ELIGIBILITY

Members

You must be a current education employee eligible to participate in the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System working a minimum of four hours per day or 20 hours per week or other eligible employee regularly scheduled to work at least 1,000 hours a year, and not classified as a temporary or seasonal employee.
You must be enrolled in a group health plan to enroll in dental and/or life insurance.

Dependents

If one eligible dependent is covered, all eligible dependents must be covered. Exceptions apply (refer to Excluding Dependents from Coverage in this section).
Eligible dependents include:
- Your legal spouse (including common-law).
- Your daughter, son, stepdaughter, stepson, eligible foster child, adopted child or child legally placed with you for adoption up to age 26, whether married or unmarried.
- A dependent, regardless of age, who is incapable of self-support due to a disability that was diagnosed prior to age 26. Subject to medical review and approval.
- Other unmarried dependent children up to age 26, upon completion and approval of an Application for Coverage for Other Dependent Children. Guardianship papers or a tax return showing dependency can be provided in lieu of the application.
If your spouse is enrolled separately in one of the plans offered through EGID, your dependents can be covered under either parent’s health, dental and/or vision plan (but not both); however, both parents can cover dependents under Dependent Life.
Dependents who are not enrolled within 30 days of your eligibility date cannot be enrolled until the next annual Option Period, unless a qualifying event such as birth, marriage or loss of other group coverage occurs. Dependent coverage can be dropped midyear with a qualifying event.
Dependents can be enrolled only in the same types of coverage and in the same plans you elect.
To enroll your newborn, the appropriate form must be provided to within 30 days of the birth. This coverage is effective the first of the birth month. If you do not enroll your newborn during this 30-day period, you cannot do so until the next annual Option Period. Direct notification to a plan will not enroll your newborn or any other dependents. The newborn’s Social Security number is not required at the time of initial enrollment but must be provided once it is received from Social Security. Insurance premiums for the month the child was born must be paid.
Without enrollment:
- HealthChoice – A newborn is covered only for the first 48 hours following a vaginal birth or the first 96 hours following a cesarean section birth. Under the HealthChoice plans, a separate deductible and coinsurance apply.
- BlueLincs, CommunityCare, and GlobalHealth HMOs – A newborn is covered for 31 days without an additional premium.

Excluding Dependents from Coverage

You can exclude your spouse from health and/or dental coverage while covering other dependents on these benefits. Your spouse must sign the Spouse Exclusion Certification section of your enrollment or change form.
You can exclude dependents who do not reside with you, are married, are not financially dependent on you for support, have other group coverage or are eligible for Indian or military health benefits.

Note: Your spouse cannot be excluded from vision coverage if your other dependents are covered unless your spouse has proof of other group vision coverage. You must always provide proof of other group coverage when excluding a dependent for that reason.

Transfer Employee

You can keep your coverage continuous when you move from one participating employer to another as long as there is no break in coverage that lasts longer than 30 days. Premiums must be paid upon reporting to work.
Benefit options vary from employer to employer. Changes to your coverage must be made within the first 30 days of your transfer.

Termination of Coverage

Coverage will end the last day of the month in which a termination event occurs, such as:
Loss of employment.
Reduction in hours.
Loss of dependent eligibility.
Non-payment of premiums.
Death.

COBRA – Temporary Continuation of Coverage

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows you and/or your covered dependents to continue health, dental and/or vision insurance coverage after your employment terminates or after your dependent loses eligibility. Certain time limits apply to enrollment. Be aware, dropping dependent coverage during Option Period is not a COBRA qualifying event.

All newly hired, benefit eligible employees, must attend a New Hire Benefit Meeting and enroll in or waive benefits offered by the district.

Health, Vision, Dental and Life Insurance

Enrollment Periods

Eligibility

Additional Information

For more information, please contact the Insurance/Business Office