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How FEDVIP changed the game for vision, dental benefits

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What: The Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act
When: The bill became law in 2004, followed by the launch of the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program in the 2006 Open Season, with enrollee coverage beginning in 2007.
Why it matters: In the early aughts, federal employees and retirees had access to a very limited amount of dental and vision coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Congress’ action in 2004 led to the Office of Personnel Management’s creation of the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. FEDVIP’s introduction in the 2006 Open Season opened the doors to much more extensive and robust health coverage for feds, who have only seen their options expand since the program’s launch. In part, the benefits expansion was meant to improve federal recruitment and retention.
To celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2025, we’re spotlighting 25 pivotal moments that reshaped the way the government operates. Visit our anniversary page each week as we look back on these defining moments.

By now, federal employees and annuitants may be used to the health care options they can access through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. But it hasn’t always been that way.

In the fall of 2006, federal employees opened their “Federal Almanacs” during that year’s Open Season to find — for the first time ever — a much broader range of vision and dental insurance options.

The Office of Personnel Management’s launch of FEDVIP in 2006 delineated much clearer rules around the types of vision and dental benefits federal employees could access, and massively broadened the types of benefits available to feds. Feds who enrolled that year saw their new dental and vision insurance kick in starting in January 2007.

For years before FEDVIP’s creation, federal employees and annuitants had much more limited insurance options when it came to vision and dental needs. Just a handful of plans in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program offered basic coverage — and that was about it.

“I suppose it’s funny how fast time flies when it comes to these programs that we now take for granted,” federal benefits expert Tammy Flanagan said in an interview with Federal News Network. “But they’re really not that old, given the whole area of federal benefits.”

Flanagan, who’s the senior benefits director at Retire Federal, remembers that at the time, federal employees and their families — including herself — experienced a significant gap in dental coverage, as well as a need for better and more robust options in dental or vision coverage.

“When I lived in Pennsylvania, we had a plan that provided almost complete dental coverage and vision coverage. We would go to the dentist, and we didn’t have to pay anything for our checkups,” Flanagan said. “But when we moved to Washington and started working for the government and switched to federal health benefits, we found out that wasn’t the case. We would go to the dentist, and we might get a $20 contribution from our health plan towards our checkups, but the rest of it was out of pocket.”

Role of Congress

Congress eventually caught wind of the federal insurance gap, and in 2004, lawmakers began pushing forward a bill, the “Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act.” The goal was to make better vision and dental coverage a reality for federal employees across the country, and in part, improve the long-time challenge of federal recruitment and retention.

“The Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) is one of the federal government’s most important tools as we seek to recruit and retain the best federal workforce that this country has to offer. However, this program will not remain a model for excellence in employer-provided health care coverage unless we continue to explore avenues to enhance the care and the choices provided,” former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) said to his fellow lawmakers on Dec. 6, 2004, on the House floor.


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“While a fine example for comprehensive care, the FEHBP currently offers minimal dental and vision benefits,” Davis continued. “There has been a groundswell among federal employees and annuitants through numerous surveys and focus groups on this issue. More than any benefit, they want better coverage for dental and vision care. This will change with the passage of this important legislation.”

Former Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) continued the call for better benefits for feds.

“Dental and vision needs are some of the most expensive out-of-pocket expenses,” Moran said as Congress debated the bill. “We will now have it available for federal employees in the executive branch as well as the legislative branch, and that, too, is a very important accomplishment of the Government Reform Committee.”

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On Dec. 23, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act into law. The bill authorized OPM to establish the parameters for feds to access supplemental dental and vision benefits. The law also gave OPM authority over the contracts for the program. OPM is required to open the program to new carriers every seven years, and premium rates are negotiated annually.

OPM had a tight deadline of only two years to create and launch a new insurance program — a timeline similar to what OPM faced for creating the new Postal insurance program just last year.

Text excerpt of bill that created FEDVIPExcerpt of the 2004 Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act. Source: Congress.gov.

“This was even more welcome back in those days, when we got FEDVIP, because there was really no controversy,” Flanagan said. “It was something that employees had wanted, and I think Congress was responding to that need.”

Federal benefits expert Kevin Moss described FEDVIP as a “huge part” of the overall health care paradigm — and something that FEHB hadn’t been helping with all that much, particularly for feds who needed more than just routine dental or vision care.

“The creation of this program really was to help federal employees have access to plans — and to make sure plans were actually being monitored and evaluated for the types of benefits that they were offering federal employees,” Moss, senior editor of Consumers’ Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, said in an interview. “This was a way to standardize the types of plans that would be available, similar to the way that FEHB plans work, and to plug a gap that existed in terms of what benefits were typically being offered in FEHB plans.”

OPM’s launch of FEDVIP

As for the initial launch of FEDVIP, Flanagan remembered OPM’s rollout of the program being “pretty smooth.”

“It did take time to sign those contracts — that was part of the delay in setting up the whole program,” Flanagan said. “But this was a brand-new program that needed to have premiums collected, decide who’s going to be covered, and how it’s going to be offered, and all those things that go into designing a brand-new federal program that has never before been offered.”

At the time, OPM had also recently launched the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program in 2002, which may have helped prepare the agency for the process of launching a new insurance program, and contributed to the relative ease of FEDVIP’s rollout.

Unlike FEHB where the federal government pays a share of insurance premiums, enrollees in FEDVIP are responsible for the full premium, according to the 2004 law. But FEDVIP premiums are also relatively small in comparison with the premiums for the FEHB program.

FEDVIP is open not only to current federal employees but also federal retirees — something that former Federal News Network columnist Mike Causey elaborated on in a October 2015 column during that year’s Open Season:

“Open Season is always important, especially for people who are about to retire. Like the Virginia-based reader who’s leaving in December — and he wants to keep his teeth. So, can he?” Causey wrote. “Short answer: Yes and yes. People can take their dental (and vision) policies with them into retirement. And they can pay their premiums via payroll (or annuity) deductions … If you are older, have neglected your teeth or know you have problems, a more expensive Cadillac-type plan might be in order.”

Causey also regularly shared insights and advice on dental and vision benefits for feds — including during a November 2013 episode of Your Turn.

How FEDVIP has changed

To this day, OPM continues to oversee FEDVIP, and each year, the agency has to draw up the contracts with the various companies who want to be involved in the program. For the 2025 plan year, FEDVIP contains seven dental carriers offering a combined total of 14 nationwide plans, and five vision carriers offering a total of 10 nationwide vision plans.

Outside of FEDVIP, some FEHB plans still offer dental and vision options, but the coverage is usually limited to preventative care, like routine cleanings, X-rays and exams. For individuals who require more robust coverage, FEDVIP has been a massive upgrade, according to federal benefits experts.

And if anything, the dental and vision insurance program has only continued to expand over time.

For example, OPM has since eliminated a previous one-year waiting period federal employees used to have to get through before being able to access coverage of orthodontics. FEDVIP also now has both standard and high options for federal employees and annuitants.

Most recently, in 2023, OPM expanded eligibility for FEDVIP, opening it to part-time, seasonal and temporary federal employees, as well as Postal Service workers — a combined total of more than 200,000 individuals who can now enroll in the insurance program.

“I don’t remember that there was anything taken away from the program. I think it’s really been just expanding it to meet the needs and the requests of federal workers and retirees,” Flanagan said. “It’s one of the success programs that we can tout.”

The post How FEDVIP changed the game for vision, dental benefits first appeared on Federal News Network.

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Judge Subramanian DENIES Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Bail for the Fifth Time – Disgraced Rapper Will Remain in Prison Pending His October 3rd Sentencing

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11 hours ago

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August 5, 2025

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Judge Subramanian: no “exceptional reasons” to release Diddy before sentencing.

Recent Judge Subramanian’s decisions may indicate hard times for Diddy come sentencing.

We have been following the pre-sentencing motions in the high-profile criminal trial of rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

The defense: ‘Sean Diddy’s Combs’ Conviction Is Racist and Sexist’, Say Disgraced Rapper’s Lawyers on Yet Another Legal Filing Trying to Release Him on Bail Pending Sentencing

The Prosecution: Prosecutors Oppose Sean Diddy Combs’ 50M Bail Package, Ask for ‘Substantially Higher’ Sentence Than Before

Look who appeared: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial: Ex-girlfirend Who Disappeared and Did Not Testify Against Rapper as ‘Victim 3’ Now Writes Letter to Judge to Grant Him Pre-sentencing Bail

Diddy has had his request for bail denied for the 5th time.

Today, we learn that federal judge Subramanian has yet again declined to grant Sean “Diddy” Combs bail, saying he found no ‘exceptional reasons’ to release him pending his October sentencing.

ABC News reported:

“Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution, which the judge said mandates incarceration. His sentencing is set for Oct. 3.

Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs remains a risk of flight and a danger to the community, pointing to the violence exhibited on 2016 hotel surveillance footage that shows him kicking and dragging Cassie Ventura.”

Combs remains a risk of flight and a danger to the community: Judge.

The judge ruled that the ‘swinger lifestyle’ argument does not fly in a case that includes ‘evidence of violence, coercion or subjugation in connection with the prostitution’. And the record, he wrote, contains evidence of all three.

Subramanian: “’While Combs may contend at sentencing that this evidence should be discounted and that what happened was nothing more than a case of willing ‘swingers’ utilizing the voluntary services of escorts for their mutual pleasure, the Government takes the opposite view: that Cassie Ventura and Jane were beaten, coerced, threatened, lied to, and victimized by Combs as part of their participation in these’.”

Read more:

As He Awaits Sentencing in Prison, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Joins ‘Self-Improvement’ Program To Curb Drug Use and Violence Against Women

The post Judge Subramanian DENIES Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Bail for the Fifth Time – Disgraced Rapper Will Remain in Prison Pending His October 3rd Sentencing appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Nearly 78,000 New Applicants Flood ICE Recruitment to Help Crack Down on Illegal Immigration (VIDEO)

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11 hours ago

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August 5, 2025

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In a scorching new development under the Trump-backed ICE reign, Acting Director Todd Lyons confidently announced that “we have almost 78,000 applicants since we opened up,” referring to the agency’s massive recruitment surge launched just one week prior.

This seismic surge in interest aligns with ICE’s newly launched “Defend the Homeland” recruitment blitz, unveiled by the Department of Homeland Security on July 29, 2025.

ICE is budgeting for 10,000 new agents, dangling $50,000 signing bonuses, student‑loan forgiveness, enhanced overtime pay, and upgraded retirement plans to attract recruits.

According to the press release:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today launched a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) campaign to recruit brave and heroic Americans to join ICE as federal law enforcement agents and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from America’s streets.

“Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”

To support this effort, ICE is offering a robust package of federal law enforcement incentives, including: 

  • A maximum $50,000 signing bonus
  • Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
  • 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents
  • Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUI) for Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers
  • Enhanced retirement benefits

Backed by significant new funding through the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE is rolling out patriotic recruitment posters and benefits to attract the next generation of law enforcement professionals to find, arrest, and remove criminal illegal aliens.

During the Fox interview, Todd Lyons delivered the incredible news.

“We have almost 78,000 applicants since we opened up. We’re going through and finding those people who really want to serve the country and truly be in law enforcement. I think it’s a great way to recruit now.

We’re taking back our re-hired annuitants — people who left the job early because they weren’t allowed to do the law enforcement mission.

But we have so many people who are now interested in working with ICE because, under Secretary Nome’s leadership, they’re seeing that we have a viable law enforcement partner in the community. You’re actually out making a difference. We’re really ecstatic about seeing the increase in new recruits who are applying.”

WATCH:

The post Nearly 78,000 New Applicants Flood ICE Recruitment to Help Crack Down on Illegal Immigration (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls on Trump to Commute George Santos’ Excessive 7-Year-Sentence: ‘Some Members of Congress Who’ve Done Far Worse Still Walk Free’

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August 5, 2025

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R‑GA) has formally thrown down the gauntlet.

On Monday, she submitted a letter to the Office of the Pardon Attorney pleading for President Trump to commute the 87-month federal sentence of ex‑Congressman George Santos (NY‑03)—a punishment she calls “a grave injustice” and emblematic of a justice system fractured by politically selective persecution.

Greene wrote on X:

“BREAKING: I just sent a letter to the Office of the Pardon Attorney urging President Trump to commute the sentence of former Congressman @MrSantosNY.

A 7‑year prison sentence for campaign‑related charges is excessive, especially when Members of Congress who’ve done far worse still walk free.

George Santos has taken responsibility. He’s shown remorse. It’s time to correct this injustice. We must demand equal justice under the law!”

Greene signed her letter Aug. 4 to Pardon Attorney Edward Martin Jr. at the Justice Department, demanding Trump use his executive power to undo what she calls a “grave injustice.”

Drawing on inside knowledge, she described Santos as “without a prior criminal record,” “sincerely remorseful,” and portrayed his case as campaign-related maleficence, nothing warranting “one of the most extreme sentences in recent history.”

Green also reminded officials of the roster of current or former lawmakers who actually broke laws or ethics rules yet never lost a day.

The letter reads:

“I am writing to request that your office urge the President to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos. In April 2025, Mr. Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions. However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.

As a Member of Congress, I worked with Mr. Santos on many issues and can attest to his willingness and dedication to serve the people of New York who elected him to office. He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington, D.C. He is sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, my office has spoken with a pastor of his who discussed the regret and remorse of Mr. Santos, agreeing that the sentence imposed is a grave injustice.

While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges. I strongly believe in accountability for one’s actions, but I believe the sentencing of Mr. Santos is an abusive overreach by the judicial system.

Commuting his sentence would acknowledge the severity of his actions and simultaneously provide a path forward in allowing him to make amends for his crimes and strive to better serve the people in his community.

I respectfully request you to urge the President to commute the sentence of Mr. George Santos.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

According to the Advocate, Trump can pardon Santos, but has not been asked about it.

The Advocate reported:

“He lied like hell, and I didn’t know him,” Trump told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty during an interview at the White House. “But he was 100 percent for Trump. I might’ve met him. Maybe, maybe not, but he was a congressman and his vote was solid.”

[…]

In the Newsmax interview, Trump seemed to question the severity of Santos’s sentence. “It sounds like a lot,” he said. “Is it seven years he just went away? It’s a long time.”

Trump went on to say that while he hadn’t been approached about pardoning Santos, the door remained open. “Nobody’s talked to me about it,” he said. “They really haven’t talked to me about [Santos]. They have talked to me about Sean [Combs], but they haven’t talked to me about [George]. But again, with him, I have the right to do it. Nobody’s asked me, but it’s interesting.”

In April, U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced Santos to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after a guilty plea in August 2024.

Those charges stemmed from fabricating donor names, laundering campaign funds, misusing donor money, and claiming unemployment while campaigning.

Santos took to social media earlier this year to criticize the ruling and pleaded with President Trump for leniency.

He wrote:

This is the hardest statement I have ever written. I write this humbled, chastened, and fully accountable for choices that shattered the faith so many placed in me.

I betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by many. For that, I offer my deepest apology.

When I pled guilty, I did so without reservation. I said then, and I repeat now, that my conduct betrayed my supporters and diminished the institution I was privileged to serve. Those words have weighed on me every day since.

I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead. I asked the Court for a sentence that balances accountability with the chance to prove through sustained, measurable action that I can still contribute positively to the community I wronged.

I believe that 7 years is an over the top politically influenced sentence and I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove I’m more than the mistakes I’ve made.

Before the sentencing, Santos had slammed federal prosecutors for going easy on violent criminals while trying to make an example out of him.

“I will however remind everyone that they want me to go to prison for 87 months while they let sex traffickers walk freely, they give drug lords slaps on the wrist and most importantly refuse to prosecute the cabal of pedophiles running around in every power structure in the world including the US Government,” he wrote on X.

The post Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls on Trump to Commute George Santos’ Excessive 7-Year-Sentence: ‘Some Members of Congress Who’ve Done Far Worse Still Walk Free’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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