Collapsing Life Events

Multiple life events might occur within a specified number of days. Use collapsing rules to collapse them into one event for processing. Normally, you can process only one life event for a person on a given day within the same benefits relationship.

This topic explains:

• When you typically use collapsing rules for life events

• Where you can process collapsing rules to collapse life events

• How these rules work with benefits relationships

Create collapsing rules in the Collapsing Rules tab of the Manage Life Events page in the Plan Configuration work area. You can include a maximum of 10 life events in a collapsing rule.

Example of Collapsing Rules

Define a collapsing rule to determine the winning life event out of a combination of life events.

Scenario: When an HR specialist enters information for a newly hired employee, multiple life events might occur, such as New Hire, Marriage, and Gain Dependent.

You can:

• Define a collapsing rule to collapse all those events into a resulting event called New Hire.

• Process that event for enrollment opportunities.

If you don't use a collapsing rule, you must manually void or delete all other events before you process the New Hire event. Alternatively, you can configure the New Hire event to override other events if two or more are detected on the same day. Use the Override check box when you create or edit the life event on the Manage Life Events page.

Life Event Collapsing Rule Processing

The following table lists and describes locations for processing collapsing rules:

Work Area and Task	Description
Evaluation and Reporting work area: Collapse Life Events batch process	The Collapse Life Events batch process: Applies the collapsing rules on detected potential life events for multiple participants. Collapses the life events to the winning event. Doesn't evaluate the winning event for enrollment opportunities.
Evaluation and Reporting work area: Any participation evaluation batch process Enrollment work area of a person: Process Life Event task	By default, participation evaluation processing: Automatically runs the Collapse Life Events process, which collapses events to one winning life event using the rules that you defined. Evaluates that winning life event for enrollment opportunities.
Enrollment work area of a person: Person Life Events task	Use the Collapse Life Events action in the Potential Life Events tab. Collapsing events for a person: Collapses life events to the winning event according to the rules that you defined. Doesn't evaluate the winning event for enrollment opportunities.

Benefits Relationships and Collapsing Life Events

The Collapse Life Events process doesn't collapse life events that occur across benefits relationships. Even if you set up events globally, the process collapses events within a single benefits relationship of a person at any point in time.

Collapsing Rules and Timeliness Days

If you configured life events with a timeliness rule, participation evaluation processing evaluates the timeliness rule before the collapsing rule.