When you elect your benefits during Open Enrollment, the majority of your elections cannot be changed until the next Open Enrollment period (usually held in October each year with changes made during this time effective January 1st the following year). However, if you experience a Qualified Life Event (QLE) (i.e. marriage/divorce, loss/gain of coverage, birth/adoption) you are then able to make changes consistent with the life event mid-year.
How to Make a Change:
To make changes to your current benefit elections, you must complete the steps below within 30 calendar days* of the Qualified Life Event date.
- Enroll in Health and Welfare benefits via the EasyEnroll system. After login, begin the process by choosing the life event that best suits your situation.
- Provide supporting documentation of the life event within 30 calendar days of the life event to benefits@gwu.edu. It’s important to make sure that your supporting documentation includes the effective date of the event. In addition, if you are gaining or losing coverage, be sure the documentation includes the type of coverage gained/lost and the individuals who have gained/lost the coverage. Contact benefits@gwu.edu with any questions regarding what is considered sufficient supporting documentation. When in doubt, please reach out!
*NOTE: If you experience one of the following events, you have 60 calendar days to make changes and submit supporting documentation: birth/adoption of a child, divorce and/or change in eligibility for Medicaid/CHIP.
Effective Date for Changes
If approved, changes made to your benefits due to a Qualified Life Event will be effective the first of the month following the date GW Benefits receives your supporting documentation – as long as it is received and your online changes are made within 30 calendar days from the life event date.
*NOTE: For birth/adoption of a child events: If you make changes to your benefits and submit your supporting documentation within 60 calendar days of the birth/adoption event, benefit changes will be effective on the date of birth/adoption; however, if benefit changes and supporting documentation are submitted after 60 calendar days, then benefit changes will be effective on the first of the month following receipt of supporting documentation.
Visit our webpage for additional details as well as a helpful chart on what qualifies as a life-event, effective date of changes and types of documentation needed for QLEs. Contact us at benefits@gwu.edu or 571.553.8382, we’re happy to help!
