Life Qualifying Event

Employees who do not enroll in a health insurance plan when they are first eligible will only be able to apply for health coverage at a later date if they have a Life Qualifying Event.

A Life Qualifying Event is defined as one of the following:

• Death of employee's spouse or ex-spouse
• Divorce from the employee's spouse
• Legal Separation
• Spouse's or ex-spouse's termination of employment (voluntary or non-voluntary)
• Reduction in the number of spouse's work hours causing loss of eligibility for insurance
• Employer's discontinuation to the spouse's insurance coverage (total contribution, not partial; other than non-payment)
• Acquiring a new dependent (spouse, newborn or adoptee)
• Cancellation of TennCare coverage (other than non-payment)

An employee who experiences any of the circumstances listed above may enroll in the University's group insurance program without having to provide medical evidence of insurability, provided the employee applies for coverage within 60 days of the occurrence of the circumstance. Please note: Optional Term Life offered through Minnesota Life requires application for coverage within 30 days of the occurrence to add dependents. The employee also has 60 days to provide a Social Security Number for newborns or other dependents.

The employee will be required to submit documentation of the event that qualifies him/her for the special enrollment provision. Contact Sara Harper, Benefits Consultant, at [email protected] or (423) 425-5743.