Wellness Wednesday — A note about employment status and benefits

picture disc.(EDITOR’S NOTE:The following is a note from the UNMC Employee Benefits and Work-Life Programs Division of Human Resources.)

Have you recently had a change in your Status or are you a new employee at UNMC?

Examples of change in status include:

  • Legal marital status (marriage or divorce);
  • Number of dependent children (birth or adoption);
  • Employment status or work schedule that results in loss of coverage or new eligibility for benefits;
  • Coverage under other employers’ benefits plan (if substantial);
  • Death in immediate family (spouse or eligible dependent); and
  • New UNMC employee.

If you are a UNMC employee and one of the changes above has occurred within the last 31 days, contact the UNMC benefits office at 559-4340 to ask if you qualify for a midyear benefits election change. Under IRS guidelines of our benefits plan, if you qualify for a “Change in Status” or are a new employee, you are permitted to enroll or make changes to your coverage within 31 days of that “Permitted Election Change Event.”

Important Note: If you fail to enroll or make changes within 31 days, you will not be permitted to make any changes to your benefits for the calendar year of 2009.

Re-enrollment information and packets are typically distributed to each UNMC employee during the middle of November for the following year (in this case 2010). This will be your next opportunity to enroll or make changes in your benefits.