health and insurance coverage for certain employees on leave without pay

health and insurance coverage for certain employees on leave without pay Sec. 406. (a) Section 6 of the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, as amended (5 U.S.C. 2095), is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection: “(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, an officer or employee who enters on approved leave without pay to serve as a full-time officer or employee of an organization composed primarily of employees, as defined in section 2 of this Act, may, within sixty days after entering on such leave without pay, elect to continue his insurance and arrange to pay currently into the fund, through his employing agency, both employee and agency contributions from the beginning of leave without pay. If he does not so elect, his insurance will continue during nonpay status and terminate as provided in subsection (a) of this section. The employing agency shall forward the premium payments to the fund established by section 5 of this Act.” (b) Section 7(b) of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959, as amended (5 U.S.C. 3006(b)), is amended— (1) by inserting “(1)” immediately following “(b)”; and (2) by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph: “(2) An employee who enters on approved leave without pay to serve as a full-time officer or employee of an organization composed primarily of employees, as defined in section 2 of this Act, may, within sixty days after entering on such leave without pay, file with his employing agency an election to continue his health benefits coverage and arrange to pay currently into the fund, through his employing agency from the Beginning of leave without pay, both employee and agency contributions. If he does not so elect, his coverage will terminate as specified in paragraph (1) and implementing regulations. The employing agency shall forward the enrollment charges so paid to the fund.” (c) An officer or employee who is on approved leave without pay and serving as a full-time officer or employee of an organization com-80 Stat. 299posed primarily of employees, as defined in section 2 of the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, as amended (5 U.S.C. 2091), or section 2 of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959, as amended (5 U.S.C. 3001), as the case may be, may, within sixty days after the date of enactment of this Act, file with his employing agency an election (1) to continue any insurance status or health benefits enrollment, or both, that he has on the date of enactment of this Act, (2) to reacquire any insurance status or health benefits enrollment, or both, which he may have lost while on leave without pay, or (3) to acquire an insured status or enroll in a health benefits plan, or both, if he was never previously eligible to do so, by arranging to pay currently and continuously into the employees’ life insurance fund and the employees’ health benefits fund, as appropriate, through his employing agency, both employee and agency contributions. The employing agency shall forward such payments to the employees’ life insurance fund and the employees’ health benefits fund, as appropriate. If he does not so elect, his insurance status and health benefits enrollment will continue and terminate as for other employees in nonpay status, or he will remain ineligible for insurance and health benefits, as the case may be, as though this paragraph had not been enacted. The United States Civil Service Commission is authorized to issue regulations to carry out the purposes of this paragraph.