Mid-year changes are allowed only if you have a qualifying life event that affects your coverage needs.
Qualifying Life Event
Generally, the benefit elections you make as a new team member or during Annual Enrollment will be in effect for the entire calendar year. You may be allowed to change your benefits during the year if you have a qualifying life event, such as:
- Marriage
- Divorce or legal separation
- Birth or adoption
- Gain or loss of coverage
- Death of a dependent
- A dependent is no longer eligible for coverage
If you have a Qualifying Life Event, you must update your elections and provide the required verification documentation within 30 days of the event. If you do not report the event or submit documentation within 30 days, you must wait until the next Annual Enrollment period to make any changes. Click here to see a list of approved life event documents.
Any changes you make to your benefits must be consistent with the event. For example, if you have a baby, you can add the new child to your coverage, but you cannot drop your spouse/domestic partner from coverage. See the chart below for more information on benefit changes generally allowed for specific life events.
Benefit changes based on life event
The following list of life events is not all-inclusive. For details about benefit changes allowed for a specific life event, including entering into or ending a domestic partner relationship, contact the Tenneco U.S. Benefits Center at 877-436-3409, or refer to the Summary Plan Description at TennecoPlanDocs.com.
| Life Event | Benefit Changes That May Be Allowed |
|---|---|
|
Getting Married or Qualifying as Domestic Partners |
Medical, Dental, Vision
Health Care FSA
Dependent Care FSA
Life and AD&D
|
| Getting Divorced or Legal Separation |
Medical, Dental, Vision
Health Care FSA
Dependent Care FSA
Life and AD&D
|
| Having a Baby Adopting a Child |
Medical, Dental, Vision
Health Care FSA
Dependent Care FSA
Life and AD&D
|
| Death of a Dependent |
Medical, Dental, Vision
Health Care FSA
Dependent Care FSA
Life and AD&D
|
| Leaving Tenneco |
If you leave Tenneco voluntarily, your coverage and that of your covered dependents ends on your last day of work. If your termination is involuntary, your health coverage (medical, dental and vision) will continue to the end of the month in which your employment ends. You may be eligible to continue your Tenneco group health coverage COBRA. Life and AD&D coverage ends on the date your employment ends. Basic and Dependent Life are eligible for conversion. Supplemental Life can be converted or ported. Optional benefits coverage ends on the date your employment ends but can be continued post-employment. |
Special Enrollment Due to Loss of Other Coverage
If you decline enrollment for yourself or your dependents because of other health insurance coverage, in the future you may be able to enroll yourself or your dependents in Tenneco’s plan if you request enrollment within 30 days after your other coverage ends.
You may enroll in the plan if your or your dependents’ other coverage ends due to one of the following special enrollment events:
- Loss of eligibility for such other coverage (including a legal separation, divorce, death, termination of employment, reduction in hours or no longer being a dependent),
- Employer contributions toward the cost of such coverage stop,
- In the case of COBRA continuation coverage, the maximum COBRA coverage period ends,
- You and/or your dependent no longer live or work in an HMO service area and no other benefit option is available,
- You or your dependent covered under Medicaid or CHIP has coverage terminated as a result of loss of eligibility, and you request coverage under the plan within 60 days after such termination,
- You or your dependent becomes eligible for Medicaid or CHIP assistance, if you request coverage within 60 days after the eligibility determination date, or
- The other coverage no longer offers benefits to the class of individuals that includes you and/or your dependents.
This special enrollment period is not available if the prior health insurance coverage ended:
- For cause,
- Because required contributions were not paid on a timely basis, or
- Due to a voluntary disenrollment.
