FAQs for PEBB benefits administrators

Are employees able to update their own addresses in Benefits 24/7?

No. Employees must notify their benefits administrator of address changes. They can update their email and phone number in Benefits 24/7. Benefit administrators update addresses using Benefits 24/7.

Are the PEBB or SEBB plans governed by ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act)?

Neither PEBB nor SEBB plans are governed by ERISA. Although there are a lot of ERISA rules we follow because the authorities we are subject to mirror those rules in their own guidance, ERISA does not cover plans established or maintained by governmental entities.

Can representatives of the Health Care Authority’s PEBB Program attend our employer-sponsored event or benefits fair?

As the ERB Outreach & Training team administers benefits and provides Open Enrollment training for more than 700 organizations across the PEBB and SEBB programs, we regret that we cannot support requests for each individual organization's Open Enrollment events due to resource constraints. However, we will continue to provide annual HCA-sponsored Open Enrollment events and training for the PEBB benefits administrator community.

If you would like to invite benefits carrier representatives to your event, we have compiled a list of vendor contacts for your convenience. To ensure fairness and impartiality, we request that you invite all PEBB vendors who offer benefits in your area, and PEBB retiree vendors, when extending invitations to vendors.

Do eligible employees who are on approved FMLA or PFML get to remain enrolled in benefits?

It depends. When an employee is approved for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) that is concurrent with FMLA, they remain eligible for the employer contribution and continue their benefits. Concurrent means that leave taken under approved PFML must follow and overlap with leave taken under approved FMLA.

PFML by itself (that is not concurrent with FMLA), does not allow an employee to continue benefits.

Additional guidance can be found in the C-1 and C-2 eligibility worksheets and on the Going on or returning from leave webpage for: 

Do employees need to use Benefits 24/7 to waive medical coverage?

Employees who want to waive medical coverage can do so in Benefits 24/7 or with paper forms. If they waive medical coverage within the PEBB Program timelines, they will not be automatically enrolled into a medical plan. If they do not waive medical coverage and they do not enroll in a medical plan within the PEBB Program's timelines, they will be automatically enrolled in UMP Classic and will be charged the $25 tobacco use premium surcharge. They will also be enrolled in the Uniform Dental plan, MetLife basic life insurance, MetLife basic accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and The Standard long-term disability insurance.

Do employees need to waive medical coverage so they are not automatically enrolled in a medical plan?

Employees who waive medical coverage will not be automatically enrolled in a medical plan. If they do not officially waive medical coverage and do not enroll, they will be automatically enrolled in UMP Classic (medical), Uniform Dental plan, MetLife basic life and basic accidental death and dismemberment, and The Standard employer-paid and employee-paid long-term disability insurance.

Does Benefits 24/7 work for people who are visually impaired?

Yes, Benefits 24/7 follows the Americans with Disabilities Rehabilitation Act (ADA) Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. This includes making the system friendly for screen readers to read textual information.

Does the tobacco use premium surcharge attestation default to “Yes” in Benefits 24/7?

Yes. If employees who are enrolling in a PEBB medical plan do not attest to the tobacco use premium surcharge during enrollment or if they attest that they or their enrolled dependents use tobacco, they will be charged a monthly $25-per-account premium surcharge in addition to their monthly medical premium.