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Benefit Enrollment Changes
There are specific times when you can enroll in or make changes to your benefits. When you first become eligible benefits as a new hire, during the County's annual Open Enrollment period, or during as a special enrollment after a qualifying life event.
New Employee Enrollment
New employees receive a detailed overview of Pierce County benefits and the benefit enrollment process in their new employee orientation. Employees have 31 days from their hire date to enroll in benefits. Find more information about benefit eligibility and waiting period in the New Employee page.
Open Enrollment
Employees have a chance every year to make new enrollment choices for most benefits. Open Enrollment takes place each November. Any enrollment changes made by the employee go into effect on the first of the following year and remain in effect for the entire plan year. Find more information on the Open Enrollment page.
Special Enrollment (Mid-Year) Changes
Employees can make mid-year changes to their benefit enrollment when there is a "qualifying event," provided they do so within 31 days of the event or within 60 days of the birth or adoption of a child.
Qualifying life events include:
- Getting married or divorced.
- Establishing or ending a domestic partnership.
- Becoming a parent (birth, adoption or legal custody).
- Losing other active health coverage.
Benefit changes due to qualifying event
Employees can make the following changes mid-year when they experience a qualifying life event. The following benefit enrollment changes are effective the first of the month following the qualifying event or the date or birth or adoption:
- Add or remove a dependent from coverage.
- Enroll in health coverage.
- Enroll in a Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) or change your election amount.
- Add or increase supplemental life insurance.
Coverage effective date:
The first day of the month after the later of the qualifying event date or the date the enrollment change request and valid documents are received. If the later date is the first day of the month, the enrollment date is that day.
Birth or adoption events - enrollment of the newborn or newly adopted child is effective the day of the birth or adoption.
These coverage effective dates are determined in WAC 182-12-262:.
Making Benefit Enrollment Changes
How employees make enrollment changes depends on which benefits they are eligible for, in accordance to their employee group's benefit options:
PEBB Plans
Non-represented & Represented (120J, 120W, 612S, U612, C28PSS, CAPTASSN)
For medical and dental:
Employees who have access to their Workday account:
- Click Benefits (in the Change box) in your Workday Home page.
- Enter the appropriate Event Type from the drop-down.
- Enter the Benefit Event Date (the date in which you are submitting the change event, unless it is for a birth or adoption, you will enter the date of birth or adoption).
- Follow the prompts for each screen.
Employees who do not have access to Workday may complete the PEBB Employee Enrollment/Change Form and submit with required dependent verification documents to [email protected].
WTWT Plans
Represented employees
For medical:
NW Administrators administers medical enrollment for employees enrolled on a WA Teamsters Trust (WTWT) medical plan.
To request an enrollment change, employees must complete and submit a WTWT Participant Data with required dependent verification documents to the Risk Management - Benefits office or email to [email protected].
For dental:
Employee must have access to the mypiercecounty intranet to process a benefit change through their Workday account:
- Click Benefits (in the Change box) in your Workday Home page.
- Enter the appropriate Event Type from the drop down.
- Enter the Benefit Event Date (the date of the qualifying event.)
- Follow the prompts for each screen.
Contact
Phone: (253) 798-2727
8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
950 Fawcett Ave S, # 200, Tacoma, WA 98402