Benefits - Qualifying Events and Status Changes

What is a Qualifying Event or Status Change?

A qualifying event or status change is a change in an employee’s personal or professional life that may impact their eligibility for benefits. When experiencing such an event, employees have 31 days from the date of the event to submit a change form to the HCPS Benefits Office. If 31 days have passed, employees must wait until the next Open Enrollment period or experience another qualifying event to make a change. Any changes made must be consistent with the qualifying event experienced.

See chart below for some of the most common qualifying events or status changes and the types of changes that are permitted:

Qualifying Events and Status Changes Chart

There are many other life events that may allow you to make a benefits change. This chart is simply a list of the most common. For more information on these and other Qualifying Events and Status Changes, see the Status Change Form. Please call the Benefits Office at 652-3624 if you have questions.

How to Make a Benefit Change

Complete the Status Change Form and a new enrollment form for each benefit you wish to change (i.e., Health, Dental, and FSA). Send these forms, along with the supporting documentation to the HCPS Benefits Office within 31 days after the event. Please consider how the timing of your paperwork submittal will impact the date your change is effective. Call the Benefits Office at 652-3624 with questions. 

Click here for enrollment/change forms

Update your information: With many qualifying events, you may want to change your personal information, which you can update through Employee Direct Access (EDA) at www.myhenrico.org. You might also want to update your VRS Beneficiary information (complete a new VRS-2).