Qualifying Events – making changes to your benefits by Aimee Brown

Many staff and their families have experienced some sort of “Qualifying Event” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  What’s a “Qualifying Event”?  When it comes to your benefits, it’s an event that allows you to make changes to your current benefit enrollments.  This could include enrolling in health, dental, vision, etc., due to loss of coverage elsewhere or making changes to your dependent care spending account because your children are no longer going to daycare.  Qualifying event changes must be made within 30 days of the event.

Do any of these “Qualifying Events” apply to you and/or your dependent family members?

·       A change in employment status for you, your spouse, or dependent that affects eligibility.  For example: if your spouse or dependent loses their job, they could gain coverage under your benefit plan.  Similarly, if you lose coverage that was previously provided under your spouse’s plan, you could gain coverage for yourself, your spouse, and/or your dependent(s). Keep in mind that eligibility rules apply; see note below.* 

·         A change in marital status, such as marriage, divorce, or death of spouse.

·         A change in the number of dependents, such as birth or adoption of a child, or death of a dependent.

·         A change in qualifying dependent care circumstances (i.e., child no longer attending daycare).

This list is not exclusive – there could be other circumstances that would allow you to make changes to your benefits.  *NOTE: GaBreeze eligibility rules requires classified employees to regularly work 20 or more hours per week; State Health Benefit Plan eligibility requires classified employees to regularly work 30 or more hours per week.

 In addition to benefits, you may wish to make changes to your tax withholding or your VALIC deductions.  These types of changes can be made any time of the year and do not require a qualifying event.  In all cases, please reach out to HR and I’d be happy to confidentially talk out your situation and get you the forms, resources, and web links that you need. 

(Aimee Brown: browna@forsythpl.org).