Eligibility & Enrollment
All regular full-time and benefited part-time Union County employees working at least 30 hours per week are eligible for medical and dental benefits. Full-time and benefited part-time employees working at least 20 hours per week are eligible for all other benefits. As a new hire, you are eligible for benefits on the first day of the month following your Date of Hire. You may also enroll during open enrollment for a July 1st effective date.
Dependents You Can Enroll
- Your legal spouse*
- Your natural, adopted, or stepchildren living with you, or children whom you have legal guardianship, up to age 26
- Unmarried children of any age if disabled and claimed as a dependent on your income taxes
When You Can Enroll
You can enroll in benefits during the following times:
- Your initial new hire eligibility period
- The annual Open Enrollment period for a July 1st effective date
If you fail to enroll within the timeframe given for your new hire eligibility period or the annual open enrollment window, you will not be able to elect benefits again until the next Open Enrollment period, and you will not have coverage.
Please make your elections on time, or you may experience a delay in using your benefits such as seeing a doctor or refilling a prescription.
| *Please note: Union County’s health plan will not cover an employee’s spouse if the spouse is offered coverage through his or her employer. Limiting spousal coverage to those who do not have other opportunities to obtain group coverage helps ensure Union County can continue to offer you a quality health plan with lower premiums. |
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Outside of your initial new hire or the Open Enrollment period, changes to your benefits can only be made throughout the year within 30 days of a qualifying life event. Examples of the most common events include:
- Marriage or divorce
- Birth or adoption of an eligible child
- Death of a covered dependent
- Change in your or your spouse's work status that affects your benefits
- Change in residence that affects your eligibility for coverage
- Change in your child's eligibility for coverage
- Receipt of a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO)
This could also include enrollment. Some employees initially waive all benefits and then enroll later after losing other coverage such as an employee reaching age 26 who was previously carried by their parent as a dependent child.
To see a complete list, or to report an event, contact Human Resources. Documentation may be required. If you fail to report a life event and supply the necessary documentation, you will be required to wait until the next annual enrollment period to make changes to your benefits.
Termination of Coverage
Benefits coverage is terminated as follows:
- If you leave, coverage will terminate on the last day of the month following the termination or resignation date for medical, dental and vision. All other policies terminate on the last day worked.
- When a covered dependent reaches age 26, medical, dental and vision will terminate at the end of the month in which the dependent reaches age 26. All other policies will terminate at midnight on the dependent’s 26th birthday.