If I miss the open enrollment deadline for making benefit changes or new elections, is there an extension?
No. You must wait until the next year’s open enrollment period; however, if you experience a QSC event and request a change in writing within 31 days of your event, you are permitted to change a benefit election. Note: To make an election change based on a QSC event, federal law requires the event to result in a gain or loss of eligibility for coverage and general consistency rules must be met. For example, if you have family health insurance coverage and you get a divorce and no longer have dependents, you may change from family to individual coverage. However, you cannot cancel enrollment in health insurance because the QSC event only changes the level of coverage eligibility. Cancellation would not be consistent with the nature of the QSC event.
