Mid-Year Election Changes

When You Can Make Changes in Your Benefit Elections

Life happens. Maybe you get married, divorced or welcome a child to your family. Or your spouse gets a new job. Life events can affect the benefits you want and need. Find out when you can change your benefit elections during the year… and when you need to wait for annual Open Enrollment at year-end.

Within 30 Days of a Qualifying Life Event

When it comes to mid-year changes (outside of Open Enrollment or New Hire Enrollment), our benefit plans follow Internal Revenue Service rules. These rules allow mid-year changes for some plans only if you have a “qualifying life event.” These events include:

Legal (not common law) marriage or domestic partnership
Divorce or ending of a domestic partnership (not legal separation)
Birth or adoption of a child
Death of a spouse or dependent
A change in employment status of you, your spouse/domestic partner or a dependent, if it affects benefits eligibility
A dependent’s gain or loss of coverage from another source

You have 30 days from any qualifying life event to enroll or make the necessary change(s) to your benefit coverage.

Any benefit change must be in line with the qualifying life event. For example:

If you get married, you might want to add your spouse to your OU Health medical plan coverage. Or you might want to drop your OU Health medical coverage because you will get coverage in your spouse’s medical plan.
If you have a baby, you can add the baby to your medical coverage. But you can’t change medical plans or drop your medical coverage.
If your covered dependent becomes eligible for other coverage, you can drop their medical coverage.

Eligible Benefit Changes

Depending on the type of qualifying life event, you may choose to make changes to your coverage in the following benefits within 30 days of the event:

Health: Medical, dental and/or vision
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs): Healthcare, limited purpose and/or dependent care
Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance: Accidental death & dismemberment insurance, employee, spouse and/or child life insurance, and long-term disability insurance
Some Voluntary Benefits: Accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance and/or legal services plan

Any other types of benefit election changes need to wait for the next annual Open Enrollment.

Anytime

You can make the following benefit changes at any time during the year:

Health Savings Account: You can change your contribution amount and/or your investment elections at any time.
Some Voluntary Benefits: You can add or drop auto, home and/or personal liability insurance, identity theft protection and/or pet insurance at any time.
401(k) Plan: You can start, change or stop your contributions at any time.

How to Make Mid-Year Benefit Changes

You can:

Call OURewards at 866-686-2367. A specialist will help you understand your options, any documentation requirements and how to make the change(s).
Or visit Workday and click the “View All Apps” button; then click the Benefits icon. The system will walk your through the steps to report the qualifying life event, submit any required documentation and make your benefit change(s).

Don’t forget to review and update your beneficiary designations.

Maybe you’ve added a dependent, gotten married or divorced. Life is always moving forward, and you’ll want your beneficiary designations to keep up with you!

Here’s where to review/update your beneficiary designations:

If you have questions or need help…

Contact OU Health’s Benefits Service Center, OURewards by OneSourceVirtual.

Phone:
(866) 686-2367

Email:
OURewards@onesourcevirtual.com