RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFRNS) -- The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program offers individuals eligible for the program, which included military retired members, an option when purchasing long-term care insurance.

The insurance policy helps defray the cost of in home, nursing home or assisted-living facility care for people who cannot care for themselves due to chronic-health conditions.

"Although many people may believe this insurance to be needed primarily by the elderly, anyone may require potentially expensive long-term care," said Janet Thomas, human resources specialist at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "Any eligible individual may apply at any time, and once enrolled, coverage can't be canceled due to age or a change in health."

Those eligible for the insurance program include: federal employees and annuitants; separated federal employees with title to a deferred annuity; active and retired military members; active members of the selected Reserve; retired "grey" reservists even if they are not receiving retirement pay; those people receiving compensation from the Department of Labor; the current spouse of an eligible person; adult children, parents, parents-in-law and stepparents of living eligible people; and surviving spouses receiving a survivor annuity.

The FLTCIP is sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management and offers group premiums and comprehensive benefits. There are two types of plans available, and enrollees may select from pre-packaged options or customize a plan to meet their needs: 

-- the facilities-only plan that covers all levels of nursing home, assisted-living facility and in-patient hospice care; and 

-- the comprehensive plan that covers everything the facilities-only plan covers, plus care provided at home by a nurse, home health aide, therapist, informal caregiver or other authorized provider. Costs of adult day care centers and home hospices are covered as well.

"The best thing to do at any age is to gather and assess available information. Doing so will help you make the appropriate decision concerning your insurance needs," said Ms. Thomas.

The OPM encourages employees to compare the federal program with other long term care insurance policies, and offers a new Benefits and Features Worksheet at http://www.ltcfeds.com/documents/index.html#forms. Using the worksheet, people can compare the financial strength of companies, plan options, services covered, premium costs, exclusions and limitations, and more. The Web site also has two premium calculators, one for choosing a pre-packaged plan and one to customize a plan to individual needs, at https://www.ltcfeds.com/ltcWeb/do/assessing_your_needs/ratecalc.

Long-term care provides daily living assistance, such as bathing, dressing and eating, to injured, ill or aging people. It may also assist people who need supervision due to a severe cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease.

For more information, call (800) 582-3337, TTY (800) 843-3557, or visit online at http://www.ltcfeds.com/. Certified long-term care representatives are available weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT.