For Complete Information Regarding Policies for the Benefit Programs

NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION

SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFIT INFORMATION

For complete information regarding policies for the benefit programs,

please refer to the NMSU policy manual and NMSU Benefit Services website.

Enrollment Options

Employees are offered the opportunity to enroll in benefits upon hire into a regular, benefit eligible position. Options for enrollment are:

New Hire/Newly Eligible Employees

Enrollment must be submitted no later than 31 days from the official job start date/date of hire. Enrollment effective date is either the first pay period after 30 days of employment or the first of the month after 30 days of employment, depending on the benefits elected. Please see individual plan summaries for details.

Employees who miss the 31 day deadline may have options for late enrollment.

Late Enrollment

Late enrollment is available for the following benefit plans:

·  Vision

o  Coverage is effective the first of the month after 90 days from the date the enrollment form is received

·  Basic Group Life Insurance and AD&D (with evidence of insurability)

o  Coverage is effective the first pay period after approval is received from the insurance company

o  The evidence of insurability form is available on the Benefit Services Website at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/insurance/group-life/

·  Voluntary Life Insurance (with evidence of insurability – must also enroll in Voluntary AD&D)

o  Coverage is effective the first pay period after approval is received from the insurance company

o  The evidence of insurability form is available on the Benefit Services Website at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/insurance/vol-life-add/

·  Voluntary Accidental Death and Dismemberment Life Insurance (must also enroll in Voluntary Life Insurance)

o  Coverage is effective the first of the pay period after approval for Voluntary Life Insurance is received from the insurance company

·  Long Term Disability (with evidence of insurability)

o  Coverage is effective the first pay period after approval is received from the insurance company

o  The evidence of insurability form is available on the Benefit Services Website at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/insurance/ltd/

·  Long Term Care (requires full medical underwriting)

o  Coverage is effective the first of the month after approval is received from the insurance company

o  Application is available at https://longtermcare.genworth.com/fiveseries/login.do

·  Critical Illness Insurance (with evidence of insurability)

o  Coverage is effective the first pay period after approval is received from the insurance company

o  Application is available at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/insurance/critical-illness/

Late enrollment is available year round for the benefit programs listed above. Late enrollment may have restrictions. Please see Benefit Services for details.

Changes to Benefit Plans

Change in Status/Qualifying Event: Employees may add or delete an Eligible Dependent or themselves when a qualified change in status is involved. Examples of changes in status include, but are not limited to:

·  Birth, Adoption, Placement for Adoption

·  Marriage, Divorce, Legal Separation, Annulment of Marriage

·  Death

·  Loss of Eligibility – dependent children age limitation

·  Unpaid Leave

·  Court Orders or Decrees

·  Loss of Coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, or another insurance plan

·  Taking leave under FMLA

·  Change in residence that affects ones eligibility for coverage (examples: moving outside of an HMO/POS service area)

·  Establishment/Dissolution of qualified domestic partnership

Request for changes must be made within 31 days from the date of the qualifying event and supporting documentation of the change is required. Changes to coverage will become effective the date following the change in status; or the date of placement for adoption, the date of birth for newborn children, the day before child reaches age limit and the day of legal separation/divorce. The requested change in benefit must match the change in benefit coverage. For example: Adding a spouse to life insurance due to the birth of a child is not a matching change in status. However, adding a spouse to life insurance due to the spouse’s loss of life coverage through their employer is a matching change in status.

Employees who are also the spouse, domestic partner or dependent of an employee of NMSU, State of New Mexico or any other entity participating in the State of New Mexico’s medical and dental programs, may be covered as either an Employee or Dependent, but not both.

Forms for reporting these changes are available at the Benefit Services, room 17 in Hadley Hall, or online at http://benefits.nmsu.edu/enrollment/changes/.

Open Enrollment Period – Medical and Dental Plans

Employees may elect coverage for medical and dental plans, without restriction, through the open enrollment process. The state of New Mexico Risk Management Division offers open enrollment for medical coverage every four years and dental coverage every two years. An off-cycle open enrollment will be held in late 2013. All changes made during this enrollment will go into effect January 1st.

Switch Enrollment Period

Employees may change between the medical carriers during the switch enrollment period held in the fall of each year with all changes becoming effective January 1st of the following year. Changes between plan carriers cannot occur at any other time, unless there is a change in status/qualifying event. During a switch enrollment, employees are also allowed to cancel coverage for themselves or their dependents on medical, dental and/or vision, however adding dependents is not allowed.

Annual Enrollment Period – Vision, Pre-Tax Premium Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts

·  Vision – Employees may enroll or disenroll themselves and their dependents without restriction during the annual enrollment period held in the spring of each year with all changes becoming effective July 1st of that year.

·  Pre-Tax Premium Plan – Employees may enroll or disenroll during the annual enrollment period held in the spring of each year with all changes becoming effective July 1st of that year.

·  Flexible Spending Accounts – Employees may enroll during the annual enrollment period held in November of each year, with enrollments becoming effective January 1st of the following year.

Certificate of Group Medical Plan Coverage

The Certificate of Group Medical Life Coverage may be obtained from your previous medical insurance carrier. Upon losing coverage with the NMSU plan this certificate will be issued from the NMSU Medical Plan Administrator.

Creditable coverage is defined as length of coverage under an individual or group medical insurance policy. If there has been a break in coverage of 63 days or more, prior coverage is not used to offset the length of the pre-existing condition exclusion.

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Revised 07-26-13