Once the employee becomes eligible for a particular benefits package, coverage under specific plans within the package will either be:
- automatic
- through positive enrollment by the employee within a Period of Initial Eligibility (PIE)
- through positive enrollment any time
- by default, for certain plans, if the employee does nothing to enroll
Period of Initial Eligibility (PIE)
Some benefits require positive enrollment by the employee within the Period of Initial Eligibility (PIE) and some employment life cycle events create a PIE. The majority of University benefits have a PIE and require positive enrollment. The PIE begins on the date the employee (or an eligible dependent) becomes eligible for benefits and ends 31 days later, or on the last working day within that 31-day period, whichever comes first. The PIE deadlines may differ in certain circumstances if the date of hire is before the date of arrival on campus. If enrollment is within the PIE, the effective date of coverage is retroactive to the beginning of the PIE.
If PIE Deadline is Missed
An employee who does not enroll during the PIE may NOT be able to enroll in the future. While some benefits are open annually for enrollment, others require the submission of a statement of health acceptable to the carrier if the PIE deadline has passed.