Department of Defense Education Activity

Employee Benefits

There are many wonderful benefits available to DoDEA Employees.  Please choose an option from the benefits list on this page to view more detailed information.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has Government-wide responsibility and oversight for Federal benefits administration.

As a Federal employee, the benefits available to you represent a significant part of your compensation package. They may provide important insurance coverage to protect you and your family and, in some cases, offer tax advantages that reduce the burden in paying for some health products and services, or dependent or elder care services.

In addition to your Civil Service or Federal Employees Retirement System benefits and the Thrift Savings Plan, the Federal government offers five benefits programs to eligible employees. The five programs are:

If you are a new Federal employee or have recently become eligible for benefits the Guide To Federal Benefits For Federal Civilian Employees will walk you through the benefits offered, and provide information on how and when to make your choices. Each benefit program has certain timeframes for initial enrollment as a new or newly eligible employee.

If you are a current employee, it will provide the most current information regarding the benefit programs and will support you as you make decisions during the annual Federal Benefits Open Season, or experience life events that cause you to reconsider previous choices.

The OPM website provides a variety of resources available to assist new and current employees with gaining in-depth knowledge regarding each of these programs as well as quick and easy references that offer at a glance information.

The OPM Quick Guide provides answers to common questions and enables you to see the similarities and differences of these programs.

The Federal Benefits FastFacts provides basic information about the insurance programs.

Your local servicing Human Resources Office or Representative is your initial point of contact for questions pertaining to employee benefits and insurance programs. Employees should not contact the Office of Personnel Management.

The Army Benefits Center-Civilian (ABC-C) Centralized Benefits Center located in Fort Riley, Kansas is the DoDEA servicing agency for employee benefit transactions. 

Mailing Address:
Army Benefits Civilian- Center (ABC-C)
305 Marshall Avenue
Fort Riley, Kansas 66442-7005

You may contact the ABC-C, Monday-Friday 0730-1630 CT

General inquiries
Email:
Telephone: 1-877-276-9287, Option #4

Unemployment Compensation
Email:
Telephone: 1-866-792-7620, Option #3

Injury Compensation
Email:
Telephone: 1-866-792-7620, Option #3

Announcements

Temporary Continuation of Health Coverage

Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) is available to: (1) employees who lose their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program coverage because they leave their Federal jobs, (2) children who lose their FEHB Program family member status because they reach age 26, and (3) former spouses who lose their FEHB Program family member status because of divorce or annulment. TCC allows former employees to continue their FEHB Program coverage for up to 18 months, and former family members (children and former spouses) to continue FEHB Program coverage for up to 36 months. TCC enrollees must pay the full premium for the plan they select (that is, both the employee and Government shares of the premium) plus a 2 percent administrative charge.

For more information about TCC, please review the TCC pamphlet at www.opm.gov/insure/health/eligibility/tcc/index.asp.

On March 11, 2021, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).

Section 9501 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides assistance to eligible individuals covered under COBRA premium subsidies for up to six months. Under ARPA, an assistance eligible individual is someone who, in the time period between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, is eligible for COBRA coverage due to an involuntary termination or a reduction in hours and elects such coverage. However, the law does not provide premium assistance for those covered under FEHB temporary continuation of coverage (TCC) provisions under 5 U.S. Code § 8905a. Former federal employees and others covered under TCC are not eligible for ARPA subsidies.

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events. Qualified individuals may be required to pay the entire premium for coverage up to 102% of the cost to the plan.

COBRA generally requires that group health plans sponsored by employers with 20 or more employees in the prior year offer employees and their families the opportunity for a temporary extension of health coverage (called continuation coverage) in certain instances where coverage under the plan would otherwise end. COBRA outlines how employees and family members may elect continuation coverage. It also requires employers and plans to provide notice.

https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/EBSA/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/faqs/cobra-continuation-health-coverage-consumer.pdf

Announcements Archive

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed Public Law 111-148, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The President also signed into law on March 30, 2010, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111-52, (collectively, they are referred to as the Affordable Care Act).
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Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

The DoDEA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) supplies 24 hour a day, 365 days a year assistance from a licensed professional counselor to all employees and their immediate families through the Federal Occupational Health organization.
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Family Medical Leave Act

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles most Federal employees up to twelve (12) workweeks of unpaid leave, Leave Without Pay (LWOP), during a twelve (12) month period.
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Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)

The Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004 provided the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the opportunity to establish arrangements under which supplemental dental and vision benefits are made available to Federal employees, retirees, and their dependents.
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Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program

The Federal Employees’ Group Life (FEGLI) Program became effective on August 28, 1954 and is a Term Insurance program. Managed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the program is governed under 5 Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR), Part 870, offering eligible employees several choices in selecting the level of life insurance that is right for their individual needs with low group rates and the convenience of payment through payroll deduction.
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Federal Long Term Care Insurance

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP), a benefit authorized by Congress in September 2000 to help federal employees, including military, defray the rising costs of long term care, helps pay for services such as home care, nursing home care, or assisted living facilities for people no longer able to perform the normal daily activities of living because of chronic mental or physical conditions.
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Flexible Spending Accounts

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a tax-favored program offered by employers that allows their employees to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
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Foreign Area Allowances

Authorization and payment of overseas allowances and differential is governed by the provisions of the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR)(Government Civilians/Foreign Areas) and Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25, Volume 1250. Overseas Allowances and differentials (except post allowance) are not automatic salary supplements, nor are they entitlements. They are specifically intended to be recruitment incentives for U.S. citizen employees living in the United States to accept Federal employment in a foreign area.
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Injury Compensation

All civilian employees are covered under The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA). Employees are provided compensation benefits for disability due to personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty or due to employment-related disease. The FECA also provides for the payment of benefits to dependents if the injury or disease causes the employee's death.
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Retirement Programs

Retirement coverage is mandatory and not an option that you can choose, although some employees may be eligible to choose which system they are covered under based on their prior service. The retirement programs are governed under 5 Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR), Part 831 and 842. The Office of Personnel (OPM) has overall responsibility for administering the retirement programs while Agency Headquarters are responsible for managing and administering the retirement programs within the agency.
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The Voluntary Leave Transfer Program

The Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) is a program that permits Federal civilian employees to donate annual leave to other Federal civilian employees who are experiencing personal medical or family medical emergencies. An employee who has a personal medical or family medical emergency that is likely to require the employee's absence from duty for at least 24 hours in a non-pay status, may apply to receive transferred annual leave from other employees with the concurrence of the respective management officials.
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Your Leave

Leave earned by Federal employees’ compares very favorably with that earned with those employees within the private sector. The two main types of leave are Annual Leave and Sick Leave.
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