Benefits While on LeaveBrian Lexmond2024-05-26T12:55:26-07:00
Health and welfare benefits will be maintained during any period of approved FMLA or qualifying state leave, provided you continue to pay your share of health and welfare plan premiums. Benefits may also be maintained during certain periods of other approved leaves.
If you are a union associate and you are not on Company-provided health and welfare benefits, contact your union trust for information on how to maintain your benefits while on leave.
Benefits Than Can Be Continued During a Leave
The following benefits can be continued during a leave while you continue to receive a paycheck:
- Medical, Dental and Vision
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- Optional Life Insurance
- Optional AD&D Insurance
- Long-term Disability Insurance
- Aflac Voluntary Benefits (Critical Illness, Accident and Hospital Indemnity Insurance)
If you are getting paid from available sick pay, paid time off, vacation, flexible time off or personal/floating holidays, your regular paycheck deductions for benefits will continue. If you are on a medical or pregnancy and childbirth leave and your Short-Term Disability claim is approved by The Hartford, payments will be included on your regular paycheck along with your paycheck deductions for benefits.
Monthly After-tax Direct Billing Through HealthEquity
During any unpaid portion of your leave, or if Short-Term Disability payments are not adequate to deduct your share of the benefit premiums, you will be enrolled in monthly direct billing through HealthEquity. To maintain your benefits, you must make after-tax payments to HealthEquity by the time frame indicated in your HealthEquity information. Failure to make the payments required to HealthEquity by the time frames indicated will result in a loss of coverage retroactive to the last day in which the associate contributions for benefits were paid in full.
While you are on direct billing through HealthEquity, you cannot contribute to an HSA or Dependent Care FSA. You can submit claims for eligible expenses while on LOA.
You can continue contributing to a Health Care FSA on an after-tax basis and can also submit claims for eligible expenses while on LOA.
HealthEquity
P.O. Box 660212
Dallas, TX 75266
Tel. 844-341-6993 (Mon-Fri 6 am to 6 pm MT)
Member Portal: https://myhealthequity.com
Here’s How Other Pay and Benefit Plans Are Impacted While on Leave
- If you are in a bonus-eligible position and you are absent from work for an approved leave of absence for a medical, personal or any other legally protected reason (including military leave) during a fiscal period, you are eligible for a prorated bonus payout based on the number of weeks worked in the fiscal period, provided that a bonus payout is earned and deemed payable under the terms of the Plan. Weeks worked will be based on the number of weeks you are not on leave during the fiscal period.
- You stop accruing paid time off (PTO) or vacation on the first full calendar day of your leave.
- You will not receive holiday pay for company-recognized holidays while you are on leave.
- You are not eligible to contribute to the 401(k) Plan or the Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (EDCP) during your leave.
- If you have a 401(k) loan, your loan payments will cease and your loan will be re-amortized when you return to work.
When Your Benefits End
Your benefits will end after 26 weeks or 52 weeks (depending on the policy that applies to you), or earlier, if you fail to make required timely payments to HealthEquity to maintain your benefits. You may be able to continue some benefits through COBRA or convert other benefits depending on options available through the insurance carriers.
Are You On a Pregnancy and Childbirth or Bonding, Adoption and Foster Care Leave?
Add your new child to your benefits within 60 days of the child’s birth, adoption or placement in foster care and upload a copy of the birth certificate, adoption or foster care papers in myACI Benefits self-service or call the Benefits Service Center at 888-255-2269, press 2 then press 2 again to speak with a Benefits Service Center representative. If you miss the 60-day deadline, coverage for your child will be canceled retroactive to the child’s date of birth.
What Happens to Your Benefits When You Return to Work?
Contact the Benefits Service Center at 888-255-226, press 2 then press 2 again to speak to a Benefits Service Center Agent, Mon-Fri, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. AZ time to find out what you need to do to re-enroll in any benefits that may have been discontinued during your leave.
Resources
- Download the What Happens to Your Benefits When on Leave Flyer.
- Review the Leave of Absence Process interactive diagram for an overview of how a leave of absence works.
- Find out how to request a leave of absence.
- Review the leave of absence FAQs.
