A Qualifying Life Event (QLE) is a specific change in your personal or employment status that allows you to make changes to your benefit elections outside of the annual Open Enrollment period.
Changes must be consistent with the qualifying event and must generally be requested within 30 days of the event.
Qualifying Life Events Include:
- Marriage
- Divorce or legal separation
- Annulment
- Death of a spouse
- Birth of a child
- Adoption or placement for adoption
- Death of a dependent
- Beginning or ending employment
- Change from full-time to part-time status (or vice versa)
- Approved leave of absence, including FMLA
- Return from an unpaid leave of absence
- A dependent gains or loses eligibility under a benefit plan
- A dependent gains or loses other group health coverage
- Court orders requiring coverage for a dependent
- Loss of other health coverage and HIPAA special enrollment rights
- Gain or loss of Medicare or Medicaid eligibility
Important Reminder
Requests to change benefit elections due to a Qualifying Life Event must be submitted within the applicable deadline and must be directly related to the qualifying event. Requests submitted after the deadline may be denied in accordance with IRS regulations.