(a)(1) An employee's Basic insurance amount (BIA) is either:

(i) The employee's annual rate of basic pay, rounded to the next higher thousand, plus $2,000; or

(ii) $10,000; whichever is higher, unless the employee has elected a Living Benefit under subpart K of this part. Effective for pay periods beginning on or after October 30, 1998, there is no maximum BIA. Note: If an employee's pay is “capped” by law, the amount of the Basic insurance is based on the capped amount, which is the amount the employee is actually being paid. It is not based on the amount the employee's pay would have been without the pay cap.

(2) The BIA of an individual who is eligible to continue Basic Life insurance coverage as an annuitant or compensationer is the BIA in effect at the time his/her insurance as an employee would stop under § 870.601.

(b) An employee's BIA automatically changes whenever annual pay is increased or decreased by an amount sufficient to raise or lower pay to a different $1,000 bracket, unless the employee has elected a Living Benefit under subpart K of this part.

(c) The amount of an employee's Basic Life insurance coverage is equal to his/her BIA multiplied by the appropriate factor based on the employee's age, as follows: