5 CFR §870.303
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (a)Effective October 30, 1998, foster children are eligible for coverage as family members under Option C.
- (b)To qualify for coverage as a foster child, the child must meet the following requirements:
- (1)The child must live with the insured employee, annuitant, or compensationer;
- (2)The parent-child relationship (as defined in § 870.101) must be with the insured employee, annuitant, or compensationer, not the biological parent;
- (3)The employee, annuitant, or compensationer must be the primary source of financial support for the child; and
- (4)The employee, annuitant, or compensationer must expect to raise the child to adulthood.
- (c)A child placed in an insured individual's home by a welfare or social service agency under an agreement by which the agency retains control of the child or pays for maintenance does not qualify as a foster child.
- (d)
- (1)An insured individual wishing to cover a foster child must sign a certification stating that the child meets all the requirements and that he/she will notify the employing office or retirement system if the child marries, moves out of the home, or stops being financially dependent on the employee, annuitant, or compensationer.
- (2)The employing office or retirement system must keep the signed certification in the insured individual's file, along with other life insurance forms.
- (e)A foster child who moves out of the insured individual's home to live with a biological parent loses eligibility and cannot again be covered as a foster child unless: