On this site, the Tribal Benefits Officer and Tribal Human Resource (HR) Personnel will find resources to help with the day-to-day activities of the FEHB Program. A comprehensive list of other resources can be found on the References Page.

OPM will hold training sessions the second Tuesday of every month at OPM Headquarters, located at 1900 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20415. The sessions will cover such topics as FEHB 101, Enrollment, Eligibility, and Forms. Please ensure that you RSVP at TribalPrograms@opm.gov at least one week before the training date. Please contact TribalPrograms@opm.gov for any questions.

• Tribal Benefits Officer - The link describes the responsibilities and duties of the Tribal Benefits Officer.
• Tribal Benefits Administration Letters (BALs) - These letters provide up to date information from OPM about the FEHB Program. The link also provides instructions on how to sign up for the Tribal Programs listserv.
• Tribal/Federal Workgroup - Meeting minutes from the monthly Tribal/Federal Workgroup meeting
• Tribal FEHB Handbook - The Handbook is a source of detailed guidance on the FEHB Program for tribal employers.
• Consultation Documents - The documents provide meeting minutes from OPM's consultations and from the Tribal/Federal Technical workgroup.
• Training Presentations - Presentations for Tribal HR Personnel to learn more about the FEHB Program.
• Guidance for Standard Forms 2809 and 2810 for Tribal Employers - Guidance for Tribal HR Personnel as to what to do with and how to fill out the Standard Form (SF) 2809 (Health Benefits Election Form) and the SF 2810 (Notice of Change in Health Benefits Enrollment).

Each tribal employer must designate a person to serve as the Tribal Benefits Officer. The Tribal Benefits Officer is responsible for explaining the FEHB Program to tribal employees and other eligible persons, determining individual eligibility for FEHB enrollment and effective dates of health benefits actions, keeping the Contacts page in Tribal Insurance Processing System (TIPS) up to date, and other related matters.

A Tribal Benefits Officer can also delegate responsibility for counseling and advising tribal employees and inputting FEHB enrollment data to Tribal HR Personnel.

More information on the Tribal Benefits Officer can be found in Chapter 1, Introduction, of the Tribal FEHB Handbook.

The table below provides PDF links to the Tribal Benefits Administration Letters (BALs) from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) about the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.

Each year, OPM provides the following BALs for guidance on the Federal Benefits Open Season.

1. Open Season: Announcement - We will inform you with general information about the upcoming Open Season. Anticipated Issue Date: Last week of July.
2. Open Season: Rider Information - We will inform you how to order the FEHB Guide for Tribal Employees. Anticipated Issue Date: First week of August.
3. Open Season: Ordering and Distribution of Material - We will inform you how to order and distribute Open Season materials. Anticipated Issue Date: Early September.
4. Open Season: Conducting the Open Season - We will provide you with information on counseling tribal employees, carrier contacts, Open Season actions, effective dates, and tribal employer actions. This BAL will also include the Tribal FastFacts: The 2012 Federal Benefits Open Season is Coming! and Tribal FastFacts: What to Consider During Open Season. Anticipated Issue Date: Mid-September.
5. 2012 Open Season: FEHB Significant Plan Changes - We will provide information on significant events affecting certain plans which tribal employers must communicate to their tribal employees. Anticipated Issue Date: Late-September.

OPM provides continual guidance and information to Benefits Officers via OPM's listserv (including the Tribal Benefits Administration Letters). OPM strongly encourages every Benefits Officer and Tribe HR Personnel to subscribe. To subscribe to the listserv, email tribalprograms@listserv.opm.gov and type "Subscribe" in the email subject line.

The Tribal/Federal Workgroup meets once a month to assist with technical and operational details related to FEHB implementation.

The following are outreach documents for FEHB and FEGLI for Tribes, Tribal organizations and Urban Indian Organization. Please send any comments or questions to TribalPrograms@opm.gov