Premiums are also waived if you are eligible for benefits and receiving hospice care, even though no waiting period applies to hospice care.

If you satisfy the requirements for waiver of premium on the first day of a month, the waiver will take effect on that date. Otherwise, the waiver will take effect on the first day of the following month. If, at a later date, you are no longer eligible for benefits (e.g., you recover) and wish to maintain your coverage, you will have to resume paying premiums.

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13. If I stop paying premiums, will I still have benefits based on what I've already paid in premiums?

No. The Federal Program does not offer paid-up benefits. If you stop paying premiums, and you're not in an approved claim status, your coverage will end.

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14. If I cancel my coverage, or if I don't use the benefits, will I get my premiums back?

Within 30 days after you receive your Benefit Booklet from Long Term Care Partners (which you will get automatically if your application is approved), you may cancel your coverage and you will receive a full refund of any premium you may have already paid for the coverage. This is called a "30 Day Free Look".

You may cancel your coverage anytime after that 30 day period, but you would not receive a full refund of your premiums. You would receive a refund of any premium that you paid to cover any period after the effective date of your cancellation.

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15. I pay my FLTCIP premiums via payroll deduction and am transferring to a new agency. Will my payroll deduction switch over automatically to my new location?

No. This does not happen automatically. To continue payroll deduction of your premiums, you must contact Long Term Care Partners as soon as you know where and when you will be transferring. Long Term Care Partners will work with your new agency location to set up payroll deductions there.

Depending on when you contact Long Term Care Partners with information on your transfer, they may not be able to get your payroll deduction changed over in time for your first paycheck at the new location. This is because of the timing of payroll information that goes back and forth between Long Term Care Partners and the agencies.

If this is the case, you will automatically receive a direct bill from Long Term Care Partners for the premiums due that were not collected through payroll deduction. Payroll deductions are not adjusted to "catch up" uncollected premiums, so it's important for you to pay the direct bill(s) promptly when you receive them to keep your FLTCIP coverage current.

To report your transfer, please call the Customer Service Center at Long Term Care Partners at 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337) (TTY 1-800-843-3557).

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16. I'm retiring. I currently pay my FLTCIP premiums through payroll deduction. What do I need to do to pay my premiums through my annuity?

You will need to contact Long Term Care Partners to let them know you are retiring. Deductions will not automatically transfer from your agency to your retirement system - you need to take action. As soon as Long Term Care Partners hears from you, they will work with your retirement system to set up premium deductions from your annuity.

If you are retiring under CSRS or FERS, premiums for FLTCIP cannot be deducted from your annuity while you are receiving "interim payments" (sometimes called "special pay"). This means that until OPM finalizes your annuity, Long Term Care Partners must bill you directly for the premiums due.

Once your annuity is finalized, Long Term Care Partners can begin to deduct premiums from your annuity. Annuity deductions are not adjusted to "catch up" uncollected premiums, so it's important for you to pay the direct bills promptly when you receive them to keep your FLTCIP coverage current.

To report your retirement, please call the Customer Service Center at Long Term Care Partners at 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337) (TTY 1-800-843-3557).

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17. Why have I received a "Bill for Uncollected Annuity Premium" when I am currently paying my premiums through annuity deduction?

There are times when Long Term Care Partners is unable to collect premiums through annuity deduction. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as:

• They missed a deduction for a particular month because of timing issues related to when they had the correct information to send to your retirement system and when your annuity was actually processed.
• Your annuity was insufficient to cover your premium.

In order to keep your account current, Long Term Care Partners is billing you now for the past uncollected premium balance. They do not make adjustments to your annuity deduction for uncollected premiums. Your current and future annuity deductions for long term care insurance premiums are not affected by this bill.

Please do NOT call OPM’s Retirement Information Office (RIO) with any questions on this bill. The OPM annuity system does not capture the reason why a particular annuity deduction for long term care insurance premiums was not made.

Long Term Care Partners will be happy to assist you with any specific questions or concerns you may have regarding this bill. Please call their Customer Service Center at 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337) (TTY 1-800-843-3557).

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18. Why have I received a "Bill for Uncollected Payroll Premium" when I am currently paying my premiums through payroll deduction?

There are times when Long Term Care Partners is unable to collect premiums through payroll deduction. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as:

• They missed a deduction for a particular pay period because of timing issues. They did not have the correct information to request a deduction from your payroll location before the cut-off date for a particular pay period.
• You briefly went into a non-pay status.
• A particular paycheck was insufficient to cover your premium.

In order to keep your account current, Long Term Care Partners is billing you now for the past uncollected premium balance. They do not make adjustments to your payroll deduction for uncollected premiums. Your current and future payroll deductions for long term care insurance premiums are not affected by this bill.

Long Term Care Partners is happy to assist you with any specific questions or concerns you may have regarding this bill. Please call their Customer Service Center at 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337) (TTY 1-800-843-3557).

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19. Can Compensationers have premiums deducted from compensation payments?

No.

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