New Chapter, New Benefits: Enroll today with your Qualifying Life Event!

By BENEFEDS.gov      April 2026

If you missed open season, you may still be able to enroll in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) for the 2026 plan year with an effective date of January 1 by submitting a Belated Enrollment/Change Form.

The time limit for a belated enrollment or change may be extended for up to three months after the end of open season only if you provide evidence to BENEFEDS that you could not enroll or change enrollment during open season due to circumstances beyond your control. Please download the Belated Enrollment/Change Form and follow the instructions. If BENEFEDS approves your request for belated enrollment, you will have 30 days from the date on your approval letter to contact BENEFEDS to complete your enrollment or change request.

To enroll in the FEDVIP outside of open season, you must fall into one of the categories below.

I am newly eligible

If you are newly eligible for FEDVIP, you have 60 days from the date you became eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan. Examples include:

  • You are a newly hired federal employee.
  • You are a newly retired uniformed service member.
  • You are a family member of a sponsor who became an active-duty service member.
  • You recently became a survivor.

You must check your eligibility and create a My BENEFEDS account to enroll. Then, select "Enroll" in dental or vision coverage from your account dashboard. We'll also ask you a few questions to determine when your coverage will be effective.

I experienced a qualifying life event that allows me to enroll in FEDVIP

If you experienced a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), you may be able to enroll in FEDVIP outside of open season. The QLEs for FEDVIP may be different from QLEs for other federal benefits programs; each program has its own rules.

Examples of FEDVIP QLEs include:

  • You got married.
  • You lost your other dental or vision coverage.
  • Your military pay, federal annuity, or compensation was restored.

For a list of all of the FEDVIP QLEs, visit the Qualifying Life Events section of the BENEFEDS website. To enroll, you must first check your eligibility and create a My BENEFEDS account. Then, select "Enroll" in dental or vision coverage from your account dashboard. We'll also ask questions to determine what QLE you experienced and if it allows you to enroll outside of open season.

*Special note: Uniformed service members

If you're retiring or recently retired from the uniformed services, you're eligible to enroll in FEDVIP dental coverage. If you're enrolled in a TRICARE health plan, you're eligible for FEDVIP vision coverage. However, this is not a QLE. You're considered newly eligible for the program and can enroll between 31 days prior to your military retirement date and 60 days following. If you do not enroll during this period, you must wait until the next open season. If you want to prevent a gap in dental coverage between your active duty/reserve dental plan and your new FEDVIP plan, you must enroll prior to your retirement date.

If you're already retired from the uniformed services and you are now leaving or retiring from private sector employment, you're able to enroll in FEDVIP within 60 days from the date you leave private sector employment and lose your existing dental and/or vision coverage. If you experienced a QLE, such as losing insurance as part of leaving the private sector, then you're eligible to enroll in FEDVIP within 31 days prior to and 60 days after the date of the QLE. However, if you're only canceling insurance with your employer but it is still available to you, you must wait until the next open season to enroll.

If your family member enrolled in FEDVIP vision coverage while you were on active duty, he or she is no longer eligible as a primary enrollee upon your retirement. You or your family member must notify BENEFEDS of your retirement, and their coverage will be cancelled. As the sponsor, you must then enroll in FEDVIP dental and/or vision coverage as a retired uniformed service member and add your eligible family member as a dependent to your coverage.

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