2013 Employee Benefits Guidebook - Administration Home

ENROLLMENT: Enrollment must be completed within 31 days of your full-time hire date. If
you do not enroll within this 31 day period, you will not be eligible to enroll until the next open
enrollment period, unless you have a Qualifying Life Event.
Full-time employees are required to have medical coverage. Therefore, if you waive medical
coverage offered by El Paso County, you must provide proof of other medical coverage.
If you do not submit your enrollment for medical coverage within the first 31 days, or
waive coverage and fail to provide proof of other medical insurance coverage, EBMS has
the right to enroll you in the lowest medical plan option offered and you will be required to
pay past due premiums. If you do not submit your enrollment for dental coverage, you will not
be eligible for enrollment in a dental plan until the next dental plan Open Enrollment period.
WHEN COVERAGE IS EFFECTIVE: If you are hired full-time starting from the 1 st through
the 15 th of the month, coverage for you and any of your enrolled dependents is effective on the
first day of the next month. If you are hired full-time starting the 16 th through the last day of the
month, coverage for you and any of your enrolled dependents is effective on the first day of the
second following month. (Example 1: First day of full-time employment is January 15 th ,
coverage is effective February 1 st . Example 2: First day of full-time employment is January
16 th , coverage is effective March 1 st .)
In no event will health services be rendered or delivered before the effective date of coverage.
WHEN COVERAGE ENDS: Coverage ends on the last day of the month that you separate
employment, are no longer a full-time employee, the last day premiums are paid through, or
when you no longer meet the eligibility requirements.
ANNUAL OPEN ENROLLMENT: Every year each eligible employee is given an opportunity
to change his or her benefit elections for the upcoming benefit plan year. Benefit elections made
during the open enrollment period take effect January 1 st of the following calendar year. Changes
to open enrollment elections will only be accepted if received by EBMS in writing by the last
business day in December. After this date, changes can only be made during the plan year if you
have a Qualifying Life Event (please see the Making Changes on the following page).
BENEFIT PLAN YEAR: El Paso County’s “Plan Year” begins January 1 st and ends December
31 st .
CALENDAR YEAR DEDUCTIBLE: El Paso County’s “Calendar Year Deductible” begins
January 1 st and ends December 31 st .
PROVIDER AND FACILITY CONTRACTS: Although most physicians or providers and
facilities that contract with our insurance plans remain with those network(s) year after year, you
should always contact the plan vendor to verify that they are still participating in the plan
network(s) and to verify if they are accepting new patients to ensure coverage.
2013 Employee Benefit Guidebook
Updated August 2013