General Lab Information

BSA Benefit Programs and Qualifying Events

Employees eligible for the BSA benefit programs who experience a Qualifying Event that affects the need or eligibility for coverage may be able to make changes to current benefit elections.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, you and your family may be experiencing events that affect your health care coverages and child care. Many parents have young children at home due to the closure of a child care facility or are no longer using child care while they are at home. Some families who had health care coverage through a spouse have now lost that coverage due to a layoff or furlough. If you are experiencing any of these situations, then you may have a Qualifying Event that enables you to enroll in Brookhaven's medical, dental, and/or vision plans. You may be eligible to enroll in or change your contributions to the health care flexible spending account. If you are no longer using child care while you are at home, you may be eligible to change or discontinue your contributions to the dependent day care flexible spending account.

In general, employees who are eligible for Brookhaven's benefit programs who experience a Qualifying Event that affects the need or eligibility for coverage may be able to make changes to current benefit elections.

For the medical, dental and/or vision plans, you may be eligible to add or delete dependents, or add or drop coverage. For the reimbursement accounts, you may be eligible to make changes to your contributions for the remainder of the calendar year. The change(s) in coverage that you request must relate to the change that affects eligibility for coverage.

Qualifying Events include:

  • A change in the employment status of the employee, spouse, or dependent such as an increase or decrease in the number of hours worked, a change in the place of work site, or commencement or termination of employment.
  • Changes to an eligible dependent's dependent care provider (such as a child's day care facility closing) or significant increases or decreases in the cost of coverage during the plan year.

More information on Qualifying Events is available on the Benefits Office website.

To make changes to your benefit elections as a result of a Qualifying Event you will need to complete a benefits election form. The completed form must be submitted to the Benefits Office along with supporting documentation that includes the date of the Qualifying Event within 30 days from the date of the Qualifying Event.

Please contact Erin Gettler, at 631-344-5126 or egettler@bnl.gov , or Jennifer Froehlich, at 631-344-3724 or jfroehlich@bnl.gov , for assistance.