Military Leave

[jsb]

Is acquiring health insurance through the military (a governmental plan?) a life status change that would allow revocation of a health plan election? In this case, the affected employee receives supplemental military pay, including full health benefits. Reducing coverage would increase the supplemental pay. Could also apply to the spouse of an activated military member who is covered as a dependent under the military health insurance plan.

Your insights appreciated.

[papogi]

The IRS allows changes to an election when someone comes off of government coverage, but I see nothing that allows a change when acquiring government coverage.

[jsb]

Appreciate the response. I guess the problem is definition of "governmental" plan. Federal, state, county, city,...? . The examples cited in IRS text lean toward indigent, grant-type, or mandatory medical programs. I suppose that medical coverage for activated military could loosely fall into this category. Similar guidelines apply to medical plans of educational institutions. But the example cited is mandatory coverage for a student, where losing coverage is a status change, but acquiring the student coverage is not.

Would this same situation exist relative to medical coverage acquired through civilian employment with the government, which is arguably more similar to employer-sponsored group coverage? The feds exempt themselves from a lot of things, but how different really is the fed plan for its employees than my county-sponsored plan?

[Sandra Pearce]

The original post is headed "Military Leave." Is the employee out on a military leave and not working? If so the provisions of USERRA would apply.