When you have a leave of absence, you can make certain corresponding changes to your insurance benefits for yourself, your spouse, and dependent children through age 26. You will receive a packet of information from SEGIP that includes your Personal Enrollment Form if you wish to cancel any or all of your benefits.
An informational packet will be mailed to your home address when you begin your leave of absence. Your Personal Enrollment form is included in this packet.
If you are choosing to continue all of your medical, dental, life, and optional coverages you do not need to return your Personal Enrollment form.
You may drop any or all of your insurance coverages. You may also reduce your medical and/or dental coverage from family to single coverage. To drop or reduce one or more of your coverages, submit your Personal Enrollment form to SEGIP or indicate your change on your monthly bill.
You can choose to continue the MDEA on an after-tax basis by submitting the Continuation of Coverage While on Unpaid Leave of Absence form to SEGIP.
You cannot change your medical or dental plan administrator.
You cannot make changes to your Parking Expense Accounts and Bus Pass/Van Pool Accounts while on an unpaid leave.
If you continue your coverages, and then stop making payment, coverage will end on the last day of the month for which full payment was made.
These changes can be made to your benefits at any time:
You can make changes to Employee Additional Life, Spouse Life, Employee AD&D, Spouse AD&D, and Short Term Disability, by completing the Optional Application form.
You can make changes to your Parking Expense Account (PKEA) and Bus Pass/Vanpool Account (BVEA) by completing and returning to SEGIP the Transit Change in Participation form.
Be sure to make these updates if needed:
Name changes: submit this change to your Human Resource office.
If you are eligible, you may enroll on a SEGIP covered parent’s or spouse’s coverage. Your parent or spouse needs to submit the A Qualifying Status Change form within 30 days, including the day of either your leave date or when your employer contribution ends, to add you to their coverage.
You may drop insurance coverages at any point during the leave.
You must elect to continue your MDEA within 60 days of the leave date including the day of the event.
Timing is everything
An enrollment is completed by submitting the required forms to the SEGIP office no later than the last day of the enrollment period as shown on your Personal Enrollment form. Do not delay submitting your application by the deadline.
Contact SEGIP within your enrollment period when there is a delay in obtaining documents. Otherwise, late applications will not be processed.
If the enrollment is not completed within the allowed period, your next opportunity to change your coverage is during the next annual Open Enrollment or upon another qualified life event.
A Personal Enrollment form along with information regarding your insurance coverages while on a leave of absence will be sent to your home address.
Visit our Find a Form page to access the form you need.
Access the Benefit Resources (BRI) website to obtain the form you need to make changes to your pre-tax accounts.
What are the risks of canceling my coverage while on leave?
Any benefits or insurance policies that are canceled while on a leave of absence cannot be reinstated until you return to work. Canceling your coverages may alter your ability to participate in Open Enrollment. Also, if you cancel coverages while on leave prior to retirement, you cannot make retiree continuation elections on any canceled coverages.
Disclaimer: This list is meant to cover some of the most common risks. It does not cover all risks. One’s inability to predict an outcome is not grounds to reinstate coverage.
If you need to retire or separate employment, you will have no medical insurance to continue.
If you incur claims, they will not be paid by insurance.
If you return to employment, it will be put back in place at the level of coverage you had prior to cancellation.
If you need to change the level of coverage or waive coverage upon your return you will need to submit A Qualifying Status Change form and provide proof of the qualified life event that occurred while on the leave. The application and proof of life event must be submitted within 30 days of your return to work date.
If you retire or separate, there is no continuation available.
Employee and Spouse Supplemental
If you retire, you lose the opportunity for the 20% paid up benefit for at least five years.
Death claims will not be paid.
If you return from leave after one year, you must re-apply for coverage and provide evidence of insurability (complete a health history questionnaire). The request for coverage may be rejected/turned down.
Child Life
Death claims will not be paid.
If you retire or separate, you have no child life to continue.
Coverage will not be reinstated if you do not return from leave within one year; your next opportunity to enroll will be during Open Enrollment.
Accidental Death and Dismemberment – Employee and Spouse
Death claims will not be paid.
If you do not return from leave within one year, an Optional Application will need to be submitted for coverage to be restarted.
If in claim status, that claim will continue, but no new claims will be eligible for coverage.
If you return from leave after one year, you need to re-apply for coverage with evidence of insurability (complete a health history questionnaire). The request for coverage can be rejected/turned down.
Long Term Disability (LTD)
If coverage is canceled, no LTD claims will be paid.
If there is any lapse in coverage, the two-year pre-existing condition limitation will start over.
Coverage will not be reinstated if you do not return from leave within one year; your next opportunity to enroll will be during Open Enrollment.
If the account is canceled, you may not submit claims for reimbursement after the cancelation date.
If you return within the calendar year, you must reapply for this benefit by submitting the Change in Participation form within 30-days of your return date. You are not eligible for reimbursement of claims prior to the return date.
If canceled, you will not be eligible for the IRS $500 carry-over (MDEA accounts must be fully funded in order to be eligible for the carry-over).
