The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Program will offer more coverage options due to a competitive selection process, according to the Office of Personnel Management. (gerenme/Getty Images)

by Jessie Bur

Federal employees and military retirees will have more insurance plans to choose from this year, as the Office of Personnel Management announced Aug. 11 that it has selected the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Program insurance carriers that will be available for coverage in 2021.

“The competitive application process allowed OPM to strengthen the FEDVIP program through increased focus on wellness and education. OPM improved quality assurance, financial reporting processes, and enhanced fraud waste and abuse requirements,” OPM said in a news release.

The number of dental carriers available will increase from 10 to 12, and the number of vision carriers will increase from four to five in the coming year. All vision carriers are offered nationwide, while five of the dental carriers will be offered on a regional basis only.

2021 dental carriers:

• Aetna Dental PPO

• Delta Dental PPO

• BCBS FEP Blue Dental

• GEHA Dental PPO

• MetLife Dental PPO

• United Concordia PPO

• UnitedHealthcare Dental PPO (New)

Regional dental carriers:

• Dominion Dental EPO (New)

• Emblem Health

• HealthPartners (New)

• Humana EPO/PPO

• Triple S Salud

2021 vision carriers:

• Aetna Vision

• BCBS FEP Vision

• MetLife Vision (New)

• UnitedHealthcare Vision

• VSP

Those eligible for the FEDVIP program will be able to enroll, cancel or change their coverage during the 2021 open enrollment season, which lasts from Nov. 9 to Dec. 14 this year.