DFAS-HIG/IN

 

MEMORANDUM FOR PRESIDENT, AFGE COUNCIL 171

SUBJECT: Notification of Management-Initiated Change

 

This memorandum is notification to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 171 of a management-initiated change. The proposed change is scheduled to be implemented with the onset of the 2003 Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) open season, which is scheduled from November 10, 2003 through December 8, 2003.

1. Description of Change: Human Resources received notification on September 5, 2003 from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that starting with the 2003 FEHB open season, OPM will no longer print and distribute FEHB Guides. The FEHB Guide is the comparison booklet which compares and contrasts the Nationwide Fee-for-Service Plans, the Health Maintenance Organization Plans and Plans Offering a Point of Service Product. The reasons provided for this change are twofold. One is that Federal employees have been accessing the open materials on the web site in increasing numbers (thus, negating the need for hard copy Guides). The second is that there is an interactive tool on the web that allows individuals to find plans in their area and make side-by-side comparisons of the costs, benefits and quality indicators of those plans. Users can also access plan brochures and there are links to other health care web sites. Employees will be able to access the Guide from the OPM web site. Human Resources will provide widest dissemination of this URL to employees.

In the past, DFAS has received sufficient (hard) copies of the Guide to disseminate to all that requested one. So that DFAS does not have to absorb the printing costs, which we in turn would have to pass on to our customers, we plan to utilize the electronic copy of the Guide.

Therefore, beginning with the 2003 FEHB open season DFAS, Human Resources plans to refer employees to the OPM web site to access the FEHB Guide.

  1. Management Information:

    2. Office of Primary Responsibility: Corporate Resources, Human Resources, Regional Service Center

    Address: 8899 E. 56th St.

    Indianapolis, IN 46249

    Office Symbol: DFAS-IQRB

    POC: Cindy O’Dell

    Telephone: 317-510-2390

    FAX: 317-510-1162

  2. Customer Support Unit Information

CSU Office: CSU-Indianapolis, MER Division

CSU POC: Sharon Young

Telephone: 317-510-2386.

Please notify the DFAS Headquarters Labor Relations Division of your intent to bargain concerning this change. Any technical questions, or other relevant questions related to this proposed change should be submitted to Cindy O’Dell. We will coordinate our response with the DFAS HQ Labor Relations Division.

 

 

///signed///

Joyce M. Short

Director, Regional Service Center