Open Enrollment Rules

[Guest Cindy N]

What are the rules on changing an open enrollment date to one month later?

[SLuskin]

This is one of those awful real life situations that the ivory tower folks who make the regs haven't really addressed. If the shift looks to be permanent, then I usually recommend a short year for the 1 month period, and then change the plan year to the open enrollment period.

[GBurns]

I dont see what changing the date of open enrollment has to do with the plan year.

If she normally has open enrollment in, let us say, October so that all paperwork etc can be completed comfortably for plan year starting January 1, and she wants to change open enrollment to November or even December and she feels that she can complete all the paperwork etc in time for January 1, why would there be a problem?? Why a short plan year etc?