Life Events

Certain life events -- such as marriage, birth, or retirement -- can result in changes in benefit needs and/or affect dependents' eligibility for certain Lehigh benefits. A "qualifying life event" allows appropriate changes to be made to benefit elections in response to the event.

Changes must be requested within 30 days of the qualifying life event (QLE) and the requested changes must be consistent with the nature of the qualifying event and previous benefit election choices.

Common QLEs include:

• Change in marital/partnership status

   

  • Marriage or registration of domestic partnership

   

  • Divorce or dissolution of domestic partnership

• Addition or change in number of dependents

• Birth or adoption of a child

 

• Change in child's dependent status

 

• Death in the family

• Death of a dependent child or spouse/partner

 

• Death of a Lehigh employee or retiree

 

• Internal Protocol for Announcing the Deaths of Currently Employed Faculty and Staff to Lehigh Community

• Changes related to employment or location

• Change in spouse/partner 's employment

 

• Retirement

 

• Significant change in residence location

Contact a Human Resources representative for additional assistance or information related to a life event not included above.

Whenever a life event occurs, be sure to notify the Human Resources Office in a timely manner and provide the necessary forms and documentation to change benefit elections and/or update personnel records.