The addition of a child to your family is a qualifying life event to make changes to your benefits enrollment. You must report the life event in Pitt Worx within 60 days of the birth or adoption being finalized. If you are outside of the 60-day deadline to submit your life event request, you will need to wait until the annual open enrollment period to make changes. There may be other options to cover your child under CHIP or the Healthcare Marketplace if you are unable to meet the 60-day deadline.

If you are adding a child due to birth or adoption:

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: "I had a baby on April 2 and need to add them to my benefits coverage."
   • 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.
   • Review the list of acceptable dependent documentation.
   • Review the list of life event (qualified status changes) documentation.
4. Add your dependent 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.

Accepted Documentation

• Birth certificate
• Verification of birth document
  • NOTE: This document is accepted as a placeholder until you receive the official birth certificate. A copy of the birth certificate should also be submitted upon your receipt, which should be within 31 days.
• Legal court ordered document confirming the adoption of child.

Medical, Dental, Vision

• You have the option to add your child to your existing policies for coverage to begin first of the month following the date of birth or adoption.
  • IMPORTANT: Newborns are automatically covered under the mother’s insurance for the first 31 days following their birth in the state of Pennsylvania. You must take action within 60 days to continue your newborn’s coverage.
• During a birth event, the employee can do the following:
  • Add the newborn to existing plans that the employee is already enrolled in.
    • You cannot add your child to a plan that you are not already enrolled in (i.e. if you do not have vision coverage, you cannot add your child to a new vision coverage plan).
  • Add older children that were not previously on existing plans. For example: If you would like to cover an older child on dental coverage that is not currently on your dental plan, you must add your newborn to the dental coverage, as well.
    • NOTE: Unless the newborn is also being added to the plan, the plan cannot be changed to add the older child. You must enroll the newborn if wishing to add other children.
  • Add a spouse or domestic partner that was not previously on existing plans.
    • NOTE: Unless the newborn is also being added to the plan, the plan cannot be changed to add the spouse/domestic partner. You must enroll the newborn if wishing to add a spouse/domestic partner.

Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Care FSA
  • You may newly enroll or increase your pre‐tax deduction to begin the first of the month following the date of birth or adoption. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
• Dependent Care Account
  • You may newly enroll or increase your pre‐tax deduction to begin the first of the month following the date of birth. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
• Parking FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the birth event.
• Mass Transit
  • No changes are permitted to be made for a birth event.

Life Insurance

• You may newly enroll or change your optional life and/or optional AD&D coverage for the birth event.
  • NOTE: Optional life insurance can be increased by one level for a qualified life event or during open enrollment. An increase of more than one level may be subject to Evidence of Insurability.
• You may newly enroll in child life insurance for your child.
• You can update the beneficiary to your life insurance policy, if applicable. Learn more.

Retirement Savings Plan

• You can update the beneficiaries to your retirement savings plan, if applicable. More information can be found at Making Changes to Your Retirement Election.

A change in your marital status, such as marriage or divorce, provides you with the opportunity to make changes to your benefits enrollment. You must report the life event in Pitt Worx within 60 days of the marriage date or the date of a divorce being finalized. If you are outside of the 60-day deadline to submit your life event request, you will need to wait until the next annual open enrollment period to make changes.

If you are adding or removing a spouse/domestic partner:

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: "I got married on June 1 and would like to add my spouse to my benefits coverage."
   • 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.
   • Review the list of acceptable dependent documentation.
   • Review the list of life event (qualified status changes) documentation.
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.

Accepted Documentation

• Copy of the Marriage Certificate
• Copy of the Divorce Decree

Medical, Dental, and Vision

• In the event of a marriage, you have the option to add your spouse and any new stepchildren to your existing policies or enroll in new policies for coverage to begin the first of the month following your date of marriage.
• In the event of a divorce, you must remove your ex-spouse and any stepchildren from your existing policies for coverage to end the first of the month following the date of the Divorce Decree.
  • NOTE: If you and your ex-spouse no longer share a residence, please update the Benefits Department with their correct mailing address by submitting an online request. We will need this information for the purpose of offering COBRA to the ex-spouse.

Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Care FSA
  • In the event of a marriage, you have the option to newly enroll or increase your pre‐tax deduction effective the first of the month following the date of marriage. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
  • In the event of a divorce, you have the option to decrease or suspend your pre‐tax deduction effective the first of the month following the date of the decree. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
• Dependent Care
  • No changes are permitted to be made for a marriage/divorce event.
• Parking FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for a marriage/divorce event.
• Mass Transit
  • No changes are permitted to be made for a marriage/divorce event.

Life Insurance

• You may newly enroll or change your optional life and/or optional AD&D coverage for the marriage/divorce event.
  • NOTE: Life insurance can be increased by one level of coverage for a qualified life event or during open enrollment. An increase of more than one level of coverage may be subject to Evidence of Insurability.
• You have the option to enroll your new spouse in life insurance in the event of a marriage.
  • NOTE: You may elect option 1 when newly enrolling in spouse life insurance. If you elect any coverage over option 1, your spouse may be subject to the Evidence of Insurability. Options 5 and 6 always require the Evidence of Insurability to completed and submit for review by The Hartford. For more information regarding the options for life insurance coverage for your new spouse, please visit the Life Insurance page.
• You must waive spousal life insurance in the event of a divorce.
• You can update the beneficiary to your life insurance policy, if applicable. Learn more.

Retirement Savings Plan

• Please be sure to update the beneficiary to your retirement savings plan, if applicable. More information can be found at Making Changes to Your Retirement Election.

When you experience the loss of a dependent, you may make changes to your benefits by reporting a life event in Pitt Worx.

If you are removing a dependent due to a death:

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: "I need to remove one of my dependents from my active coverage due to their recent passing in March."
   • 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.
   • Review the list of acceptable dependent documentation.
   • Review the list of life event (qualified status changes) documentation.
4. Remove the dependent 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.

Accepted Documentation

• Copy of the Death Certificate

Medical, Dental, Vision

• You can remove your deceased spouse/domestic partner or child from your existing policies for coverage to end the first of the month following the event date.

Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Care FSA
  • For a spouse/domestic partner, you may newly enroll, increase, decrease, or suspend your pre‐tax deductions effective the first of the month following the event date. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
  • For a child, you may decrease or suspend your pre‐tax deductions effective the first of the month following the event date. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
• Dependent Care Account
  • For a spouse/domestic partner, you may newly enroll, increase, decrease, or suspend your pre‐tax deductions effective the first of the month following the event date. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
  • For a child, you may decrease or suspend your pre‐tax deductions effective first of the month following the event date. This election would remain in effect for the remainder of the plan year.
• Parking FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for this life event.
• Mass Transit
  • No changes are permitted to be made for this life event.

Life Insurance

• In the event of a spouse/domestic partner’s death, you may newly enroll or change your optional life and/or optional AD&D insurance elections.
• In the event of child’s death, you may newly enroll or change your optional life and/or optional AD&D insurance elections.
• In the event of a spouse/domestic partner’s death, you may waive your enrollment in the spousal life insurance policy.
• In the event of a child’s death, you may waive your enrollment in the child life insurance policy.
• You can update the beneficiary to your life insurance policy, if applicable. Learn more.

Retirement Savings Plan

• You can update the beneficiaries to your retirement savings plan, if applicable. More information can be found at Making Changes to Your Retirement Election.

Gaining coverage through an employer-sponsored plan or state-sponsored programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, etc. is considered a qualified life event to remove you, your spouse/domestic partner and/or child(ren) from your benefits. You must report the life event in Pitt Worx within 60 days of the eligibility and/or effective start date of the coverage. If you are outside of the 60-day deadline to submit your life event request, you will need to wait until the next annual open enrollment period to make changes.

If you are gaining coverage through an employer-sponsored plan or state-sponsored program:

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: "I am gaining coverage through Medicaid and would like to remove my University medical coverage."
   • 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.
   • Review the list of acceptable dependent documentation.
   • Review the list of life event (qualified status changes) documentation.
4. Update your dependents 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.

Accepted Documentation

• Confirmation statement of benefits that outlines the coverages (i.e., medical/dental/vision), enrollee(s), and effective start date of coverage.
• Letter from employer’s human resources department or insurance company that outlines coverages (i.e., medical/dental/vision), covered person(s), and effective start date of coverage.
• Letter or statement that you/your dependents are newly eligible for state-sponsored coverage.

Medical, Dental, Vision

• You may cancel your own policy and/or remove a dependent(s) from your existing policies for coverage to end the last day of the month prior to the effective date of the new employer-sponsored coverage.
  • Employee gaining coverage may waive their existing policies based on the coverage elected on the other employer-sponsored plan. For example, if you are gaining only medical and dental with your new insurance company, you would only be able to waive the University medical and dental at this time and you cannot waive vision coverage because it is not something that is being gained. The coverage would end the last day of the month prior to the effective date of the new employer-sponsored coverage. The vision coverage can be dropped during open enrollment.

Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Care FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the gaining coverage event. However, those waiving Panther Basic and their HSA (and not enrolling in another HDHP) can newly enroll in Health Care FSA as you're newly eligible for this FSA account.
• Dependent Care
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the gaining coverage event.
• Parking FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the gaining coverage event.
• Mass Transit
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the gaining coverage event.

Life Insurance

• You may reduce or terminate your optional life and/or optional AD&D coverages for the gaining coverage event.
• You may reduce or terminate the spousal life insurance election for the gaining coverage event.
• You may reduce or terminate the child life insurance for the gaining coverage event.

A loss of coverage through an employer-sponsored plan or state-sponsored programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, etc. is considered a qualified status change to add your spouse and/or child(ren) to your benefits. You must report the life event in Pitt Worx within 60 days of the loss of the coverage. If you are outside of the 60-day deadline to submit your life event request, you will need to wait until the next annual open enrollment period to make changes.

If you are losing coverage through an employer-sponsored plan or state-sponsored program:

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: "I am losing coverage through a state-sponsored program and would like to enroll in the University's medical coverage."
   • 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.
   • Review the list of acceptable dependent documentation.
   • Review the list of life event (qualified status changes) documentation.
4. Update your dependents 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.

Accepted Documentation

• COBRA letter from the former employer (please provide a full copy)
• Letter from employer’s human resources department or insurance company that indicates what coverage(s) are terminating (i.e., medical/dental/vision), covered person(s) and effective termination date of coverage(s).
• Letter or statement that you/your dependents are no longer eligible for state-sponsored coverage (i.e., CHIP eligibility, loss of Medicaid eligibility)
• Dependent documentation must be submitted for a spouse and/or child(ren) that you are requesting to be added to benefits due to loss of coverage. Please see the documentation requirements for dependents on the Benefits Eligibility page.

Medical, Dental, Vision

• You may newly enroll in and/or add a dependent(s) to your existing policies for coverage to begin the first of the month following the effective end date of other coverage.
  • Employees losing coverage can make elections based on the coverage(s) lost on from their employer-sponsored plan. For example, if you had only medical and dental with your previous insurance company, you would only be able to enroll in University medical and dental at this time and you cannot elect vision coverage because it is not something that was recently termed. The coverage would begin the first of the month following the effective end date of other coverage. 

Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Care FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the loss of coverage event.
• Dependent Care
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the loss of coverage event.
• Parking FSA
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the loss of coverage event.
• Mass Transit
  • No changes are permitted to be made for the loss of coverage event.

Life Insurance

• You have the option to newly enroll or change your optional life and/or optional AD&D coverages for the loss of coverage event.
  • Optional life insurance can be increased only by one level for a qualified life event or during the open enrollment period. An increase of more than one level may be subject to Evidence of Insurability.
• You may newly enroll or change the spousal life insurance election for the loss of coverage event.
  • Spousal life insurance can be increased by only one level of coverage for a qualified status change or during the open enrollment period. An increase of more than one level of coverage may be subject to Evidence of Insurability. Options 5 and 6 are always subject to Evidence of Insurability. For more information regarding the levels of coverage, visit this page.
• You may newly enroll in the child life insurance for the loss of coverage event.