Eugene School District 4J

A: Yes.  OEBB eligibility rules currently state that retirees have the same plan election options as the active members of their employee group (e.g., Licensed Retirees will be able to choose from any of the plans offered to Active Licensed Employees).

A: The OEBB Board has been very conscientious about not causing harm to their members, especially when amending rules that are already established.  Therefore it is likely that if they were to impose restrictions in the future, they would ensure those affected would have an opportunity to change their plan election before the restriction was imposed.

A: OEBB allows retirees to add dependents to their plan if they submit an enrollment change form within 31 days of a qualified status change (or QSC) event.  Some examples of this sort of QSC might be loss of other coverage or a change in marital status.  These are just a few of the many QSC events that might qualify.  To determine whether a specific life event would be considered a valid QSC, please contact OEBB by email at OEBB.info@state.or.us or by phone at (888) 469-6322.

A: Retirees are allowed to stay on the 4J plan until they become Medicare eligible.  Everyone becomes Medicare eligible on the first of the month prior to their 65th birthday, unless they gain eligibility even earlier due to disability.  (This includes people born on the first of a month — someone turning 65 on October 1st would become Medicare eligible September 1st.)

A: OEBB allows a younger spouse/domestic partner in this situation to continue on the plan in their own name until they also become Medicare eligible. OEBB also allows eligible dependent children to continue coverage on the plan in their own name until the child attains age 26. The eligible dependents will be enrolled in self-pay (without any district contribution) benefits. The eligible spouse/dependent will need to fill out the Hire A Spouse/Dependent Form and an ACH Form to authorize premium payments by electronic withdrawal from a bank account.  These two forms should be submitted to 4J Human Resources benefit department 30 days prior to the retiree’s coverage ending. For questions about this process you can either email the benefits team at hr_benefits@4j.lane.edu or call 541-790-7675.