Qualifying Life Events
There are special circumstances, outlined by the Internal Revenue Service, which may allow you to make mid-year benefit election changes, referred to as Qualifying Life Events.
These can include, but are not limited to, changes in your eligibility, changes in your marital status, changes in your number of eligible dependents (birth/adoption), changes in spouse/dependent eligibility such as their gain or loss of other qualified coverage, and certain changes in your employment status.
A Qualifying Life Event can be created 14 days prior to the effective date, but no more than 30 days after. In addition, it must be finalized within 30 days of submission. Any changes made to your benefits must be consistent with each type of life event. Documentation to support the change request must be uploaded to your Employee File in the ICUBA Portal before the life event is reviewed and approved. If documentation is not submitted before the end of the 30-day window, the change request will be denied and rejected.
To initiate a Qualifying Life Event, log in to your ICUBA portal via Sharklink, and click on Life Events under the My Benefits tab. Please follow the prompts until the qualifying life event request has been completed.
Please note: Select the domestic partner option when the life change pertains to a domestic partner only.
For more information, please contact the benefits department at loa@nova.edu
This section is not intended to be an exhaustive list and does not contain examples for every available life event.
Some life events function similar to the Annual Open Enrollment Period and may allow for enrollment for the whole family.
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The following are examples of common life events that may allow you to enroll or make changes to your coverage outside of NSU’s Annual Open Enrollment Period or your New Hire Enrollment window. |
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| Birth of a Baby or the Adoption of a Child. |
If you have a baby or adopt a child, you can add the child to your insurance policy within 30 days of birth. |
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Getting Married or Divorced. |
If you get married, you can usually add your spouse to your insurance policy within 30 days of the date of marriage. If you lose coverage through a divorce, you can enroll within 30 days of the divorce finalization date. |
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Losing Other Coverage due to Turning 26. |
If you lose coverage due to "aging out" of a parent’s plan when you turn 26, you may be able to elect coverage within 30 days of the loss of coverage. Note: the loss of coverage is not necessarily your 26th birthday and will depend on how long you remain covered under your parent’s plan after attaining age 26 |
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Eligible Dependent Employment Status Change. |
If your spouse or other eligible dependent experiences a change in employment status that affects health insurance eligibility, you may be able to make changes to your benefits within 30 days of the date of the change in eligibility. |
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Moving to the United States. |
If your spouse or other eligible dependent moves to the US from outside of the country, they may be able to join the plan provided they can show their passport stamp within 30 days of arrival. |
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Spouse or Eligible Dependent Open Enrollment. |
A spouse or other eligible dependent going through open enrollment with their employer can also count as a life event for the NSU plan. For example, if your spouse declines coverage during their employer’s open enrollment, they may join your plan within 30 days of their loss of coverage. |