When an employee is appointed or transferred to a position in which he/she is eligible for insurance, the employee is automatically insured for Basic insurance on the day he/she enters on duty in pay status, unless, before the end of the first pay period, the employee files a waiver of Basic insurance with the employing office or had previously filed a waiver which remains in effect.

An insured employee who moves to another covered position is automatically insured on the effective date of the move, unless the employee files a waiver of Basic insurance with the new employing office before the end of the first pay period in the new position.

When an employee of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority elects to be considered a Federal employee under section 153 of Pub. L. 104-134 (110 Stat. 1321), he/she is automatically insured on (i) the date the employee enters on duty in pay status with the Authority, or (ii) the date the Authority receives the employee's election to be considered a Federal employee, whichever is later.

An employee who returns to pay and duty status after a period of more than 12 months of nonpay status is automatically insured at the time he/she actually enters on duty in pay status, unless, before the end of the first pay period, the employee files a waiver of Basic insurance coverage with the employing office or had previously filed a waiver which remains in effect.

For an employee who serves in cooperation with a non-Federal agency and who is paid in whole or in part from non-Federal funds, OPM sets the effective date. This date must be part of an agreement between OPM and the non-Federal agency. The agreement must provide either:

That the required withholdings and contributions be made from Federally controlled funds and deposited into the Employees' Life Insurance Fund on a timely basis, or

That the cooperating non-Federal agency, by written agreement with the Federal agency, make the required withholdings and contributions from non-Federal funds and transmit that amount to the Federal agency for deposit into the Employees' Life Insurance Fund on a timely basis.

If an employee waived Basic insurance on or before February 28, 1981, the waiver was automatically cancelled effective on the 1st day the employee entered on duty in pay status on or after April 1, 1981. Basic insurance coverage was automatically effective on the date of the waiver's cancellation, unless the employee filed a new waiver of Basic insurance with the employing office before the end of the pay period during which the coverage became effective.