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Change Your Benefits

Changes can be made to your benefits during Open Enrollment each July. Otherwise, you can only change your health, dental, vision, or flexible spending account coverages during the plan year within 31 days of a Qualifying Life Event. The changes you make to your coverage(s) must be consistent with the Qualifying Life Event. For example, if you have a new baby, you can add the new baby to your health coverage but you cannot drop other dependents from that coverage.

Note: if you do not make your changes within 31 days of the life event, you cannot change coverage until the next Open Enrollment period.

Qualifying Life Events

Getting married is a qualifying life event. You must make this change within 31 days of the date you were married.

Coverage will start on the first of the month following the event date (date of marriage). If you need coverage to take effect on the date of marriage, contact the Benefits Office.

Important information

If you are adding a spouse and/or children to your benefit election(s), you must add those dependents in Workday before submitting your benefit change request.

  • After creating each dependent in Workday, you must also submit supporting documentation for each person.
    • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to to upload your supporting document(s).
    • Click here to view the appropriate dependent documentation. Documentation for marriage events can be found on Pages 7–8.
  • If you are dropping coverage under Texas A&M and enrolling in your Spouse's plan, do not complete a Marriage life event change. Instead, see "Gain or Loss of Other Coverage" below.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

Following a divorce, annulment, or legal separation, you will be able to—and in certain cases, you must—make changes to your benefit plans outside of Open Enrollment.

You must make these changes within 31days of the life event.

Important information

You must submit supporting documentation for this life event.

  • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
  • A copy of the divorce decree or legal separation document confirming the names of both parties, date of divorce or legal separation, and the judge's stamp or signature will be required.
  • Plan changes you make must be consistent with the terms of the divorce decree or legal separation document.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

When you welcome a child into the family, or a child becomes eligible for coverage, you can make changes to your benefit elections.

You must make these changes within 31 days of the life event (date of birth, date of adoption, etc.)

Important Information

You must add the new dependent(s) in Workday before submitting your benefit change request.

  • After creating the dependent(s) in Workday, you must also submit supporting documentation for each child.
    • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
    • Click here to view the appropriate dependent documentation. Documentation for children can be found on Pages 7–8.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources:

If you or your spouse either gain or lose coverage elsewhere due to your spouse's open enrollment at another employer, you may be eligible to make changes to your benefit elections.

You must make these changes within 31 days of the life event (date changes to spouse's coverage(s) go into effect).

Important Information

You must submit supporting documentation for this life event.

  • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
  • A copy of your spouse's enrollment plan notification, showing effective date for each coverage and the name(s) of person(s) being covered under each election will be required.
  • Plan changes you make must be consistent with the terms of your spouse's open enrollment elections.
    • You may drop coverage for yourself and any other covered dependents, provided that your spouse has enrolled those people on his/her plan(s).
    • You may add coverage for yourself and any other covered dependents, including your spouse, provided that your spouse has waived coverage for those people on his/her plan(s).
    • You may only add or drop people from your elections that coincide with the elections made by your spouse. For example, if you are currently carrying yourself, your spouse, and your child on medical and dental coverage, and your spouse chose Employee Only coverage for medical and Employee + Child for dental during open enrollment at their employer, you could remove your spouse from your medical and both your spouse and your child from dental. No other changes can be made to your elections.
  • If the change you will be making will require that you add new dependent(s)—people not already covered under one or more benefit elections—you must add the new dependent(s) in Workday before submitting your benefit change request.
    • After creating the dependent(s) in Workday, you must also submit supporting documentation for each person.
      • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
      • Click here to view the appropriate dependent documentation. Examples of required documentation for dependents can be found on Pages 7–8.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

If you or your spouse either gain or lose coverage elsewhere due to your spouse's open enrollment at another employer, you may be eligible to make changes to your benefit elections.

You must make these changes within 31 days of the life event (date changes to spouse's coverage(s) go into effect).

Important Information

You must submit supporting documentation for this life event.

  • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
  • A copy of your spouse's enrollment plan notification, showing effective date for each coverage and the name(s) of person(s) being covered under each election will be required.
  • Plan changes you make must be consistent with the terms of your spouse's open enrollment elections.
    • You may drop coverage for yourself and any other covered dependents provided that your spouse has enrolled those people on his/her plan(s).
    • You may add coverage for yourself and any other covered dependents, including your spouse, provided that your spouse has waived coverage for those people on his/her plan(s).
    • You may only add or drop people from your elections that coincide with the elections made by your spouse. For example, if you are currently carrying yourself, your spouse, and your child on medical and dental coverage, and your spouse chose Employee Only coverage for medical and Employee + Child for dental during open enrollment at their employer, you could remove your spouse from your medical and both your spouse and your child from dental. No other changes can be made to your elections.
  • If the change you will be making will require that you add new dependent(s)—people not already covered under one or more benefit elections—you must add the new dependent(s) in Workday before submitting your benefit change request.
    • After creating the dependent(s) in Workday, you must also submit supporting documentation for each person.
      • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
      • Click here to view the appropriate dependent documentation. Examples of required documentation for dependents can be found on Pages 7–8.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

It is important to keep your beneficiary designations up to date because named beneficiaries on insurance policies and retirement plans can and usually do supersede instructions in wills. By periodically reviewing your beneficiary designations for your Texas A&M sponsored benefit plans, you can rest assured that your assets will be distributed according to your wishes.

You may update your beneficiaries at any time—both during and after Open Enrollment.

Updates and changes to your beneficiaries are completed in Workday. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

Texas A&M University System Benefit Booklets and Brochures

If there has been a change in day care costs due to a change in provider, change in provider's fees (if the provider is not a relative), or change in the number of hours the child needs day care, you may qualify to make changes to your Dependent Day Care Spending Account election outside of Open Enrollment.

You must make these changes within 31 days of the life event.

Important Information

You must submit supporting documentation for this life event.

  • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
    • A receipt, letter, email, or other written notice from the child care provider outlining the change(s) is required.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

Losing a loved one is never easy, and it can be difficult to settle your loved one's estate while you are still grieving. Please be assured that the staff at Texas A&M is here to support you and will work with you to explain any benefits available to you and any actions you need to take.

For Active Texas A&M University Employees Who Lose a Family Member

Notify us by email at benefits@tamu.edu or by phone at (979) 862-1718 to learn how to update your benefits, file an insurance claim, and obtain assistance.

Depending on whether the deceased family member was covered under your plans, or you were covered on your deceased spouse's plans, you may be allowed to make corresponding changes to your benefit plan elections. You must make these changes within 31 days of the death.

A change in eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP benefits will allow you to make changes to your benefit plans outside of Open Enrollment. The eligibility change can be experienced by the employee, spouse, or dependent.

You must make these changes within 31 days of the life event.

Important Information

You must submit supporting documentation for this life event.

  • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
    • A copy of the Medicaid or CHIP announcement/letter is required.
  • If the change you will be making will require that you add a new dependent(s)—people not already covered under one or more benefit elections—you must add the new dependent(s) in Workday before submitting your benefit change request.
    • After creating the dependent(s) in Workday, you must also submit supporting documentation for each person.
      • Supporting documentation should not be uploaded into Workday. Instead, go to HRConnect to upload your supporting document(s).
      • Click here to view the appropriate dependent documentation. Examples of required documentation for dependents can be found on Pages 7–8.

Once you have uploaded your supporting documentation, navigate back to Workday and create the benefit change request. See the helpful Workday Job Aid for step-by-step instructions.

Resources

You may change your ORP vendor whenever you choose. Make the change in Workday using the ORP Vendor Change benefit event. However, your new vendor must be listed on the A&M System active vendor list.

Other Resources

You may change your TDA vendor whenever you choose. Make the change in Workday using the TDA Plan Change benefit event. However, your new vendor must be listed on the A&M System active vendor list.

You may leave your existing TDA account with your former vendor and change your future contributions to a new vendor. You may also contribute to two different TDA vendors at the same time, if you wish.

Other Resources