Federal workers have two weeks before they will have to begin paying their premiums if the shutdown persists.
The Office of Personnel Management has opted to delay the date unpaid federal employees will have vision and dental insurance start being deducted from paychecks by two weeks, to Feb. 9.
The federal agency notified fellow agencies Wednesday that it would not remove the insurance deductions from the $0 paychecks approximately 800,000 government employees are set to receive Friday, according to an update on its website.
“However, if the lapse period is less than three consecutive pay periods, your premiums will accumulate and be withheld later when the lapse ends. If you do not receive pay for three consecutive pay periods, BENEFEDS will begin to bill you directly for premium payments. You must pay those bills on a timely basis in order to continue your coverage,” the update reads.
OPM said it is working “to make the partial lapse as painless as possible, consistent with law.”
In a separate announcement Wednesday, OPM instructed employers to give workers who are required to work without pay more flexibility in doing their jobs, including working remotely, working different hours, and taking time off.
“While the shutdown has affected all furloughed workers of the Federal workforce, many employees performing excepted duties during the furlough have the additional hardship of losing their subsidies for childcare and transit benefits but continuing to incur childcare and commuting expenses in order to continue reporting to work,” said OPM acting Director Margaret Weichert.
