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Life Events

When major life events occur, changes to your benefits may be necessary. Our Life Events section will allow you to find all the information you will need for making changes to your benefits due to a qualifying life event.

Qualifying life events (QLEs) are significant changes in your life or to your employment at NC State that qualify you to request changes to your State Health Plan and NCFlex benefits. The only other time you make changes to your benefits is during annual enrollment.

The effective date of benefit changes due to a qualifying life event is always the first day of the month following the date of the qualifying life event. There are two exceptions to this rule:

  • Birth, Adoption, Legal Custody or Guardianship: The effective date for changes to your medical and most NC Flex benefits due to a birth, adoption or placement of the child is the date of the birth, adoption or placement of the child.
  • Changes to Flexible Spending Accounts: If you want to make a change to a flexible spending account due a qualifying life event, benefits and payroll processing deadlines determine which month and plan year the change will take effect.

Documentation is required every time changes are requested due to a life event. While it does not need to be submitted at the same exact time as the QLE request, acceptable documents must be added into the enrollment portal within the allotted 30-day QLE window in order for any QLEs to be approved.

  • The 30-day window originates on the date the QLE occurs (i.e the date a spouse/dependent loses eligibility for coverage or begins new employment), and stretches 30 days before and 30 days after for the QLE request date. Therefore, the earliest a request may be made is 30 days before the QLE date. Marriage and birth QLEs cannot be submitted before the event has occurred.
  • If an employee does not submit the required documentation within their 30 day window, or if the documents uploaded do not meet the State Health Plan & NC Flex’s requirements, and no additional documents are uploaded within the 30 day window, then the employee would have to experience another QLE, or must wait until the next annual enrollment period in order to make benefits changes for the following year.
  • When adding multiple dependents to a plan, all dependents being added must be shown on the documentation as having been affected by the life event (gained coverage; lost coverage; etc).
  • The gain or loss of Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) allows employees a 60 day QLE window rather than the 30 days that are granted for all other request types.

State Health Plan Documentation Requirements
NC Flex Documentation Requirements

  • QLE & Document Submission: It is highly recommended that you submit your request and documents as soon as possible so HR may review and advise you with any changes required within the 30 day window.
  • Financial Changes: Payroll lockout generally occurs on the 10th of each month. QLE requests must be approved by HR once submitted. Changes from QLEs that were approved after payroll lockout will not be shown on the current month’s paycheck. This can mean that either a refund or multiple deductions will occur on the following month’s paycheck.
  • Plan Changes: The State Health Plan and NC Flex Program do not allow a change in medical plans, dental, vision or cancer plan options as a result of a status change event (for example, low option to high option, or 70/30 plan to an 80/20 plan). A QLE will not enable an employee to enroll in or cancel the Core AD&D benefit.
  • Core Vision: If the employee is enrolled in the Core Vision and his/her spouse and/or dependent loses vision coverage at another employer, the employee may move to a different plan (Basic of Enhanced Coverage) to cover the family. This change requires a request for an exception to be submitted to the benefits team. This request is then sent to NC Flex on the employee’s behalf. If approved, instructions will be sent directly to the enrollment vendor to make the change and the benefits team will be able to notify you.
  • Life Insurance Increases: Any increases to your life insurance may require the approval of a statement of health (aka Evidence of Insurability, or EOI).

Beneficiary Designations provide benefit vendors with information on who a particular benefit should be assigned to, as well as whom to contact in the event of an employee’s death. Without a valid beneficiary designation, an employee’s benefit payouts may be subject to estate regulation through the presiding counties clerk of court. Employees can updates their beneficiary designations at any time.

How to Submit a QLE Request and Documents

QLE requests are submitted via MyPack Portal, through the Benefits Details tile.

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