View UNM’s Coronavirus Guidance for Employees.
The UNM-sponsored group health plans have a pre-tax status and are, therefore, governed by IRS regulations. Once you in enroll in coverage for medical, dental, vision, or a Flexible Spending Account, you cannot make changes* to these plans outside of the annual Open Enrollment period, unless you experience a Qualifying Change in Status Event (also knowns as a Qualifying Life Event).
Changes to your coverage must be made within 60 calendar days of the Qualifying Change in Status Event by submitting your Enrollment Change Form(s) to the Benefits Department, located at the HR Service Center, 1700 Lomas Blvd NE, Suite 1400. See “Important Note” below.
Qualifying Change in Status Events include but are not limited to the following. Keep in mind that the change in benefits you are seeking must match the event that occurred. A change in one type of event may not allow for a change in other benefit elections. For example, if you have a child, you may not use that event to also discontinue dental coverage for a spouse.
Use the Qualifying Change In Status Event: Required Support Documentation guide to help identify documents you may have that demonstrate the event you have experienced from the list above.
It is critical that you submit your Enrollment Form within 60-calendar days of your Qualifying Change in Status Event, even if you are still waiting for your supporting documentation of the event (i.e. birth certificate/proof of birth, proof of loss/gain of other coverage from the other insurance entity, marriage certificate etc.).
Do not wait for your documentation or you risk missing your 60-calendar day deadline.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released updated guidelines to allow temporary flexibility to Health and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chart below outlines the IRS-permitted temporary timeframes/deadlines applicable to making prospective mid-year Health Plan and FSA enrollment changes, and the extended periods for access to unused FSA funds which vary for the Short FSA 2020 Plan Year and FY21 FSA Plan Year participation. For more details on FSA
| Benefit Plans | Prospective Plan Change Flexibility Permitted | Flexibility Ends (Deadline Dates) | Action Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | |||
| Medical, Dental, and Vision | Newly Enroll, Change Plans or Add Dependents | Ends June 30, 2021 | Contact hrbenefits@unm.edu |
| Drop Coverage or Dependents | Ends June 30, 2021 | Contact hrbenefits@unm.edu | |
| FSA | |||
| Health and Dependent Care FSA | Newly Enroll, Increase, Decrease or Cancel Enrollment | Ends June 30, 2021 (Reduction/Cancellation not to exceed unused FSA balance) |
Contact hrbenefits@unm.edu |
| Health and Dependent Care FSA | Continued access to unused FSA funds, regardless of plan participation (Terminated employees not eligible) |
Unused funds left in your FSA Account at the end of the deadline date will be forfeited |
Submit claims to McGriff Insurance (our FSA Administrator) |
| Special Dependent Care FSA Carry Over Rule | Access to unused funds, where dependent aged out. Pertains to “eligible dependents” who turned ‘age 14’ between Jan- Jun 30, 2020 (Terminated employees not eligible) |
Unused funds left in your FSA Account at the end of the deadline date will be forfeited |
Submit claims to McGriff Insurance (our FSA Administrator) |
Changes are effective the first of the next month after your Health Plan and/or FSA Enrollment/Change Form has been received and approved by Benefits & Employee Wellness.
**If you are cancelling your UNM Medical, Dental, and/or Vision Coverage, you are required to complete an Attestation Form of your enrollment in other coverage. Cancellation of Medical, Dental, and/or Vision coverage will not be accepted unless accompanied by the Attestation Form.
Contact Benefits & Employee Wellness at hrbenefits@unm.edu for more information about making benefits changes and to request designated forms for the changes listed above.
***If your benefits changes are COVID-19 related, refer to the temporary 2020 IRS guidance above.
If you are adding a dependent, you must add your dependent within 60 calendar days from date of the qualifying event and you will be required to provide proof documents within 31 days of your enrollment request (reference “Important Note” above). Please note that it is your responsibility to be sure that all the dependents you enroll and continue to cover are eligible for benefits in accordance with the terms and conditions of the plan.
For medical coverage, upon receipt of your enrollment form, Benefits & Employee Wellness will notify its third-party dependent verification company, Alight Solutions. Alight Solutions will mail you instructions to your address on file and a deadline date to provide proof documents via fax or upload to their online portal.
If you are electing dental and/or vision only, provide copies of proof documents to Benefits & Employee Wellness via upload to the Secure Document Submission upload portal or fax to 505-277-2278.
See the Proof Documents Submission Requirements info sheet for a summary of what is required for those that are newly benefits eligible versus those who qualify for a change in status.
It is your responsibility to dis-enroll your dependent within 60 calendar days of a qualifying event (see “Important Note” above). Otherwise, you may be liable for any claims incurred by the ineligible dependent. In most cases, a dependent may be eligible to continue insurance coverage through the provisions of COBRA .Keep in mind that a dependent loses eligibility to participate in UNM sponsored plans if any of the following qualifying events occur:
To dis-enroll your dependent, you must submit election changes via the Enrollment/Change Form and provide supporting documentation.
If you need language assistance, please know that UNM is compliant with the Affordable Care Act and its provision regarding Nondiscrimination and Language Assistance.
