Enrollment
Enrolling In Benefits Program
Annual Enrollment for current benefits eligible employees
Annual enrollment for benefits will begin on Monday, August 4, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. and end on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.
Enrollment will be passive. This means that all benefits, other than flexible spending accounts, will automatically continue for the new plan year.
You will only need to go online if you want to enroll in a benefit; change or terminate a benefit; add or drop covered dependents; designate or change your group life insurance beneficiary; or to select a flexible spending account contribution for 08-09.
Enrollment 2008
Important Information – Read Before Enrolling
Annual enrollment for benefits ended on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.
Enrollment for new-hires
You are eligible to enroll for benefits if you are a contributing member of the Teacher Retirement System or if you are a TRS retiree re-hire working at least 20 hours per week. Your benefits paperwork is due to the Employee Benefits Department within 30 days of your employment date. If you choose not to enroll within 30 days of your employment date, your next opportunity to enroll, other than in the event of a Family Status Change, will be during the next Annual Benefits Enrollment.
Changing Benefits During the Plan Year
Family Status Change
An employee may change his/her flexible spending account election during the plan year in the event of a Qualified Family Status Change as allowed by IRS Code Section 125. Examples of a Qualified Family Status Change may include:
- A change in marital status, including marriage, death of spouse, divorce, legal separation (where allowed by the state – Texas currently does not), or annulment.
- A change in the number of dependent children, including birth, adoption, placement for adoption, or death of a dependent child.
- A change in employment status, including termination or commencement of employment of the employee, spouse, or dependent child.
- A change in work schedules, including an increase or decrease in the number of hours of employment by the employee, spouse, or dependent child; a switch between full-time and part-time status by the employee, spouse or dependent child; or commencement or return from an unpaid leave of absence by the employee, spouse, or dependent child.
- A significant increase or decrease in the cost charged to an employee for a benefit package option during a period of coverage. (Does not apply to an FSA.)
- A significant curtailment or improvement, decrease or increase, in the provisions of an employee’s benefits package during a period of coverage. (Does not apply to an FSA.)
- A dependent child satisfies or ceases to satisfy the requirements for dependent coverage on account of attainment of age, student status, marriage, or any similar circumstance.
- A change that results in the entitlement of COBRA continuation coverage by the employee’s spouse or dependent child.
- A change in which the employee, spouse, or dependent child becomes entitled to Medicare or Medicaid, or has been entitled to such coverage and loses such coverage.
- A judgment, decree, or order resulting from a divorce, legal separation, annulment, or change in legal custody (including a qualified medical child support order) that requires benefit coverage or a change in benefit coverage for an employee’s child or for a foster child who is a dependent of the employee.
- Taking a paid or unpaid leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) or the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).
The participant must complete a Change Form requesting the change and submit it to the GISD Benefits Department within 30 days of the effective date of the Qualified Family Status Change.
The participant must also provide substantiating documentation satisfactory to the Plan Administrator to demonstrate that the requested election change is on account of and consistent with the occurrence of any of the above Qualified Family Status Change events. For example, if a participant has a child during the plan year, the participant could add the new child to his/her coverage, but it would not be consistent for the participant to add other children not previously covered. Another example, if a participant has employee+child coverage, and the spouse were to lose coverage under his/her employer as result of termination of employment, the participant could add the spouse, but it would not be consistent for the participant, due to financial hardship, to drop coverage for children at that time.
Health Care Reimbursement Account
Mid-Year Status Change
You are allowed to change your annual election for a Health Care Reimbursement Account ONLY if you have a qualifying status change such as the following:
- Change in employee’s legal marital status
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Death of a Spouse
- Legal Separation or Annulment of Marriage
- Change in number of dependents (Note: gaining or losing an individual who is not a tax dependent does not allow an election change; this is in line with the tax definition of dependent under Section 152.)
- Change in employment status
- Termination or Commencement of Employment by the Employee, Spouse or Dependent
- Change in Work Schedule (reduction or increase in hours by employee, spouse or dependent, including a change between part-time and full-time, a strike or lockout, or commencement or return from unpaid leave of absence)
- Dependent satisfies (or ceases to satisfy) dependent eligibility requirements
- Attainment of limiting age, change in student status, or marriage
- Commencement or termination of adoption proceedings
- FMLA leave for you or your spouse
- Judgment, Decree or Order resulting from a divorce, legal separation, annulment or change in legal custody {includes a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO)}
- Entitlement of Medicare or Medicaid
Dependent Care Reimbursement Account
Mid-Year Status Change
You are allowed to change your annual election for a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account ONLY if you have a qualifying status change such as the following:
- Change in Status – changes generally restricted to events related to a gain or loss of coverage eligibility.
- Change in employee’s legal marital status
- Change in number of dependents
- Change in employment status • Dependent satisfies (or ceases to satisfy) dependent eligibility requirements
- Commencement or termination of adoption proceedings
- FMLA leave for you or your spouse
- Cost or Coverage Changes – changes generally allowed whenever scope of care or care provider changes.
Please Note: Rate changes due to changing providers are eligible.- Significant change in cost, except when a relative provides the service
- Curtailment or improvement of coverage
- Open enrollment under other employer plan
Two important facts must be considered when allowing a status change mid-year.
- Participants may make changes to their elections “on account of, and corresponding with, a change in status that affects eligibility for coverage.” In other words, a change in status must have occurred.
- The change in election must be “consistent with the reason that such change was permitted." Example, increasing coverage due to a marriage, or decreasing coverage due to a death.
Reminders:
Canceled checks are not an acceptable receipt, as they do not satisfy the requirement that a statement be submitted from a third party provider.
Dependent care claims will not be processed based solely upon quarterly statements submitted by participants, unless documentation clearly indicates that the services have already been incurred. According to cafeteria plan regulations, an expense is “incurred” when the services have been performed, not when the bill or charge for such service is paid.