Not much as gone over the long weekend. Congress resumes its lame duck session tomorrow. The hope has been to adjourn the lame duck session next week after working out an extension to the continuing resolution funding the federal government through December 11.  In view of the President’s executive order on immigration and other pending issues, the Hill suggests that the lame duck may continue beyond December 11. A full or partial government shutdown is not expected.

This will be the last full week of the Federal Benefits Open Season which ends on December 8. OPM recently adjusted the rules under which Indian tribes can participate in the FEHBP effective November 20, 2014.

• A tribal employer may enroll one or more business units carrying out programs or activities under ISDEAA or IHCIA.
• Once a tribal employer has enrolled at least one business unit carrying out programs or activities under ISDEAA or IHCIA in the FEHB Program, the tribal employer may enroll one or more business units that are not carrying out these programs or activities.
• A business unit that is part of a tribe, tribal organization, or urban Indian organization and that has its own ISDEAA or IHCIA contract may participate in the FEHB Program in its own right and enroll the tribal employees of the business unit in the FEHB Program, whether or not its parent tribe, tribal organization, or urban Indian organization participates in the FEHB Program. A business unit with its own ISDEEA or IHCIA contract may not enroll any other business units of the tribe, tribal organization, or urban Indian organization in the FEHB Program.
• A participating tribal employer must offer FEHB coverage to all tribal employees of each business unit the tribal employer chooses to enroll in the FEHB Program.

Before this change, tribal employee participation in the FEHBP was all or nothing.