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Enrollment and Eligibility

woman explaining benefits

Considering all of your benefits options is critical to making the right decisions for you and your family. And in most cases your decisions last for a full year, so making well-informed selections is important. Planning well can make a big difference.

Employees can enroll in certain benefits only during the annual Open Enrollment period in the fall or within 45 days of a qualifying life event (see table below). 

Enrollment

What benefits can I add or change only during Open Enrollment?

  • Medical insurance
  • Group Legal Plan
  • Dental insurance
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Vision insurance
  • Aflac
  • Life insurance  

What benefits can I add or change any time during the year?

  • Beneficiaries
  • St. Jude 403b Retirement Plan (employee contributions)
  • 529 College Savings Plans

What if my family situation or job status changes midyear?

In keeping with IRS rules, you may make midyear benefits changes only if you have a qualifying life event, like these:

  • Marriage 
  • Divorce/Legal Separation 
  • Birth, adoption or placement of a child 
  • Loss of insurance coverage elsewhere
  • Loss of spouse’s insurance coverage 
  • Loss of a loved one (spouse, dependent or other family member) 
  • Change from full-time to part-time status, or vice versa (in cases where benefits eligibility is affected) 

When making a change to a benefit enrollment as a result of a life event, the change has to be consistent with the life event and must be made within 45 days of the life event.

Proper documentation of the qualifying life event is as follows: Marriage (copy of marriage certificate), divorce (copy of final divorce decree), birth of a child (copy of birth certificate—mother’s copy is sufficient), adoption or placement of a child (copy of court documentation), loss of spouse’s insurance coverage (copy of HIPAA Certificate). A HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) Certificate is a letter from your previous insurance carrier indicating proof of previous insurance. It includes the last date of coverage and information regarding any dependents that were covered.

To add/delete a dependent for benefits coverage, log into the MYBenefits portal. Under the My Profile tab, click Life Events. Choose the appropriate event at the bottom of the page and follow instructions.

When leaving employment, health insurance benefits remain in effect through the last day of the month in which employment is terminated.

Eligibility

Important information about your benefits: Eligibility
Benefit Staff, Faculty and Postdocs Staff, Faculty and Postdocs Staff1 Visiting Scientists When You're Eligible
  Part-time 90-99% of full-time or 100% full-time* 60%-89% of full-time* 50%-59% of full-time* Part-time 90-99% of full-time or 100% full-time*  
Medical / Prescription Drugs X X   X First day of employment
Dental X X   X First day of employment
Vision X X   X First day of employment
Basic Life insurance (for employees) X X X   After 30 days of employment
Additional Life Insurance (for employees) X X X   After 30 days of employment
Dependent Life Insurance (for spouse / dependents) X X X   After 30 days of employment
Additional Life Insurance (for spouse / dependents) X X X   After 30 days of employment
Aflac X X     Beginning next month after Aflac approval
Long-Term Disability Insurance X       After 90 days of employment
Additional LTD X       After 90 days of employment
St. Jude 403b Retirement Plan Employer Contributions X X X   After 1 year of employment
Employee Contributions X X X First day of employment
FSA Health Care (medical) X X     First day of employment
Beginning the next month after hire date
FSA Dependent Care X X     First day of employment
Beginning the next month after hire date
529 College Savings Plans X X X   Beginning next month after hire date
Employee College Tuition Assistance X       After 1 year of continuous employment
Mental and Emotional Health Services X

X

X X First day of employment
Credit Union X X X X First day of employment
Time away from work X X X   First day of employment
MetLife Legal Plan X X     Beginning the next month after date of hire
Wellness and Work/Life Balance Programs X X X   First day of employment
Long Term Care Insurance X X X X First day of employment
Allstate Identity Protection X X     Beginning next month after hire date

1 Part-time, temporaries, extra care team, students and supplemental employees working 39 hours or less per pay period (49% or less of full-time) are eligible for the 529 College Savings Plan and St. Jude Retirement Plan (Employee Contribution portion only).
* Full-time status is assigned for those expected/scheduled to work 40 hours per week. Part-time status is assigned for those expected/scheduled to work 39 hours or less per week.

 
 

 

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