A school employee who is newly eligible or who regains eligibility for the employer contribution toward school employees benefits board (SEBB) benefits enrolls as described in this section.

(1) When a school employee is newly eligible for SEBB benefits:

(a) A school employee must complete the required forms indicating their enrollment elections, including an election to waive enrollment provided the school employee is eligible to waive as described in WAC 182-31-080. The required forms must be returned to the school employee's SEBB organization or contracted vendor. Their SEBB organization or contracted vendor must receive the forms no later than ((thirty-one))31 days after the school employee becomes eligible for SEBB benefits under WAC 182-31-040.

(i) The school employee may enroll in supplemental life insurance up to the guaranteed issue coverage amount without evidence of insurability if the required forms are returned to the school employee's SEBB organization or contracted vendor as required. A school employee may apply for enrollment in supplemental life insurance over the guaranteed issue coverage amount at any time during the calendar year by submitting the required form to the contracted vendor for approval. For a school employee who requests a change in their supplemental life insurance after the election period described in this subsection, the change begins the first day of the month following the date the contracted vendor approves the request. A school employee may enroll in supplemental accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance at anytime without evidence of insurability by submitting the required form to the contracted vendor.

(ii) School employees are enrolled in employee-paid long-term disability (LTD) insurance automatically. A school employee may elect to reduce their employee-paid LTD insurance or decline their employee-paid LTD insurance by returning the form to their SEBB organization. A school employee may apply for a change in their employee-paid LTD insurance at any time during the calendar year by submitting the required form to their SEBB organization or the contracted vendor. For a school employee who requests a change in their employee-paid LTD insurance after the election period described in this subsection, the change begins the first day of the month following the date the SEBB organization receives the required form requesting to reduce or decline the employee-paid LTD insurance, or the day of the month the contracted vendor approves the required form to increase the employee-paid LTD insurance.

(iii) If the school employee is eligible to participate in the salary reduction plan (see WAC 182-31-060), the school employee will automatically enroll in the premium payment plan upon enrollment in SEBB medical allowing medical premiums to be taken on a pretax basis. To opt out of the premium payment plan, a new school employee must complete the required form and return it to their SEBB organization. The form must be received by their SEBB organization no later than ((thirty-one))31 days after the employee becomes eligible for SEBB benefits.

(iv) If a school employee is eligible to participate in the salary reduction plan (see WAC 182-31-060), the school employee may enroll in the state's medical flexible spending arrangement (FSA) ((or)), limited purpose FSA, dependent care assistance program (DCAP), or both an FSA and DCAP, except as limited by subsection (4) of this section. To enroll in these SEBB benefits, the school employee must return the required form to their SEBB organization. The form must be received by the SEBB organization no later than ((thirty-one))31 days after the school employee becomes eligible for SEBB benefits.

(b) If a newly eligible school employee's SEBB organization, or the authority's contracted vendor in the case of life insurance and AD&D, does not receive the school employee's required forms indicating medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D insurance, and LTD insurance elections, and the school employee's tobacco use status attestation within ((thirty-one))31 days of the school employee becoming eligible, their enrollment will be as follows for those elections not received within ((thirty-one))31 days:

(i) A medical plan determined by the health care authority (HCA);

(ii) A dental plan determined by the HCA;

(iii) A vision plan determined by the HCA;

(iv) Basic life insurance;

(v) Basic AD&D insurance;

(vi) Employer-paid LTD insurance and employee-paid LTD insurance;

(vii) Dependents will not be enrolled; and

(viii) A tobacco use premium surcharge will be incurred as described in WAC 182-30-050 (1)(b).

(2) The employer contribution toward SEBB benefits ends according to WAC 182-31-050. When a school employee's employment ends, participation in the salary reduction plan ends.

(3) When a school employee regains eligibility for the employer contribution toward SEBB benefits, including following a period of leave as described in WAC 182-31-100(1) or 182-31-040 (4)(d), SEBB medical, dental, and vision begin the first day of the month following the school employee's return to work if the SEBB organization anticipates the school employee is eligible for the employer contribution.

(a) A school employee must complete the required forms indicating their enrollment elections, including an election to waive enrollment if the school employee chooses to waive enrollment as described in WAC 182-31-080. The required forms must be returned to the school employee's SEBB organization except as described in (d) of this subsection. Forms must be received by the SEBB organization, life insurance contracted vendor, or AD&D contracted vendor, if required, no later than ((thirty-one))31 days after the school employee regains eligibility except as described in (a)(i) and (b) of this subsection:

(i) A school employee who self-paid for supplemental life insurance or supplemental AD&D coverage after losing eligibility will maintain that level of coverage upon return;

(ii) A school employee who was eligible to continue supplemental life insurance but discontinued that supplemental coverage must submit evidence of insurability to the contracted vendor if they choose to reenroll when they regain eligibility for the employer contribution.

(b) A school employee does not have to return a form indicating employee-paid LTD insurance elections. Their employee-paid LTD insurance will be automatically reinstated effective the first day of the month following the date they regain eligibility for the employer contribution toward SEBB benefits.

(c) If a school employee's SEBB organization, or contracted vendor accepting forms directly, does not receive the required forms within ((thirty-one))31 days of the school employee regaining eligibility, the school employee's enrollment for those elections not received will be as described in subsection (1)(b)(i) through (viii) of this section, except as described in (a)(i) and (b) of this subsection.

(d) If a school employee is eligible to participate in the salary reduction plan (see WAC 182-31-060), the school employee may enroll in the medical FSA ((or)), limited purpose FSA, DCAP, or both an FSA and DCAP, except as limited by subsection (4) of this section. To enroll in these SEBB benefits, the school employee must return the required form to the contracted vendor or their SEBB organization. The contracted vendor or school employee's SEBB organization must receive the form no later than ((thirty-one))31 days after the school employee becomes eligible for SEBB benefits.

(4) If a school employee who is eligible to participate in the salary reduction plan (see WAC 182-31-060) is hired into a new position that is anticipated to be eligible for SEBB benefits in the same year, the school employee may not resume participation in a DCAP ((or)), a medical FSA, or a limited purpose FSA until the beginning of the next plan year, unless the time between employments is ((thirty))30 days or less and within the current plan year. The school employee must notify the new SEBB organization of the transfer by providing the new SEBB organization the required form no later than ((thirty-one))31 days after the school employee's first day of work with the new SEBB organization.

(5) A school employee will have uninterrupted coverage when moving from one SEBB organization to another within the same month or a consecutive month if they are eligible for the employer contribution towards SEBB benefits in the position they are leaving and are anticipated to be eligible for the employer contribution in the new position. SEBB benefits elections also remain the same when a school employee has a break in employment that does not interrupt their employer contribution toward SEBB benefits.

(6) A school employee returning to the same SEBB organization who is anticipated to work at least ((six hundred thirty))630 hours in the coming school year, and who was receiving the employer contribution in August of the prior school year, will receive uninterrupted coverage from one school year to the next.