Enroll or Change Benefits

New Hire Employees - How to Enroll for Benefits

As a newly hired employee, you and your dependents are eligible for benefits on the first day of the month following your date of hire into an appointed position. If your hire date occurs on the first of the month, your benefits may start on your hire date or the first of the following month.

You have 30 days from your date of hire to enroll in the benefit plans. After that, employees may only change their insurance and flexible spending benefits during the annual open enrollment period or as a result of an IRS qualifying life event (these events are listed below).

Review all of our benefits plans and options on our Current Benefits Plans webpage and make selections in the Benefits Enrollment System (BES) within 30 days of hire date.

Current Employees - When Can I change My Benefits?

Employees may only make changes to their benefits under three circumstances:

Open Enrollment

• Employees at the University of Denver have the opportunity to elect different benefits during the annual Open Enrollment period held each year in the fall. This is the time for benefits-eligible employees to sign up for medical, dental and vision insurance plans, or to make changes in their coverage choices (such as switching medical plans, adding coverage, and setting up or changing flexible spending accounts). All enrollments and changes made during the Open Enrollment period become effective on January 1.

Loss of Coverage

• Employees may modify their benefits plans as a result of an employment-related loss of coverage affecting a spouse or parent.

IRS Qualifying Life Event

• Employees may change their benefits selections within 30 days of experiencing an IRS qualifying change in status such as birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, etc. Changes made due to qualifying events must be consistent with the type of event. See the section below for complete details. Employees are required to provide dependent verification documentation such as a marriage license for your spouse/partner and a birth certificate for your dependent children. 
• IRS Qualifying Life Events - Internal Revenue Code Section 125 limits the extent to which participants in a benefit plan can make mid-year election changes. The list below contains examples of qualifying life events:

Legal marital status	Includes marriage, divorce, legal separation, and annulment.
Number of dependents	Includes any event that changes the number of an employee's dependents such as the adoption, birth, or death of a child.
Employment status	Includes the termination or change of employment for the employee, their spouse/partner, or a dependent.
Work schedule	Includes any reduction or increase in hours of employment experienced by the employee, their spouse/partner, or a dependent. Strikes, lockouts, and leaves of absence are specifically included.
Eligibility	Includes changes that cause a dependent to gain or lose eligibility for coverage under the plan, for example due to age or student status.
COBRA eligibility	Includes changes affecting the employee, their spouse/partner, or a dependent, and applies only to Cafeteria Plan contributions for COBRA coverage.
Relocation	Includes changes of residence or work site affecting the employee, their spouse/partner, or a dependent.
Court order	Includes issuance of a family relations judgment, decree, or order such as a qualified medical child support order.
Medicare or Medicaid entitlement	Includes entitlements received by the employee, their spouse/partner, or a dependent.
Bona fide rehire	Includes rehire of an employee during the same year as his or her termination, and applies only to reinstatement of the benefit elections in effect prior to the termination.

How to Change Benefits

To change benefits selections:

1. Go to the Benefits Forms Page
2. Select the Benefits Enrollment Change Form or the Benefits Cancellation Form, complete and submit to benefits@du.edu with in 30 days of the IRS Qualifying Event.
3. Employees are required to provide dependent verification documentation for IRS Qualifying Life Events, such as a marriage license for your spouse/partner or a birth certificate for your dependent children.

For questions about changing benefits, please reach out to our DU benefits specialists at benefits@du.edu or call 303-871-2630.