OAR 101-020-0032: Open Enrollment

(1) Active and other eligible employees may make benefit plan changes, new plan elections, enroll eligible individuals, or terminate only certain individuals during the annual open enrollment period. All plan elections or enrollments are subject to paragraph (6) of this rule. Eligible employees must submit plan elections, enrollments, or enrollment terminations as instructed during the designated period. (2) Open enrollment coverage begins the first day of the new plan year. When coverage must receive plan-underwriting approval, the appropriate documents must be submitted to the plan by December 31st of the current plan year, the effective date of the coverage will be the first day of the month after approval in the new plan year.The exception is UNUM, enrollment can be done at any time and the effective date of coverage is the first of the month following approval. (3) During the open enrollment period, the eligible employee is accountable for enrolling and providing coverage to only those individuals who will meet PEBB eligibility criteria for coverage the first day in the new plan year. The eligible employee is accountable during open enrollment for ensuring that only those individuals who meet PEBB eligibility are enrolled in the new plan year. (a) Employees can terminate an individual currently receiving coverage, electronically or by using a form, if they know the individual will be ineligible for coverage the first day of the plan year or the employee no longer wants to provide coverage to the individual even though the individual will continue to meet eligibility. When terminated by an employee as part of the open enrollment period the individual’s coverage ends the last day of the last month of the current plan year. PEBB can audit an employee’s benefit record and investigate the reason why an individual will no longer receive coverage in the new plan year. When necessary PEBB can correct the coverage termination date of a terminated individual and take the appropriate termination of coverage action as provided by OAR 101-020-0025. (b) Employees are not to use the open enrollment period to remove individuals who have lost eligibility or will lose eligibility. Employees must remove individuals who lose eligibility from their coverage and benefit record by submitting the correct midyear change forms to the agency or to PEBB. See OAR 101-020-0025. (4) The agency must provide an eligible employee who becomes newly eligible or hired after the open enrollment period but before the start of the new plan year an opportunity for open enrollment elections. (5) The agency must provide eligible employees away from work due to FMLA, CBIW, active military duty, or other approved employer leave status where the employer continues the employee’s core benefits, an opportunity for open enrollment elections before the start of the new plan year. (6) Benefit plan elections are irrevocable for the new plan year except as specified in OAR 101-020-0050 or 101-020-0037.