If the circumstances of your life change, Harvard has many resources and services that can help you – as well as perks that you may want to take advantage of. You may also be able to adjust your benefits to meet your new needs.
Certain events as defined by the IRS permit you to make benefit changes during the year that normally can only be made during the annual open enrollment, held each fall. If you experience such a "qualified" event, you have 30 days to make any eligible changes. The change(s) must be consistent with the qualifying event.
Events that permit you to make benefit changes include:
- Getting married or registering a domestic partner
- Getting divorced
- Ending your domestic partnership
- Having or adopting a child
- Spouse changing employment
- Dependent losing eligibility
- Dependent gaining eligibility
- Resigning, being laid off or retiring from Harvard
- Applying for long-term disability
- Going on or returning from an unpaid leave of absence
If you have a qualified event, and want to make a change to your benefits, call Benefits as soon as possible at 617-496-4001 in order to make changes within the 30-day window.
Once you have contacted Benefits, information will be mailed to your home with important instructions on how to make your changes online in PeopleSoft and how to submit any required documentation. (You can also view PeopleSoft instructions for making benefits changes related to marriage or adding a child or other dependent here.)
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of employee benefits information presented here. If there is any discrepancy between the information presented here and Harvard’s formal benefits plan documents, the latter will prevail.