When you enroll in benefits, you typically must stay enrolled for the entire plan year. This means that you cannot make changes to your benefits mid-year unless you have a qualifying life event, as defined by the IRS.
There are two categories of qualifying life events: Employment Changes and Family Changes. If you have a qualifying life event, you generally have 30 days from the date of the event to make changes to your benefits.
Please contact UWM’s Benefits Office (benefits@uwm.edu) if you have any questions about qualifying life events or making changes to your benefits.
For more information about qualifying life events please see UW System’s Life Events Overview below.
Source: UW System Life Events Overview
Examples of Employment Changes
- Change in Employment Category
(Example: Change from Academic Staff to University Staff)
- Change in Appointment Percentage
- Furlough
- Layoff
- Leave of Absence
- Moving to WRS Covered Employment
- Rehired Annuitant
- Retirement
- Temporary Work Reduction
- Termination
- Transfer to a Different UW System Institution
- Transfer to a State Agency
- University Staff Temporary (WRS covered) to University Staff Non-Temporary (WRS covered)
Examples of Family Changes
- Birth or Adoption of Child
- Change in Name or Address
- Loss of Dependent Status for Child
- Death of Employee
- Death of Spouse, Domestic Partner, or Child
- Divorce
- Establishment of Domestic Partnership
- Domestic Partnership to Marriage
- End of Domestic Partnership
- Gain of Other Health Insurance Coverage
- Loss of Other Health Insurance Coverage
- Legal Guardianship
- Marriage