If you experience one of these events, you have a 30-day window from the effective date of the event to make changes to your benefit elections.

Make Changes to Your Benefits

What is a Qualifying Life Event?

A Qualifying Life Event (QLE) is a big life change that can impact your benefits, such as getting married, having a baby or if your spouse starts or leaves a job. When a QLE occurs, you have 30 days from the effective date of the event to make changes to your benefits, outside of Open Enrollment.

Make Changes to Your Benefits

What is a Qualifying Life Event?

A Qualifying Life Event (QLE) is a big life change that can impact your benefits, such as getting married, having a baby or if your spouse starts or leaves a job. When a QLE occurs, you have 30 days from the effective date of the event to make changes to your benefits, outside of Open Enrollment.

Examples of a Qualifying Life Event

Birth / Adoption of Child  

Divorce  

Employee / Dependent Gains Eligibility Elsewhere  

Employee / Dependent Loses Eligibility Elsewhere  

Marriage  

Medical Support Orders  

Qualifying Life Event FAQ’s

How to Make Changes

  • Log into Workday.
  • Go to the search bar and look up ‘Change Benefits’, select the task. 
  • Select the reason you are making a change.  
  • Complete each screen by selecting what benefits you want to elect. 
  • Upload the required documentation for the life status change request. 
  • Add any new dependents and follow the prompts to submit dependent verification documents.
  • Look over your elections to confirm you made the correct selections. 
  • Click ‘I Agree’ and hit the ‘Submit’ button to confirm your elections.  

Marriage

  • Who: Legal Spouse
  • Document Required: Marriage Certificate
  • Effective Date: Date of Marriage

Birth/Adoption

  • Who: Natural and adoptive children, stepchildren and children from whom you have been named legal guardian 
  • Document Required: Birth Certificate/Adoption Papers
  • Effective Date: Date of the birth or adoption

Divorce

  • Who: Ex-spouse
  • Document Required: Divorce Certificate/Decree
  • Effective Date: Date of divorce

Gain/Loss of Coverage

  • Who: Self
  • Document Required: Proof of loss (official letter) or proof of new coverage (enrollment summary)
  • Effective Date: Date that coverage is gained or lost.

Medical Support Order

  • Who: Child(ren)
  • Document Required: Court order to provide medical support

In some cases, changes may be retroactive to the date that the QLE occurred. You may be required to make back payments for retroactive coverage. Conversely, you may receive an overage refund for retroactive removal of coverage.

  • If you add new coverage or dependents, your payroll deductions will increase to account for the higher premium costs.
  • If you reduce coverage or remove dependents, your payroll deductions will decrease accordingly.

No, there are other changes that can be made throughout the year and do not require QLEs such as: 

  • Change Beneficiaries 
  • Change Voluntary Plan 
  • HSA Changes 

When You Can Make Changes

You can make a change to your benefits during the year ONLY IF you experience a QLE. You will need to provide documentation to verify the event. Otherwise, you can only change your benefits during Annual Benefits Open Enrollment.

From the effective date of the Qualifying Life Event (i.e., date of marriage, date of a child’s birth, date your new coverage becomes effective), you have 30 days to make changes to your benefits. No exceptions will be made.

EXAMPLE: If you get married, you have 30 days from the wedding date on your marriage license to make benefit changes like adding your spouse or dropping your coverage.

EXAMPLE: If your spouse loses their job and consequently, their medical coverage, you have 30 days from your spouse’s coverage termination date to make changes like adding your children and/or spouse to your coverage.

These changes become effective on the life status change date.