Best Practices for Pairing Start and End Date Rules

To help with plan configuration and reduce processing errors due to overlapping dates, consult the following guidelines on compatibility between start and end date rules.

• General guidelines for start dates

• General guidelines for end dates

• Formulas

• Rates and coverage

• Enrollment periods

Start and end date rule pairings are recommendations only; the application doesn't enforce them.

General Guidelines for Start Dates

Benefits rules always compute start dates using the occurred on date of the life event being processed, unless the rule specifies otherwise.

Example: The rule Later of event or notified computes the start date using the later of either the life event:

• Occurred on date

• Notification date

General Guidelines for End Dates

Most end date rules are also based on the event being processed, with the exception of rules starting with 1 prior.

• 1 prior is the day before the new rate or coverage start date.

• For rates or coverage that end completely, rather than being superseded by others, the part of the rule that follows 1 prior applies.

Example: A health insurance participant voluntarily terminates employment. Although no new coverage period follows, the 1 prior, or month end rule causes health insurance coverage to remain in effect until the end of that month.

Formulas

You can define formulas to derive any end date, as required. However, the end date returned by your formula must not overlap the corresponding start date. Start and end date rule pairings are recommendations only; the application doesn't enforce them.

Rates and Coverages

You can pair all rate and coverage start date rules, with the exception of Elections, with any previous end date rule that starts with 1 prior. A commonly used rule is 1 prior, or month end. Common practice is to:

• Extend coverage to the end of the month if no new rate or coverage starts

• End the rate with the pay period following the event

You can only use 1 prior rules when computing the start date during the Evaluate Life Event Participation process.

Start and end date pairs where the previous rates and coverage periods end one day before the new rates and coverage start are generally compatible. The following table provides examples of compatible start and end date rules:

Rate Start Date Rule	Compatible Previous Rate Period End Date Rule
Event	One day before event date
As of event	One day before event
First of month	End of month
First of next month	End of month
First of month after later event or notified	End of month using later of event or notified
First of month on or after event	End of month using later of event or notified
First of month after enrollment start	End of month after enrollment end
First of quarter	End of quarter

Enrollment Period

Enrollment periods are windows of time during which workers have enrollment opportunities.

• You can pair all start date rules with any one of the end date rules that specify:

  • Forty-five days after enrollment period start

  • Sixty days after enrollment period start

  • Ninety days after enrollment period start

• You must pair start date rules that start with First of next with an end date rule that ends with after enrollment period start or is a formula.

• You can pair the following start date rules with end date rules that specify a number of days after the later of the event date or notification date:

  • As of event date

  • First of next half year, month, pay period, year, or semi-month after later event or notified

  • Later event or notified

  • Later of thirty or sixty days before later event or notified