Qualifying Life Events
Deductions for medical, dental, vision, and other benefits are taken on a pre-tax basis. This means that you don't pay taxes on those dollars, and are thereby reducing your taxable income. Once you enroll in pre-tax benefits, either as a new hire or during Open Enrollment, your choices will remain in effect for the rest of the plan year unless you experience a "Qualified Life Event." Federal law sets specific rules about changes that can be made to benefit elections when premiums are paid on a pre-tax basis.
Examples of a Qualified Event:
- Change in legal marital status (marriage, divorce, annulment, death)
- Change in the number of dependents (birth, adoption, death, full-time student status)
- Change in employment status that affects eligibility (commencement/termination of employment, or change in hours worked by a dependent spouse)
Call or log in the day following the date you lose or gain coverage to make your coverage changes. Changes must be made within 31 days of the event. You will need to call the Solutions Center at 866.903.8216, or log in to myCreighton to make the necessary changes to your current benefit elections.
The requested change must be consistent with the event. While you can change who is covered under the health plan with a qualified event, you may not change the health plan option currently in force (i.e., you cannot change from CCAP to PPO1 after having a baby).
Human Resources requires documentation to substantiate all coverage changes. However, do not wait for documentation to notify us of your need to make a change.
Notification of your qualified status change MUST be made within 31 days of the event, via the Solutions Center or the website. If you do not request a change within 31 days of the event date, your next opportunity to make changes is Open Enrollment, effective the first of the following year. If you have questions, please email the Creighton Benefits Team at benefits@creighton.edu