The date your coverage becomes effective depends on your status of hire:

• New Employees
• Rehired Employees
• Employees Returning from Leave Without Pay or Layoff
• New Dependents
• Employees Moving from a Nonparticipating Unit
• Employees Transferring from Full-Time to Part-Time or Vice Versa

Overview

If you are a full-time or full-time seasonal employee who has made a plan election within 30 days from the date your enrollment packet is sent by the Administrator as indicated by the date of the letter in the enrollment packet, you and your eligible dependents are covered on the first day of the month following 30 consecutive days in paid status, provided you have health benefit contributions reported to the ASEA Health Trust on your behalf.

• For example, if you begin work on October 10, you are covered on December 1, assuming you have no periods of leave without pay and you do not terminate your employment during that time.

When you return to work from leave without pay or from a layoff, you are covered starting the first day you return to work, provided you and your employer make health benefit contributions to the ASEA Health Trust. Your dependents are eligible at the same time.

See the Eligibility section of the Plan Booklet for details.

When Coverage Begins for New Employees

If you are a permanent full-time, long-term nonpermanent full-time, or full-time seasonal employee who has made a plan election within 30 days from the date your enrollment packet is sent by the Administrator as indicated by the date of the letter in the enrollment packet, you and your eligible dependents are covered on the first day of the month following 30 consecutive days in paid status, provided that health benefit contributions have been reported to the ASEA Health Trust on your behalf.

• For example, if you begin work on October 17, you are covered on December 1.
• This effective date assumes you have no periods of leave without pay.
• It also assumes that you do not terminate your employment within the first 30 days.

If you are a permanent part-time, long-term nonpermanent part-time, or part-time seasonal employee who elects coverage during the first 30 days of employment, you and your eligible dependents are covered on the first of the month following 30 consecutive days in paid status.

If you go on leave without pay during your first 30 days of employment, you are covered on the first day of the month after you return to work and are in paid status for 30 consecutive days.

• For example, if you start work on October 1, but take leave without pay and return to work October 15, your coverage begins December 1.

When Coverage Begins for Rehired Employees

If you were previously covered under the ASEA Health Trust as an actively working employee and you are rehired within seven calendar days of the date your coverage terminated, your coverage begins on the first day of the period for which health benefit contributions are reported to the ASEA Health Trust on your behalf.

• For example, if your coverage ends July 31 and you return to work on or before August 7, then your coverage begins September 1
• This effective date assumes you and the State begin making health benefit contributions for the period beginning September 1.

If you were previously covered and you are rehired more than seven calendar days after your coverage terminated, you are considered a New Employees. Coverage for you and your dependents begins on the first day of the month following 30 consecutive days in paid status.

When Coverage Begins for Employees Returning from Leave Without Pay or Layoff

When you return to work from leave without pay or from a layoff, you are covered (unless you defer coverage) on the first day you return to work, provided you and the employer make health benefit contributions to the ASEA Health Trust. Your dependents are eligible at the same time.

Seasonal employees may elect to defer your effective date for one or two months. Your coverage then ends on the last day of the month following the month in which you begin seasonal leave without pay again.

• To defer coverage, you must file a new Deferral of Health Benefits Form with the ASEA Health Trust Administrator within 30 days after you return to work.
• Deferrals apply only to that period of work.
• To defer coverage for each subsequent period, you must file a new Deferral of Health Benefits Form with the ASEA Health Trust Administrator each time you return to work.
• A deferral cannot be revoked.

When Coverage Begins for New Dependents

If you add a new dependent to your Plan, the dependent is eligible for benefits immediately if you are currently enrolled in a Family Plan option (Plan A / Full Plan for Employees and Families, Plan C / Supplemental Plan for Employees and Families or Plan D / Low Option Plan for Employees and Families).

If you are covered under an Employee Only plan option (Plan B / Full Plan for Employees Only), you must notify the ASEA Health Trust Administrator to let them know that you acquired a new dependent and then you must switch to a Family Plan option (Plan A, Plan C or Plan D). You must do this within 60 days of acquiring that dependent, unless your newly-acquired dependent has other health coverage.

In order to change your plan election, you must complete a new election form and submit it to the ASEA Health Trust within 60 days of the qualifying event. If you change your plan selection, the change will be effective on the first of the month after the ASEA Health Trust receives your new election form.

Your newborn or newly-adopted child will automatically be covered, regardless of your plan election, for 31 days. If you change your plan election, the change will be effective retroactive to the date of the birth or adoption.

If you enroll your spouse in Plan A, you must confirm if your spouse is employed and eligible for employer-sponsored coverage through his/her employer. If your spouse has opted out of employer-sponsored coverage for which he/she is eligible, a $125 monthly surcharge will be added to your payroll deduction.

In order to add a dependent, you must complete and return a revised Family Information Form and provide proof of dependent status. Failure to complete this form may delay payment of claims for your dependent.

When Coverage Begins for Employees Moving from a Nonparticipating Unit

Employees who move to the General Government Bargaining Unit (GGU) from another bargaining unit will be covered by the ASEA Health Trust on the first day of the month after the bargaining unit change occurs.

• For example, if your bargaining unit change is effective October 15, your health benefits change on
  November 1.

If the change is effective on the first of the month, health benefits also change on that day.

• For example, if your bargaining unit change is effective November 1, your health benefits change on that day.

If you are not in paid status at the time the change occurs, you will not be covered until you return to paid status and the ASEA Health Trust receives contributions on your behalf.

When Coverage Begins for Employees Moving from Part-Time Status to Full-Time Status or Vice Versa

Employees who move from part-time to full-time status will be covered on the first day of the month following the date of the status change.

• If you elected coverage as a part-time employee, your existing plan election will remain in effect as a full-time employee, and you will have 60 days from the date of the status change to change your plan election if you wish to do so.
• If you did not elect coverage as a part-time employee, you must make a plan election within 30 days from the date the enrollment packet is sent by the Administrator as indicated by the date of the letter in the enrollment packet.
• If you do not make an election, you will be placed into the default plan, Plan A.

Employees who move from full-time status to part-time status will no longer be covered as a full-time employee on the last day of the month in which the status change occurred.

• You may elect to continue coverage as a part-time employee, effective on the first day of the month following the date of the status change, if you make a part-time Plan election within 30 days from the date the enrollment packet is sent by the Administrator as indicated by the date of the letter in the enrollment packet.
• If you do not elect coverage as a part-time employee within 30 days from the date the enrollment packet is sent by the Administrator as indicated by the date of the letter in the enrollment packet, you will not have coverage under the ASEA Health Trust.