Reporting a Life Event (Qualified Status Changes)

You can make changes to your benefits elections if you experience a life event (Qualified Status Change). A life event is an IRS qualified event that allows you to make a change in your enrollment elections during the plan year (outside of the open enrollment period).

Reporting a Life Event

Benefits eligible employees that experience a life event and want to make changes must take certain steps to report the life event successfully. For more information, please review the detailed steps on this page or refer to the Benefits Enrollment Overview reference guide.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Medical, dental, and/or vision plan changes cannot be made for a qualified life event. You can only modify your tier level to accommodate an eligible dependent(s) or remove a dependent(s).

Instructions for Reporting a Life Event

  1. Contact the Benefits Department to request that a life event is opened by submitting an online inquiry at www.hr.pitt.edu/contact-ohr.
    • When submitting your inquiry, please include a brief description as to why you are requesting the life event to be opened. For example: "My family has been covered by my spouse's employee benefits but they are changing employers and we will lose coverage on March 31."
    • You must contact the Benefits Department and wait for them to advise you on the life event prior to taking any additional steps.
  2. ​Benefits customer support will contact you advising what documentation will need to be uploaded into Pitt Worx.
  3. Add the appropriate documentation in Document Records in Pitt Worx.
  4. If you are adding a new dependent or removing a current dependent, update your contact list in Before You Enroll in Pitt Worx.
  5. After the documentation is uploaded in Document Records and your Before You Enroll list has been updated, it will be reviewed by Benefits customer support.
    • Please note: this process takes approximately 1-2 business days after documentation is submitted.
  6. When enrollment becomes available, you will receive two notices via email.
    1. An automated notification from the Pitt Worx system
    2. A customer support email from the Benefits Department with additional details
  7. To make your changes after enrollment becomes available, log in to Pitt Worx, select Benefits from the Me page, then select the Make Changes button to begin the enrollment process.
  8. Once your enrollment updates are submitted, Benefits customer support will review your elections to confirm they are within IRS regulation.
    • Please note: if anything is outside of IRS regulation (for example, changing plan type mid-year), the Benefits customer support team will make the correction and will advise with you accordingly.

A change to your benefit elections can only be made within 60 days of the qualified life event.

  • For an event date that occurs on the first day of a month, the coverage becomes effective the first of that same month.
    • Marriage Life Event Example: If the employee was married on October 1st and wants to add their new spouse to their benefits, the spouse’s coverage would begin effective October 1. The employee must complete the status change forms and provide a copy of their marriage certificate within 60 days of their date of marriage.
    • NOTE: Coverage is only processed to begin based on the event date for a qualified status change. If you submit your paperwork on October 31st, the coverage will begin retroactively on October 1st.
       
  • For an event date that occurs after the first day of a month, the coverage becomes effective the first of the next month.
    • Marriage Life Event Example: If the employee was married on October 13th and wants to add their new spouse to their benefits, the spouse’s coverage would begin effective November 1. The employee must complete the status change forms and provide a copy of their marriage certificate within 60 days of their date of marriage.
    • NOTE: Coverage is only processed to begin based on the event date for a qualified status change. If you submit your paperwork on November 30th, then the coverage will begin retroactively on November 1st.

Qualified Status Change Request Requirements

Expand the sections to learn more about the necessary requirements and the possible changes to your benefits for each type of life event (Qualified Status Change). For quick reference, please refer to this reference guide.