Adding & Dropping Insurance Coverage

The following information is from School Employee Initial Enrollment Guide:

An employee can make some changes outside of annual open enrollment without a special open enrollment event.

• Change employee name and/or address by notifying Payroll/Benefits team. Employee cannot change this through “SEBB My Account.”
• Apply for, terminate (cancel), change coverage amounts, and update beneficiary information for supplemental life insurance, supplemental accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and supplemental long-term disability insurance with evidence of insurability.
• Remove dependent(s) from coverage due to loss of eligibility (this is required). Employee must make this change in SEBB My Account no later than 60 days after the event. Employee may also need to provide proof of the event before the dependent can be removed.
• Enroll in, or cancel supplemental long-term disability coverage. Employee can do this on “SEBB My Account” during the first annual open enrollment period or with the Long-Term Disability Enrollment/Change Form after the first annual open enrollment period.
• Start, stop, or change your contribution to employee health savings account (HSA). Use the Employee Authorization for Payroll Deduction to Health Savings Account form at hca.wa.gov/sebb-employee under Forms & publications.
• Change employee HSA beneficiary information. Use the Health Savings Account Beneficiary Designation form available at learn.healthequity.com/sebb/hsa.
• Make changes to employee tobacco use surcharge attestation. Employee can do this on SEBB My Account or use the SEBB Premium Surcharge Change Form at hca.wa.gov/sebb-employee under Forms & publications.

What changes can I make only during the SEBB Program annual open enrollment?

During the annual open enrollment you can:

• Change employee’s medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Enroll employee’s eligible dependents.
• Waive medical coverage or enroll after waiving.
• Enroll in a Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA).
• Enroll in the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP).
• Attest to the spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage premium surcharge.

What changes can I make during a special open enrollment?

Certain events permits an employee to make account changes (like changing plans or enrolling a dependent) outside of annual open enrollment. We call these special open enrollment events.

Employee must provide evidence of the event that created the special open enrollment (for example, a marriage or birth certificate) along with the required enrollment/change forms to your Payroll/Benefits team, or in SEBB My Account, no later than 60 days after the event.

In many instances, the date your change is received affects the effective date of the change in enrollment. See page 62 for additional information about benefit changes during specific events.

Link to SEBB enrollment guide under SEBB.

What happens when employee’s dependent loses eligibility?

Employee must remove an ineligible dependent no later than 60 days after the date they no longer meet SEBB Program eligibility. Remove the dependent from your account in “SEBB My Account.” The form must be received no later than 60 days after the date the dependent no longer meets SEBB eligibility criteria. Employee’s dependent will be removed from coverage on the last day of the month they no longer meet the eligibility criteria.

What happens to employee dependent's coverage if they die?

If employee covered dependent dies, employee must use “SEBB My Account” to remove the deceased dependent no later than 60 days after the event. By submitting this change, employee’s premium may be reduced to reflect the change in coverage. For example, if the deceased individual was the only covered dependent on employee’s account, then the premium withheld from employee’s paycheck will be lower when they are removed.

The SEBB Program collects premiums for the entire calendar month and will not prorate them for any reason, including when a member dies before the end of the month. The deceased dependent’s coverage will end the last day of the month in which the dependent dies. Any change to employee’s premium will be effective the first day of the following month.

If employee has life insurance coverage for your dependent, or are unsure if elected supplemental life insurance for the dependent, contact MetLife at 1-833-854-9624. Also consider reviewing and updating any beneficiary designations for benefits such as life insurance beneficiaries, Department of Retirement Systems administered pension benefits, or other administered deferred compensation program accounts.