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 SEBB medical provided the school employee is eligible to waive SEBB medical and elects to waive as described in WAC 182-31-080. The required forms must be returned to the school employee's SEBB organization. Their SEBB organization must receive the forms no later than thirty-one days after the school employee becomes eligible for SEBB benefits under WAC 182-31-040.

(i) The school employee may enroll in supplemental life, supplemental accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and supplemental long-term disability (LTD) insurance up to the guaranteed issue without evidence of insurability if the required forms are returned to the school employee's SEBB organization or contracted vendor. The school employee may apply for enrollment in supplemental life, supplemental AD&D, and supplemental LTD insurance over the guaranteed issue at any time during the calendar year by submitting the required form to the contracted vendor for approval.

(ii) 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 days after the employee becomes eligible for SEBB benefits.

(iii) 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 dependent care assistance program (DCAP) or both, except as limited by subsection (4) of this section. To enroll in these supplemental 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 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 or accidental death and dismemberment (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 days of the school employee becoming eligible, their enrollment will be as follows for those elections not received within thirty-one days:

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

(ii) A dental plan as determined by the HCA;

(iii) A vision plan as determined by the HCA;

(iv) Basic life insurance;

(v) Basic AD&D insurance;

(vi) Basic LTD insurance;

(vii) Dependents will not be enrolled; and

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

(2) The employer contribution toward SEBB benefits coverage ends according to WAC 182-31-050.

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

(a) The school employee must complete the required forms indicating their enrollment elections, including an election to waive SEBB medical if the school employee chooses to waive SEBB medical 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 days after the school employee regains eligibility:

(i) A school employee who self-paid for supplemental SEBB life insurance coverage or SEBB AD&D insurance coverage after losing eligibility will have that level of coverage reinstated without evidence of insurability effective the first day of the month in which the school employee regains eligibility for the employer contribution toward SEBB benefits;

(ii) A school employee who was eligible to continue supplemental life or supplemental AD&D but discontinued that SEBB insurance 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 supplemental LTD insurance elections. Their supplemental LTD insurance will be automatically reinstated effective the first day of the month 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 days of the school employee's enrollment in SEBB, insurance coverage will be as described in subsection (1)(b)(i) through (v) and (vii) of this section.

(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 DCAP or both, except as limited by subsection (4) of this section. To enroll in these supplemental SEBB benefits, the school employee must return the required form to the contracted vendor of their SEBB organization. The contracted vendor or school employee's SEBB organization must receive the form no later than thirty-one 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 and that is anticipated to be eligible for SEBB benefits in the same year, the school employee may not resume participation in DCAP or medical FSA until the beginning of the next plan year, unless the time between employments is thirty 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 days after the 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 insurance coverage elections also remain the same when a school employee has a break in employment that does not interrupt their employer contribution toward SEBB insurance coverage.

(6) A school employee returning to the same SEBB organization who is anticipated to work at least six hundred thirty 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.