Q. I just had a baby…what do I need to do to add him/her to my insurance?
A. You have 30 days from the date of birth to add the baby to your insurance. You will need to complete, and turn into HR, an insurance change form to "add a dependent" and attach a copy of the birth certificate or verification of birth letter that you may receive from the hospital. The baby's coverage becomes effective on his/her date of birth.
Q. How do I add my new spouse to the plan? When will his/her coverage start?
A.You have 30 days from the date of the marriage to add your new spouse to your insurance. You will need to complete, and turn into HR, an insurance change form to "add a dependent" and attach a copy of the marriage certificate. Your spouse's coverage will become effective on the first day of the next month.
Q. I'm leaving the hospital…how long will I have insurance? When will my PTO be paid out to me?
A.Your insurance coverage will end on the last day of the pay period in which you terminate, assuming that all of your insurance premiums have been paid and are up-to-date. If your premiums are behind, for any reason, you will be given the option to pay back the missed deductions so that your coverage will end on the last day of the pay period that you terminate in. If the missed deductions are not paid back, your insurance end date will be adjusted to when the last full premium was received.
When you terminate from the hospital, you will receive your final pay check for hours worked, and since you are still accruing PTO for that pay period, your PTO bank will be paid out to you on the following pay period.
Q. I'm going part time…how does that affect my insurance?
A. Your new Standard Hours of employment will determine your benefits eligibility. For instance, if you move from a lower payroll deduction amount to a higher payroll deduction amount, you can cancel the benefit plan. However, any changes to your enrollment must be within 30-days of the qualifying event.
Q. I'm going from part time to full time…how do I get the benefits?
A. Once HR has processed your hours increase to full time, you will be mailed an insurance packet that contains the enrollment forms for everything that you are eligible. You have 30 days from the effective date of your hours increase to enroll in any of the benefits that you want to participate. Your coverage would become effective on the first day of the next month, or on your 61st (for health and dental) or 91st (for all other benefits) day of employment.
Q. How long can my child stay on my insurance?
A. Dependent children can stay on your insurance up to the age of 19, or up to the age of 23 if they are enrolled in an accredited college as a full time student. If your child is a full time student over the age of 19, you will be required to show proof of their student status to the insurance carrier every semester.
Q. How many credit hours does my child need to be enrolled in to be considered a full time student?
A. A student needs to be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours, at an accredited college, each semester to be considered a full time student and to remain eligible for the insurance.
Q. What happens if my child decided to take a semester off from school? Can I pick them back up next semester?
A. If a student isn't full time for a semester, or decides to take a semester off, they will not be eligible for the insurance plan and will be dropped at that time and offered COBRA. If they enroll as a full time student the next semester (assuming they are still under the age of 23) they can be picked back up on your insurance plan by providing proof of their full time student status.
Q. When can I drop my insurance?
A. Insurance changes and cancellations can only be made during the annual open enrollment period, unless there is an approved qualifying event that would warrant the changes to be made outside of the open enrollment period.
Q. When is open enrollment?
A. The annual open enrollment period for most benefit plans is held in the fall of each year. Any plan changes that are elected during the fall open enrollment period will take effect on January 1st.
Q. What are the qualifying events that allow me to make changes to my insurance outside of the open enrollment period?
A. The qualifying events are outlined by the Section 125 Federal Guidelines. These events have been approved as reasons for you to make changes to your insurance plans outside of the annual open enrollment period. They are: