Benefits events

When employees are hired, rehired, transferred, or experience a life event such as the birth of a child or marriage, they become eligible to make a benefits election or make a change to their existing benefit election within 31 days of the qualifying event. NYCAPS refers to this as a benefits event.

The most common benefits events are family status changes, which includes marriage, the birth of a child, adoption, loss of other coverage, divorce, and death of a dependent. Employees are eligible to make changes to their benefits as a result of a family status event any time during the year, as long as it is within 31 days of the event.

There are other types of events that have a benefits impact, such as address changes. These changes may make the employee ineligible for their current plan. Title changes, promotions, or a change in the number of hours worked may also impact benefits. Any change to benefits must occur within 31 days of these events.

Important: When a change is entered in NYCAPS by the HR representative that makes the employee ineligible for his or her existing plan, the employee must make a new election within 31 days of the change. Failure to elect a new plan within 31 days of the change will result in the loss of coverage upon the effective date of the change.

2015

Last revised: March 9, 2009