Section 24-5.01 - Enrollment; Effective Dates of Coverage(a)New Employee. An employee-beneficiary may enroll in the health benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund and obtain coverage for eligible dependent-beneficiaries when the employee-beneficiary is first eligible as an employee as defined in 87A-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes. At the option of the employee-beneficiary, the effective date of coverage shall be one of the following dates: (1) the date the employee beneficiary is first eligible; (2) the first day of the first pay period following the date the employee-beneficiary is first eligible; or (3) the first day of the second pay period following the date the employee-beneficiary is first eligible. The employee-beneficiary shall select the effective date of coverage in an enrollment application that must be filed within thirty (30) days of the date that the employee-beneficiary is first eligible. If the employee-beneficiary fails to make an effective date of coverage selection, the effective date of coverage shall be the date the employee-beneficiary is first eligible.(b)Loss of Coverage in a Benefit Plan Offered by the Fund. An employee-beneficiary may enroll in the health benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund and obtain coverage for dependent-beneficiaries when the employee-beneficiary loses coverage under the benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund because the employee-beneficiary's covering enrollment was terminated or the employee-beneficiary ceased to be eligible as a dependent-beneficiary. The effective date of coverage shall be the date of the employee-beneficiary's loss of coverage if a properly completed enrollment application is filed within thirty (30) days of the loss of coverage. The employee-beneficiary may only enroll during the next open enrollment period when the enrollment application is received more than thirty (30) days after the loss of coverage.(c)Loss of Coverage in a Non-Fund Health Benefit Plan. An employee-beneficiary who is eligible but not enrolled, may enroll in the health benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund, and obtain coverage for eligible dependent-beneficiaries, when the employee-beneficiary's coverage under non-Fund health benefit plans is terminated. The effective date of coverage shall be the date of the employee-beneficiary's loss of coverage if a properly completed enrollment application is filed within thirty (30) days of the loss of coverage. The employee-beneficiary may only enroll during the next open enrollment period when the enrollment application is received more than thirty (30) days after the loss of coverage. Proof documents may be required.(d)Enrollment Due to Changes in Marital, Partnership or Family Status. An employee-beneficiary who has previously declined coverage in the health benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund may enroll in the Fund benefit plans when the employee-beneficiary gains a dependent through a change in marital, partnership or family status, e.g., marriage, entry into a domestic or civil union partnership, birth, adoption, guardianship, or issuance of a qualified medical child support order. At the option of the employee-beneficiary, the effective date of coverage shall be one of the following dates: (1) the date of the event; or (2) the first day of the first pay period following the date of the event; or (3) the first day of the second pay period following the event.The date of the event shall be:
(1) For marriages the date on the marriage certificate;(2) For civil unions the date on the civil union certificate;(3) For domestic partnerships the date the notary notarizes the Declaration of Domestic Partnership;(4) For births the date of birth;(5) For adoptions the date of the adoption;(6) For placement of adoption or guardianships the date of guardianship;(7) For placement of a foster child the date indicated on the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services Form 1564, Admission to Foster Home; and(8) For a qualified medical child support order, the date specified in the order, or if no date is specified, the date that the order is issued.(9) For dependent-beneficiary joining the employee-beneficiary's household. The employee-beneficiary shall select the effective date of coverage in an enrollment application that must be filed within thirty (30) days of the date of the event, except for newborns which is within one hundred eighty (180) days of the birth. If the employee-beneficiary fails to make an effective date of coverage selection, the effective date of coverage shall be the date of the event. Proof documents may be required.
(e)Enrollment or Changes in Enrollment Upon Retirement. An employee-beneficiary may enroll or change coverages in the health benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund and obtain coverage for eligible dependent-beneficiaries when that person becomes a retired member of the Employees' Retirement System as defined in 87A-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The effective date of the coverage shall be the first of the month on or after the employee-beneficiary's date of retirement provided a completed enrollment application is received by the Fund within sixty (60) days of retirement. For disability retirement, at the option of the employee-beneficiary, the effective date of coverage shall be the first of the month on or after the employee-beneficiary's date of retirement or the 1st of the month of the date of the Employees' Retirement System disability certification letter provided that a completed enrollment application is received by the Fund within 60 days of certification from the Employees' Retirement System of a disability retirement.
Retired employee beneficiaries shall be eligible to enroll in the Fund's health benefit plans during the next open enrollment period for enrollment applications received more than sixty (60) days after the date of retirement.
(f)Surviving Spouse, Partner, or Child of a Deceased Retiree Not Enrolled in the Fund or an Employee Who was Killed in the Performance of Duty Who Was Not Enrolled in the Fund. A surviving spouse, partner or unmarried child who is eligible as an employee-beneficiary under Rule 3.01(a) may enroll in the health benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund. The effective date of coverage shall be the date the retiree passed away or the date the employee was killed in the performance of duty, provided a completed enrollment application is received by the Fund within sixty (60) days of the retiree passing away or within sixty (60) days of the date the employee was killed in the performance of duty for dependents not enrolled at the time of death. Surviving spouses, partners, or unmarried children of a deceased retiree or an employee who was killed in the performance of duty shall be eligible to enroll in the Fund's health benefit plans during the next open enrollment period for enrollment applications received more than sixty (60) days after the passing away of the retiree or more than sixty (60) days after the date the employee was killed in the performance of duty.(g) The public employer's premium contributions and employee-beneficiary's premium contributions, if any, shall begin as of the first day of the pay period during which the employee-beneficiary's effective date of coverage occurs. The contributions shall not be prorated based on when the employee-beneficiary's coverage begins during the pay period. For example, if an employee-beneficiary's effective date of coverage occurs on any date during the first pay period of a month (first half of a month), the public employer and employee-beneficiary shall make contributions as if the employee-beneficiary had been enrolled in the applicable health benefit plans as of the first day of that first pay period. Similarly, if there is a change in contributions due to an employee-beneficiary's change in enrollment or coverage, the change in contributions shall begin as of the first day of the pay period during which the change in enrollment or coverage occurs. For example, if an employee-beneficiary changes enrollment or coverage during any date during the second pay period of a month (second half of a month), the public employer and employee-beneficiary shall make contributions as if the change in enrollment or coverage had occurred as of the first day of that second pay period.