Changes in your life and employment can impact your benefits. Washington University’s health plans are tax-qualified plans subject to regulations established by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is this tax-favored plan status that allows university employees to pay for their health/dental/vision insurance and flexible spending account coverage on a pre-tax basis. In order to maintain the tax-qualified status of our plans and provide this tax-favored benefit to our employees, we are required to comply with IRS regulations regarding employees enrolling in or making changes to their health/dental/vision and flexible spending account benefits.
You have 31 days (62 days for birth, adoption and Medicaid coverage change) from the life event date to submit the required documentation and make changes to your health benefits. If you do not submit the required documentation and make changes on or before the 31-day (62-day, if applicable) deadline, you must wait until the annual open enrollment (in November) to make any changes and the effective date will be January 1.
Guidelines for Health Care Benefits Enrollments and Changes (PDF)
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Life Events
- Marriage/Domestic Partnership
- Having a Baby
- Adopting a Child
- Divorce/Dissolution of Domestic Partnership
- Gain of Outside Coverage
- Loss of Outside Coverage
- Dependent Child Reaches Maximum Age
- Dependent Arrival in U.S.
- Death of Employee, Retiree or Dependent
- Medicaid Coverage Change