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Making Changes

Making Changes

An employee cannot elect to drop coverage retroactively; a future cancellation date is required.

The District payroll deducts pre-tax benefits; TRS Active-Care Health Plan, Humana & United Concordia Dental Plans, Humana Vision Plan, Flexible Spending Account (Medical and Dependent Care) and Health Saving Accounts in accordance with Internal Revenue Code Section 125.  This plan allows the District to convert employee's income to non-taxed benefits.  There are significant restrictions to making changes to pre-tax benefits.

The plan options and coverage levels you select as a newly eligible employee or during an open enrollment period will remain in effect until you request changes due to a special enrollment event (family status change) or during an open enrollment period.  Exception:  Medical Spending (Medical and/or Dependent Care) Accounts and Health Savings Accounts require annual enrollment.  You cannot change covered persons during the year unless you have a special enrollment event (family status change) such as:

  • You marry (a common law marriage is not considered a special enrollment event unless there is a certificate of common law marriage filed with an authorized government agency)
  • You divorce (if the divorce results in a loss of other coverage)
  • A child is born, adopted, or is placed with you for adoption
  • A child marries or reaches age 26
  • A court orders you to provide health coverage for your child (does not apply to court-ordered coverage for a spouse)
  • You involuntarily lose other health insurance coverage (and you originally declined TRS-ActiveCare coverage in writing because of coverage under another health benefit plan)
  • Your eligible dependent involuntarily loses other health insurance coverage (and you originally declined TRS-ActiveCare dependent coverage in writing for the individual(s) losing other coverage because of coverage under another health benefit plan). 

Voluntary terminations of other coverage, such as dropping other coverage due to premium or benefit changes, including spousal surcharges or coverage restrictions, are not special enrollment events.

The change in coverage must be consistent with the family status change for special enrollment events.  For example, if you get married, you can change from employee-only to employee and spouse coverage.  The cost of coverage may change based on the selected coverage category.

Changes in employee and/or dependent coverage must be made within 31 calendar days after the special enrollment event. (Special rules apply to adding newborns; see below for more information.)  It is YOUR responsibility to meet any such deadlines.  If you do not request the appropriate changes during the applicable special enrollment period, the changes cannot be made until the next plan enrollment period or, if applicable, another special enrollment event.

How do I make changes?

Changes in coverages may be made by submitting an enrollment/change form along with appropriate documentation:

  • Letter from spouse's employer 
  • Certificate of matrimony
  • Verification of birth facts
  • Birth certificate
  • Completed hospital certificate that includes foot prints
  • Divorce decree
  • Certificate of death
  • Medicare Enrollment
  • Medicaid Enrollment
  • Loss of Medicaid

To obtain a change form you may go to www.mybenefitshub.com/fortworthisd, go to Quick Links and click on: Benefit Change form.

Complete the enrollment form (front and back), sign and date.  You may scan the form and substantiating documentation to Benefits@fwisd.org or deliver to the Benefits Office in the Administration Building, 100 N. University Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Change forms and substantiating documentation must be received in the Benefits Office within 31 days after the special event.  For most special enrollment events, the effective date of coverage will be the first of the month after the event date.

How are newborns covered by TRS-ActiveCare?

TRS-ActiveCare automatically provides coverage for a newborn child of a covered employee for the first 31 days after the date of birth.  To add coverage for the newborn, the employee must sign, date, and submit a Benefit Change Form to the Benefits Administrator within 31 days after the date of birth.  The effective date of coverage is the date of birth.  Note:  It is not necessary to wait for the newborn's Social Security number.  You should submit a Benefit Change Form without the newborn's Social Security number to add coverage and add newborn social security number online at www.mybenefitshub.com/fortworthisd once the number has been issued.

Making Changes for Post Tax Benefits

Coverages for post tax benefits, portable term life, term life insurance (MetLife), disability, and long term care may be deleted (cancelled) as the employee chooses, so long as the request is for a future date. 

Tax sheltered savings and retirement programs may be changed at the employee's discretion in accordance with the schedule published at www.tcgservices.org.

Denial of Eligibility under the Flexible Benefit Plan

If you have been denied a benefit based on eligibility, for which you believe you are eligible; you may request a review of the denial.  The request for review should be filed with the Plan Administrator, Benefits Manager.

Requests may be filed via email to gail.reed@fwisd.org, via fax 817/814-2245, mailed or hand delivered to: Plan Administrator, 100 N. University Dr. Suite NW140-G, Fort Worth, TX  76107.

Questions may be referred to Gail Reed, Manager, Employee Benefits, at 817/814-2240.