FAQ

Life Events: When Can You Make Benefit Changes?

 * For each of the following scenarios you have 30-days from the qualifying event date to submit the required enrollment form. Failure to submit the form within 30-days may result in your change not taking effect until open enrollment for the next plan year effective date January 1st.

* You can submit Health Plan Enrollment/Change Forms and Beneficiary Change Forms electronically. Look for "Benefit Enrollment Forms"  under the links section on the Marion County Intranet Homepage!

Marriage

• You may add your new spouse, and stepchildren, if applicable, to your health insurance within 30 days after your date of marriage. Complete a Health Plans Enrollment/Change form AND provide a photocopy of the proof of marriage.
• You will need to update your records and beneficiary information with PERS.  Please review their information: PERS Marriage Information
• You may want to update your life insurance beneficiaries. This can be done at any time by completing a beneficiary change form.
• If you participate in the 401(k) or 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans, please contact VOYA at 503-937-0351 to update your beneficiary information if needed.
  

Birth, Adoption and Legal Guardianship

• You have 30 days after the baby is born, the adoption has taken place, or legal guardianship has been established by court decree to add them to your health insurance by submitting a Health Plan Enrollment/Change Form.
• You do not have to have the social security number before enrolling the child(ren). This can be phoned in to Employee Benefits at a later date.
  

Divorce

Note: An ex-spouse is no longer eligible for coverage under the Marion County Benefits Program, even with a court order, except when self-paying premiums under continuation coverage (COBRA).

• Within 30 days of the divorce becoming final, you must submit a Health Plan Enrollment Change Form to remove your former spouse, and stepchildren if applicable.  You will need to include a copy of the first page of the divorce decree with the date stamp and last page with the judge's signature. 

• You will need to update your records and beneficiary information with PERS. Please review their information: PERS Divorce Information

• You may want to change your life & accident insurance beneficiaries. This can be done at any time by completing the beneficiary change form. If you have a voluntary life policy for your spouse, you must contact Employee Benefits to cancel and stop the payroll deductions.

• ​If you participate in the 401(k) or 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans, please contact VOYA at 503-937-0351 to update your beneficiary information if needed.
  

Death of Dependent

• In the unfortunate event of the passing of a spouse or child, please submit a Health Plan Enrollment/Change Form within 30 days. 
• You may need to update your beneficiary information with PERS.  You will find the forms for Tier One/Two and OPSRP here: PERS Beneficiary Forms

• You may want to change your life & accident insurance beneficiaries. This can be done at any time by completing a new beneficiary change form. If you have a voluntary life policy for your spouse, you must contact Employee Benefits to cancel and stop the payroll deductions.

• If you participate in the 401(k) or 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans, please contact VOYA at 503-937-0351 to update your beneficiary information if needed.
  

Loss of Other Coverage

• If you or your eligible dependent(s) lose coverage during the benefit plan year, you may be eligible to enroll in the Marion County health insurance plans. You have 30 days from the loss of coverage to enroll in our plans.  You will need to submit a Health Plan Enrollment/Change Form as well as proof of loss of coverage, such as a letter from the other insurance company or employer.

Benefits While On Various Types of Leave

Benefits While on Protected Leave

Definition: Protected Leave is defined in Administrative Policy 305 as leaves under the following prorgrams: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA), Oregon Victims of Certain Crimes Act (OVCCLA), Oregon Military Family Leave Act (OMFLA), Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) and The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).

While on protected leave, benefits coverage will continue at the same level and premium shares as it would for an actively working employee.

• If the employee is using accrued leave balances while on leave, employee premiums will be deducted from their pay.

• If the employee is on protected leave without pay, it is the employee’s responsibility to remit their payments to Employee Benefits. If payments are not received within 30-days of the due date, the employee may face termination of benefits. They would then be eligible for COBRA and be responsible for the entire premium in full, plus a 2% administrative fee.
  

Benefits While on Unprotected Leave

Definition: Any leave that does not qualify as Protected Leave, as defined above, including leaves that exhaust the allotted hours under FMLA, OFLA, PLO, etc.  For example: An employee who is on FMLA for 12 weeks is deemed to be on Protected Leave. However, if that employee needs to be off for 20 weeks the final 8 weeks of that leave is considered Unprotected Leave.

While on unpaid unprotected leave, benefit coverage will continue as long as the employee meets Affordable Care Act eligibility requirements and premium payments are up to date. ACA eligibility is re-calculated every November for the upcoming plan year.

• If the employee is using accrued leave balances while on leave, employee premiums will be deducted from their pay.
  
• If the employee is on unprotected leave without pay, it is the employee’s responsibility to remit their payments to Employee Benefits. If payments are not received within 30-days of the due date, the employee may face termination of benefits. They would then be eligible for COBRA and be responsible for the entire premium in full, plus a 2% administrative fee.

Benefits Upon Separation of Employment

The following information explains the status of your benefits, and various options available to you, when you leave Marion County employment. 

Medical, Vision, Dental and Prescription Coverage:

Employer Sponsored Coverage

Your health coverage ends on the last day of the month in which your employment with the county ends.   For example, if you separate employment on May 15, your health insurance ends on May 31.

Continuation of Coverage (COBRA)

A Continuation Election Notice will be mailed to your home address by Consolidated Admin Services (CAS) shortly after Employee Benefits receives notice of your separation. You will have 60 days from the date on the notice or 60 days from the date your coverage ends, whichever is later, to decide if you want to continue coverage. Once your application AND monthly premium payment have been received by CAS, the coverage will begin the first of the month immediately following the month your employment ended. The COBRA notice you receive from CAS will provide more details.

If you are leaving employment, but not retiring, you and your covered family members may elect to continue health insurance coverage for up to 18 months under COBRA. You would self-pay the monthly premium directly to CAS, the County’s third party administrator who handles our COBRA and Retiree Plan programs.

If you are retiring and are eligible to receive retirement benefits under the Public Employees Retirement System you and your family members may continue your group coverage under the Marion County Retiree Plan by self-paying the premiums. This plan allows you and your spouse to remain on the Marion County Plan until age 65 or until you become eligible for Medicare.

Converting Group Plan to Individual Plan

You may be eligible to convert your current group medical coverage to an individual medical plan. Contact your current carrier preferably before, but no more than 30-days after, your coverage ends to ensure there is no lapse in coverage.  For more information: PacificSource 1-888-977-9299 or Kaiser Permanente 1-800-813-2000.

Health Insurance Marketplace -  "The Exchange"

You may wish to use the HealthCare.gov insurance marketplace to compare our COBRA and Retiree plans with plans offered in the Marketplace. They can be reached by calling 1-800-318-2596 and they are available 24/7, except holidays. The Marketplace will also provide information about the Federal tax credit offered by the Affordable Care Act. Enrolling in coverage through Healthcare.gov is the only way to receive the Federal tax credit.

Assistance with the HealthCare.gov options can be provided by a Navigator, someone trained on the Marketplace options and enrollment process, at no cost to you. Navigators can be found by calling HealthCare.gov at

1-800-318-2596.  Marion County’s Benefit Consultants, Brown & Brown Insurance Agency in Portland, has a Navigator at no cost to you. They can be reached at 1-503-274-6511.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

​Your EAP benefits end when your county paid medical coverage ends. If your termination of employment is due to a layoff, you may continue using EAP services through Canopy for up to six months. Canopy can be reached at 503-588-0777.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Commuter Expense Reimbursement Accounts (CERA)

If you have been participating in the Marion County Flexible Benefits Plan (FSA or CERA), your eligibility and participation ends on your last day of employment. Any amount that was reduced from your wages as of your date of termination will be available for reimbursement if it is a qualified expense incurred while you were an active participant. 

If you have been participating in the Health Care FSA or the Employee Premium account, you may be entitled to continue participation if you elect to continue through COBRA. Contact Consolidated Admin Services, our plan administrator, about your options at 1-877-941-5956. 

Outstanding CERA claims must be submitted within 180 days from the date the expense was incurred.

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Voluntary Term Life Insurance (VTL)

If you are a participant in the Voluntary Term Life Insurance Plan (VTL), you may continue your coverage through New York Life Group Insurance on an individual basis, usually at a similar rate. Information will be mailed to you from New York Life shortly after your separation.  You have 15-days from the date you receive the information to return the application to New York Life.

Group Term Life Insurance

Your employer-paid group term life benefit ends on your last day of employment. You may convert your life insurance coverage (excluding the AD&D portion) to an individual policy through New York Life without evidence of insurability. Individual policy premiums are based on age.

If the termination of your employment is not due to retirement and you have had continuous life insurance coverage with Marion County for at least 12 consecutive months, you may be eligible to continue your group term life insurance for up to 24 months through the plan’s portability option.

Information will be mailed to you from New York Life within shortly after your separation.  You have 15-days from the date you receive the information to return the application to New York Life. 

Voluntary Short Term Disability Insurance (STD)

If you are a participant in the Voluntary Short-Term Disability Insurance Plan, your coverage through New York Life Group Insurance will end when your employment ends. If you have an approved claim, coverage will end when you are no longer disabled, per the terms of the contract, or at the end of the 11 week benefit period, whichever is first.  As well, after separation New York Life will initiate the conversion of your claim to Long Term Disability if you meet their requirements.

Long Term Disability (LTD)

There are no conversion or continuation options available.  However, if you have an approved claim, benefit payments will continue as outlined in theLTD Certificate of coverage.PDF

If you are ending employment due to a non-work related disability, please contact Employee Benefits at 503-584-4700. 

Retirement Benefits

457 Deferred Compensation & 401(k) Employee Saving Plan

Please contact Voya Financial in Portland at 503-937-0351 to talk about your options, including:

* Leaving your funds in your Voya Financial account until you are age 70 ½

* A direct rollover to another qualified 457 deferred compensation plan or other qualified tax plan (e.g. IRA, 401k)

* Taking a distribution of your funds.  Taxes and penalties may apply

Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)

* Please contact PERS at 1-888-320-7377 for information on your status and options, as they may differ for Tier 1, Tier 2 and OPSRP employees.

You may have the choice of leaving your IAP account with PERS until you are eligible for retirement benefits.  If you are age 50 or older or you are vested (employer contributions have been made for five calendar years), your account will continue to earn interest and you can apply for retirement benefits when eligible.  If you are not vested, your account will continue to earn interest for up to five years. At that point, PERS will contact you to withdraw your account.

IMPORTANT:   If you decide to withdraw your account balance before retirement age, YOU LOSE ALL RIGHTS as a PERS/OPSRP member, including any claim to the County’s employer contributions and your eligibility for PERS benefit, even if you are a vested member.