WAC 182-08-197
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Agency filings affecting this section
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Employees must select PEBB benefits and complete enrollment forms within thirty-one days of the date they become eligible for PEBB benefits.
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(1) Employees who are newly eligible for PEBB benefits must complete the appropriate forms indicating enrollment and their health plan choice, or their decision to waive medical under WAC
182-12-128. Employees must return the forms to their employing agency no later than thirty-one days after they become eligible for PEBB benefits, as stated in WAC
182-12-115. Newly eligible employees who do not return an enrollment form to their employing agency indicating their medical and dental choice within thirty-one days will be enrolled in a health plan as follows:
(a) Medical enrollment will be Uniform Medical Plan Preferred Provider Organization; and
(b) Dental enrollment (if the employing agency participates in PEBB dental) will be Uniform Dental Plan.
(2) Newly eligible employees may enroll in optional insurance coverage (except for employees of agencies that do not participate in life insurance or long-term disability insurance).
(a) To enroll in the amounts of optional life insurance available without health underwriting, employees must return a completed life insurance enrollment form to their employing agency no later than sixty days after becoming eligible for PEBB benefits.
(b) To enroll in optional long-term disability insurance without health underwriting, employees must return a completed long-term disability enrollment form to their employing agency no later than thirty-one days after becoming eligible for PEBB benefits.
(c) To enroll in long-term care insurance with limited health underwriting, employees must return a completed long-term care enrollment form to the contracted vendor no later than thirty-one days after becoming eligible for PEBB benefits.
(d) Employees may apply for optional life, long-term disability, and long-term care insurance at any time by providing evidence of insurability and receiving approval from the contracted vendor.
(3) Employees who are eligible to participate in the state's salary reduction plan (see WAC
182-12-116) will be automatically enrolled in the premium payment plan upon enrollment in medical so employee medical premiums are taken on a pretax basis. To opt out of the premium payment plan, new employees must complete the appropriate form and return it to their employing agency no later than thirty-one days after they become eligible for PEBB benefits.
(4) Employees who are eligible to participate in the state's salary reduction plan may enroll in the state's medical FSA or DCAP or both. To enroll in these optional PEBB benefits, employees must return the appropriate enrollment forms to their employing agency or PEBB designee no later than thirty-one days after becoming eligible for PEBB benefits.
(5) When an employee's employment ends, insurance coverage ends (WAC
182-12-131). Employees who are later reemployed and become newly eligible for PEBB benefits enroll as described in subsections (1) and (2) of this section, with the following exceptions in which insurance coverage elections stay the same:
(a) When an employee transfers from one employing agency to another employing agency without a break in state service. This includes movement of employees between any agencies described as eligible groups in WAC
182-12-111 and participating in PEBB benefits.
(b) When employees have a break in state service that does not interrupt their employer contribution-based enrollment in PEBB insurance coverage.
(c) When employees continue insurance coverage under WAC
182-12-133 (1) or (2) and are reemployed into a benefits eligible position before the end of the maximum number of months allowed for continuing PEBB health plan enrollment. Employees who are eligible to continue optional life or optional long-term disability but discontinue that insurance coverage are subject to the insurance underwriting requirements if they apply for the insurance when they return to employment.
(6) When an employee's employment ends, participation in the state's salary reduction plan ends. If the employee is hired into a new position that is eligible for PEBB benefits in the same year, the employee may not resume participation in DCAP or medical FSA until the beginning of the next plan year, unless the time between employments is less than thirty days.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.05.160. 08-20-128 (Order 08-03), § 182-08-197, filed 10/1/08, effective 1/1/09; 07-20-129 (Order 07-01), § 182-08-197, filed 10/3/07, effective 11/3/07; 06-11-156 (Order 06-02), § 182-08-197, filed 5/24/06, effective 6/24/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.05.160, 41.05.350, and 41.05.165. 05-16-046 (Order 05-01), § 182-08-197, filed 7/27/05, effective 8/27/05.]