The Benefits Plan Year runs from January 1 through December 31.
Employee Eligibility
Regular full-time or part-time employees (excluding interns, temporary and variable hour employees) who are scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for the benefits described on this site. Coverage begins the first of the month following your hire date. If you are hired on the first of the month, your coverage begins on your hire date.
Dependent Eligibility
As you become eligible for benefits, so do your eligible dependents. In general, eligible dependents include:
- legal spouse;
- domestic partner; and
- your children, including biological children, stepchildren, adopted children, children placed for adoption and children you are legally obligated to support. The limiting age for children is 26, except there is no limiting age for children who are dependent on you as the result of a disability.
Important Note About Medical Coverage for Dependents
Inovalon must report to the IRS the names and social security numbers of everyone covered by our company-sponsored medical plans. Therefore, if you are enrolling dependents in the medical plans, be sure to include their social security numbers.
Domestic Partner Coverage
The IRS considers health coverage for a domestic partner a taxable fringe benefit that must be included in an employee’s gross income. Therefore, the portion of premiums that Inovalon pays on behalf of your domestic partner for health, dental and vision insurance must be taxed. This process is referred to as “imputed income.” Also, any medical, dental and vision plan payroll contributions that you pay that are attributable to your domestic partner’s coverage must be taxed. This means a portion of your payroll contributions will be deducted after taxes are deducted.
Health and Welfare Deductions
Your health and welfare benefits deductions will be taken each pay date that your coverage is effective. Generally, your benefits deductions will begin within one to two paychecks following your enrollment. If you are a new hire and (1) you receive a paycheck with no benefits deductions, and (2) your benefits deductions were effective as of that pay date, retroactive benefits deductions will be taken from your next available pay. For example:
- Jacob is hired on April 26. He receives his first paycheck on May 14. Jacob enrolls in benefits on May 17. His benefits coverage effective date is May 1.
- Even though Jacob’s benefits coverage was effective May 1, he had no health and welfare benefits deductions taken from the May 14 paycheck as he enrolled in coverage after he received his first paycheck.
- On the May 28 paycheck, he will have double health and welfare benefits deductions taken – his regular benefits deductions for the May 28 paycheck and the deductions that should have been taken from the May 14 paycheck.
- If Jacob had enrolled in benefits on April 27, benefits deductions would have been taken from the May 17 paycheck. No double deductions would be taken on the May 28 paycheck.
Emily is hired on May 10. She enrolls in benefits on May 12. Her benefits coverage is effective on June 1. Emily receives her first paycheck on May 28.
- No benefits deductions are withheld on the May 28 paycheck. She will not owe benefits deductions for her May 28 paycheck as her benefits were not effective on May 28. They are effective June 1.
- Emily’s health and welfare benefits deductions will first begin on her June 11 paycheck.
401(k) Deductions
Your 401(k) contributions and the corresponding employer match will begin within one to two pay dates following your enrollment. IRS prohibits any contributions from being taken retroactively.
The health and welfare elections you make are for the entire calendar year and generally cannot be changed outside of annual Open Enrollment. However, if you have a Qualified Life Event as defined by the IRS, you will be able to make benefit changes that are consistent with your life event.
Qualifying Life Events
- Marriage, divorce or newly eligible same or opposite sex domestic partner
- Birth or adoption of a child
- Death of your spouse, domestic partner or dependent child
- Your spouse or domestic partner gaining or losing coverage at his/her job
- Reduction or increase in hours of employment by you or your spouse, domestic partner or dependent
- An event that causes a spouse, domestic partner or dependent to lose or gain eligibility
- A Qualified Medical Child Support Order
- Entitlement to Medicare or Medicaid
Benefit changes must be consistent with your event. For example, if you have a baby, you may add the baby to your medical coverage. You cannot, however, drop dental coverage for other family members at this time. You have 31 days within the event to change your benefit elections.
To request a change, log into the benefits website at enroll.apbenefitadvisors.com or call the Inovalon Employee Benefits Line at 1-888-896-8031.
Eligible Documentation for Dependent Verification
Important: All required documents MUST show the date/year of the event and the dependent’s name.
Please black out any unneeded confidential information such as full Social Security numbers, account numbers, and income information (where applicable). If the document includes social security number, please leave the last 4 digits visible for identification purposes.
Eligible dependents and verification documents are summarized below:
Legally Married Spouse
Provide a copy of 1 of the below:
- A copy of your Marriage Certificate.
- A copy of the front page of your most recently filed Federal Tax Return showing you filed as married with your spouse.
Domestic Partner
Provide a copy of the following:
- Registered Domestic Partner Certificate OR
- A completed Affidavit of Domestic Partnership. Copies of the Affadavit of Domestic Partnership can be found in the Library section of the enrollment website or by contacting the Inovalon Benefit Resource Center.
Children up to age 26
Provide a copy of 1 of the below:
- A copy of the child’s Birth Certificate (or adoption certificate), naming you or your spouse as the child’s parent.
- A copy of the court order naming you or your spouse as the child’s legal guardian/custodian.
Stepchildren
Provide a copy of 1 of the below:
- A copy of the child’s Birth Certificate (or adoption certificate), naming you or your spouse as the child’s parent.
- A copy of the court order naming you or your spouse as the child’s legal guardian/custodian.
AND if you are covering a stepchild and the child’s parent is not a covered dependent, you must also provide a copy of 1 of the below:
- A copy of your Marriage Certificate.
- A copy of the front page of your most recently filed Federal Tax Return showing you filed as married with your spouse.
Disabled Children
Age 26 and older who are incapable of self-sustaining employment, disabled or handicapped, and who were covered under the Inovalon healthcare plan before age 26.
Provide copies of each of the following:
- A copy of the child’s Birth Certificate (or adoption certificate), naming you or your spouse as the child’s parent, or a copy of the court order naming you or your spouse as the child’s legal guardian.
- A copy of a letter from the Social Security Administration or from the child’s physician certifying disability.