Federal employees looking to enroll in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program will have to wait at least another couple of years before they’re able to apply.

The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday on the Federal Register that it will extend its current suspension on new FLTCIP enrollments for an additional two years.

The decision comes “in light of ongoing volatility in long-term care costs and a diminished insurance market,” OPM said.

“OPM has determined that extending the period of suspension of applications for FLTCIP coverage is in the best interest of the program,” the agency wrote.

An OPM spokesperson told Federal News Network that FLTCIP and its enrollees “continue to be a priority,” but said OPM will maintain the suspension until the long-term care insurance market stabilizes.

“We will continue to closely monitor the long-term care insurance market to assess the appropriateness of lifting the suspension on new enrollments and the continued viability of FLTCIP,” the spokesperson said.

OPM first began suspending new enrollments for FLTCIP in December 2022 to take time to address market volatility and sharply increasing premium rates for current enrollees. The suspension was set to expire next month, but OPM has officially punted the deadline to Dec. 19, 2026.

While the suspension is ongoing, OPM will not accept any new applications for enrollments in FLTCIP. Current FLTCIP enrollees will continue receiving coverage, but they will not be able to apply for increased coverage. The suspension also will not affect the claims reimbursement process, OPM said.

Those eligible for FLTCIP coverage include civilian federal employees and retirees, Postal Service employees and annuitants, active and retired military members, and qualified family members of feds. Overall, the program insures less than 0.1% of the some 11 million eligible individuals.

FLTCIP premiums increase each time OPM renews the program’s contract with John Hancock Life and Health Insurance Company. During the most recent open period for new contract proposals, John Hancock was the only company that submitted a bid.

In 2024, FLTCIP enrollees saw their insurance premiums increase by a broad range, up to as much as 86%. It was the first time in seven years that the roughly 267,000 FLTCIP participants saw a premium rate increase.

Previously, in 2016, premium rates for long-term care insurance rose 83% on average, and up to as much as 126% for some enrollees. And in 2009, FLTCIP enrollees saw their premium rates increase by an average of 17%, and as much as 25% in some cases.

When the program issues a new premium hike, FLTCIP enrollees can choose one of three options: stick with their current insurance plan and take on the larger premium rate; reduce their coverage to maintain a rate on par with their prior premium; or leave the program entirely. Those who opt for the same coverage and an increased premium see the costs rise in a phased approach over the course of three years.

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association has raised concerns about the large premium increases in the program. John Hatton, NARFE’s staff vice president of policy and programs, said OPM’s continuation of the suspension on long-term care enrollments is not surprising given the program’s history of “unexpected and unintended premium increases.”

“It’s disappointing that the FLTCIP program is unable to offer a reliable product to federal employees and retirees,” Hatton said. “NARFE urges Congress to consider options to provide relief from past, unexpected premium increases to current enrollees, and partner with OPM to identify a solution that would provide stable, affordable premiums to allow the FLTCIP program to accept new enrollees in the future.”

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