Life Events (Qualifying)
Contributions to Drexel University's health plans are on a pre-tax basis. The Internal Revenue Service states that elections under this type of plan that are made during an enrollment period, including contributions to Pre-Tax Expense Accounts (Medical and Dependent Care) must stay in effect for the entire plan year (January 1 – December 31), unless you experience a Life Event, also known as a Qualifying Life Event.
What is a Life Event
A Life Event is a change in your family or employment status that may allow you to make certain benefit changes. If you experience a Life Event and wish to add or drop a dependent(s) for coverage purposes, you must do so on or within 31 days after the qualifying event date. Changes must be consistent with the qualifying life event.
Unless you experience a Life Event during the plan year, you may only change coverage and/or add or drop dependents at each Open Enrollment.
Reporting your Life Event
You may report your Life Event via the My Drexel Benefits portal accessed through DrexelOne, or by calling the Drexel University Benefits Center powered by WEX at 1.844.690.3992.
- Log in to DrexelOne.
- Select the Employee Tab.
- Select the My Drexel Benefits link to access the benefits portal.
- Once in the portal select the Life Events tab on the left menu bar.
- Submit supporting documentation by uploading documents through the My Drexel Benefits portal.
A note on adding dependents to your coverage: Dependents must be validated and verified in the My Drexel Benefits portal in order to be enrolled in your Drexel University health benefits. Please follow the instructions in the portal, and/or emails that they send to you on how to verify your dependent, and if you have any trouble, connect with the Drexel University Benefits Center before your window closes.
If you are expecting your dependent to be added to your plan, you must take action and check them off under the coverage you wish to enroll them in. This should happen when they are added to the system as a dependent. Once added to the system and to specific benefits, dependent's elections will be pending enrollment at the carrier(s) until their documentation is approved and verification is complete. If no action is taken to complete the verification the dependent change will not be applied to your account and will be closed out. Changes will not be able to be made again until the next open enrollment period.
Examples of Required Supporting Documentation
Marriage: A marriage certificate. If you are dropping your health coverage because you have been added on to your new spouse's coverage as a result of your marriage you must report a Gain of Coverage life event, not a marriage event.
Divorce: A divorce decree or a notice of legal separation.
A birth certificate or birth notice from the hospital, or an adoption agreement. Hospital discharge papers are not acceptable documentation.
If your spouse/domestic partner has gained new coverage: A letter on company letterhead stating the date that your new coverage became effective, the types of coverage that have been gained (for example – medical, dental and vision coverage), and the names of the affected dependents.
If your spouse/domestic partner has lost his/her coverage: A letter on company letterhead stating the date that coverage terminated, the types of coverage that have been lost (for example – medical, dental and vision coverage) and the names of the affected dependents. A complete COBRA notice including all of the required information previously listed is also acceptable.
A letter from your daycare on company letterhead stating the date that your rate changed, or will change, and the new rate.
If you are just enrolling your eligible dependent in daycare, or any other qualifying services, you can provide a receipt of the new enrollment from the facility providing the services.
An official death certificate is required for any deceased dependents covered by the medical, Rx, dental, vision or life insurance coverage.
Loss or gain of coverage due to a change in your own employment status or your spouse/domestic partners's employment status.
Loss of Other Coverage: A letter on company letterhead stating the date that your coverage terminated, the types of coverage that have been lost (for example, medical, dental and vision coverage), and the names of the affected dependents. A complete COBRA notice including all the required information previously listed is also acceptable.
Gain of Other Coverage: A letter on company letterhead stating the date that your new coverage became effective, the types of coverage that have been gained (for example – medical, dental and vision coverage), and the names of the affected dependents.
Employees can update their home address and/or telephone number, tax work location address and work location phone number via DrexelOne (please review the Address Update Instructions [PDF]). Within one week this change will be updated automatically by Drexel's benefits administrator.
Election Changes Due to Status Changes
You may change your coverage elections in accordance with the special enrollment rights provided under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Group health plans and health insurance issuers are required to provide special enrollment periods during which individuals who previously declined coverage for themselves and their dependents may be allowed to enroll (without having to wait until the plan's next open enrollment period).
All changes to benefits are effective the first of the month following the date of the event, unless the date of the event falls on the first of the month. In that case, the benefits are effective that day. Newborns' benefits are effective as of the date of birth.
All correspondence from employers, carriers and/or colleges/institutions must be provided on respective letterhead.
Dependent Verification Process
Drexel University reserves the right to request documentation to substantiate that your dependent(s) are eligible for coverage under Drexel group plans. Human Resources has employed a dependent verification processing vendor who will request documentation for your dependent(s) upon enrollment in order to verify legitimacy. This dependent verification team will notify you via the enrollment process, email and postal mail to submit requested documentation. You can upload these documents to the My Drexel Benefits portal accessed via DrexelOne, or send by fax. For more information, please contact the Drexel University Benefits Center at 1.844.690.3992, or email at help@mybenefitexpress.com.
New hires will need to submit documents verifying each dependent who is enrolled under the Drexel group plans during their new hire enrollment timeframe.