Making Benefit Changes
When You Can Change Your Benefits
If you have a qualifying life event during the year, you can enroll or change your benefits outside the Annual Enrollment period. You must notify Human Resources Benefits within 31 days of the qualifying life event to enroll or make changes to your benefits.
Examples of qualifying life events include:
- Marriage.
- Divorce.
- Birth or adoption of a child.
- Your child marries or reaches the age limit allowed for coverage.
- Death of a spouse or child.
- Court order to provide coverage for your child.
- Loss or gain of coverage due to your employment or employment status.
- Loss or gain of coverage through your spouse or other coverage.
How It Works
-
Read through the list below to learn the qualifying life events that allow you to enroll or make a change to your benefits.
Note: Qualifying life event rules apply to medical, dental and vision coverage, Employee Life, Spouse Life, Child Life, AD&D Insurance and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
-
Determine what benefit changes you can make with each qualifying life event from the list below. Any changes you make must directly relate to your qualifying life event. For example, you can drop your child from coverage because he/she is no longer eligible due to age; however, you cannot drop your spouse due to the same qualifying event.
-
Once you have determined what benefits you want to enroll in or change, complete the 2012 Benefits Event Change Form. You can download this form under Forms at the left.
-
Submit the completed Benefits Event Change Form, along with supporting documentation to Human Resources Benefits via:
FAX 214-456-1281
Scan and email to 3900@childrens.com
Interoffice mail to Human Resources Benefits — ST6.01
Note: You must process your qualifying life event change within 31 days of the date that your qualifying life event occurred. Changes are effective the first of the month following receipt of your completed event change form and proof of your qualifying life event (e.g., marriage certificate, divorce decree, death certificate, letter from prior carrier stating date coverage was lost). If you miss the 31-day window, your next opportunity to enroll or change your benefits will be the following Annual Enrollment period, for a benefits effective date of Jan. 1, unless you experience another qualifying life event.
The list below shows which benefits you can change as a result of a qualifying life event.
| Qualifying Life Events |
Marriage
- Add spouse and/or eligible step-children acquired from marriage to medical, dental, vision coverage and/or enroll in coverage.
- Cancel medical, dental, vision coverage for yourself and/or covered dependents.
- Change your Supplemental Life and/or AD&D coverage level (may require Evidence of Insurability for increase).
- Enroll in Spouse Life coverage.
- Enroll in Child Life coverage for eligible step-children acquired from marriage.
- Change Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
- Change Dependent Care (Day Care) Flexible Spending Account contribution.
|
Divorce
- Remove spouse and spouse’s children from medical, dental, vision coverage.*
- Enroll in medical, dental, vision coverage for yourself and/or your eligible dependents.
- Change your Supplemental Life and/or AD&D coverage level (may require Evidence of Insurability for increase).
- Cancel Spouse Life coverage.*
- Cancel Child Life coverage for spouse’s children.*
- Change Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
- Change Dependent Care (Day Care) Flexible Spending Account contribution.
*These changes are required because your ex-spouse and his/her children are no longer eligible dependents.
|
Birth or adoption of your child
- Add baby to medical, dental, vision coverage (Enroll yourself for coverage if needed).
- Change your Supplemental Life and/or AD&D coverage level (may require Evidence of Insurability for increase).
- Enroll in Child Life coverage.
- Enroll in or change Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
- Enroll in or change Dependent Care (Day Care) Flexible Spending Account contribution.
|
Your child reaches the age limit allowed for coverage
- Remove child from medical, dental, vision coverage.*
- Decrease Supplemental Life coverage.
- Cancel Child Life coverage.*
- Decrease Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
* These changes are required because your dependent is no longer eligible for coverage.
|
Your child marries
- Remove child from medical, dental, vision coverage.
- Decrease Supplemental Life coverage.
- Cancel Child Life coverage.*
- Decrease Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
* These changes are required because your dependent is no longer eligible for coverage.
|
Death of your spouse or child
- Remove spouse or child from medical, dental, vision coverage.
- Change your Supplemental Life and/or AD&D coverage level (may require Evidence of Insurability for increase).
- Cancel Spouse or Child Life coverage.
- Change Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
- Change or cancel Dependent Care (Day Care) Flexible Spending Account contribution.
|
Court order to provide coverage for your child
- Add child as ordered to medical, dental, vision.
- Add or increase Healthcare Flexible Spending Account contribution.
|
Gain of benefits eligibility due to a change in your Children’s employment status
- Enroll you and your eligible dependents in medical, dental, vision, Supplemental Life coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts.
|
Gain of coverage through your spouse or other coverage
- Cancel medical, dental, vision, Supplemental Life coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts.
|
Loss of coverage through your spouse or other coverage
- Enroll you and your eligible dependents in medical, dental, vision, Supplemental Life coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts.
|
For questions or to check the status of your life event change, please contact Human Resources Benefits (see Contacts at the left).