Life Events That Can Affect Your Benefits – Equity-League Benefit Funds

Many of life’s events can have an important impact on your benefits. Certain ones - such as moving or when your family grows - could affect your Equity-League Funds’ (ELF) benefits. If you don’t notify us promptly of these changes, you may miss certain opportunities available to you.

Below are links to summary information about how different life events may affect your benefits under the different ELF Plans. Typically, the ELF office needs to be contacted as soon as possible – typically within 30 days for most of these events. Ones such as moving, adding, or changing beneficiaries, or when a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is issued should be sent in as soon as possible.

You add or change beneficiaries

When certain life events – such as marriage, divorce, or having a child – occur, you may wish to change or add beneficiaries for your Equity-League Funds (ELF) retirement benefits.

For both the ELF Pension and 401(k) plans, if you are married, your spouse is automatically your beneficiary. To name a beneficiary for your retirement benefits who is not your spouse, your spouse must consent in writing. Refer to the for complete information about this requirement.

Changing your beneficiary designations

To make an initial beneficiary designation or to change your beneficiaries (or the allocations to beneficiaries), you must complete and return standard beneficiary forms, which are separate for the two funds. You’ll find current versions of these beneficiary forms on our Pension forms and 401(k) forms pages.

Divorce can automatically change your beneficiaries

Following a divorce or legal annulment, your ex-spouse will be automatically removed as your beneficiary (if previously designated as your beneficiary) unless a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) stipulates otherwise. If you wish your ex-spouse to continue as your beneficiary, a separate (non-standard) form is required. Please download, complete, and submit a Re-designation of Former Spouse as Beneficiary Form.

You add or lose a dependent

When your family grows, you have a 31-day window to add any new qualified dependents to your Equity-League Funds (ELF) health coverage. Conversely, if a covered dependent no longer qualifies as a dependent (for example, after a divorce), you must notify us immediately, so that we are able to adjust your coverage accordingly.

While life events allow you to make changes to your coverage as they occur, you may also make certain changes each November during Annual Open Enrollment.

Adding dependents

The following life events allow you to add a dependent outside of Annual Open Enrollment – if you notify us within 31 days and provide required documentation:

Marriage
Birth
Adoption
Becoming a guardian, or
A non-covered child (up to age 26) becomes a qualified dependent

To better understand the last bullet, consider the following example. Jessica, a dependent child, loses eligibility for coverage when she turns 19, because she was not enrolled in an accredited educational or vocational institution – a requirement described in the . A year later, Jessica enrolls in college. Since she now meets the Health Plan’s definition of a dependent, Jessica may be added to her mother’s ELF coverage.

To add a dependent, visit our Health forms page to download a new enrollment form. Then submit the completed form with the required documentation (as described on the form) and pay the premium. For current premium amounts, visit our Premiums page. New dependent coverage is effective on the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the dependent was added.

If you want to add your new dependent as a beneficiary for your pension or 401(k) benefits, visit our Adding or changing beneficiaries page.

Losing dependents

The following life events may cause a covered dependent to lose dependent status:

Divorce
Dissolution of a domestic partnership
A dependent dies
An adult child turns 26

When any of these events occur, you must notify the ELF office immediately. If you do not notify us of such a loss of dependent status, you will be responsible for any claims paid for dependents who no longer qualify as dependents. It is ELF’s obligation to all participants to recover any claims paid improperly, whether this was the result of a mistake or intentional fraud.

For additional details about “aging out” of dependent coverage, visit our Your adult child turns 26 page.

Your adult dependent turns 26

Changing your contact information

The death of a dependent, spouse, or beneficiary

The death of a participant

If you die before your spouse or other dependents or beneficiaries, they will grieve. However, your survivors’ finances may also be drastically impacted. Because of this, your Equity-League Funds (ELF) benefits may be of tremendous help your survivors. Though the subject is difficult, take time to review the benefit options available in the event of your death with your family now.

Notifying ELF after a death

In the event of your death, your survivors should notify the ELF office as soon as possible. Please share this important step with your family, because we won’t be able to help your survivors until we know what has happened.

How survivors may continue health benefits

If your spouse and/or children had employment-based coverage under the ELF Health Plan at the time of your death, your dependents’ coverage will end on the last day of the month of your death. However, your dependents may be able to continue coverage for up to 36 months under COBRA¹.

How survivors may receive your retirement benefits Under the ELF Pension Plan,

a survivor benefit² is available to your surviving spouse or beneficiary if you die before commencing your pension. A survivor benefit is also available after you begin your pension if one of the following applies:

You selected a Joint and Survivor option, or
You selected the regular single life annuity, but you have not yet received 60 monthly pension payments. For additional information, visit our Pension benefits page.

Your survivors may receive your 401(k) benefits if you die as a 401(k) participant. Your remaining 401(k) balance will be available to your designated beneficiary or beneficiaries. However, there are differences in how these benefits may be taken depending on whether your beneficiary was also your spouse. For additional information, visit our 401(k) survivor benefits page.

If you and your dependents were already covered under COBRA at the time of your death, your dependents will be entitled to 36 months of COBRA coverage reduced by the number of months they received COBRA coverage before your death.
Survivor benefits vary depending on the payment option you choose. For complete details, refer to the ELF Pension Plan and 401(k) Summary Plan Description

Becoming disabled

A disability can be difficult, even devastating, but additional benefits may be available to you through the Equity-League Funds (ELF), should you become disabled. How your disability affects your ELF health benefits depends on the type of disability. Additionally, you may be able to access ELF pension and/or 401(k) benefits if you are permanently and totally disabled. For complete information, refer to the and the ELF Pension Plan and 401(k) Summary Plan Description.

Understanding how different types of disabilities affect health benefits

As a participant, three types of disabilities can affect your ELF health benefits:

Temporary disability (non work-related) – If your state requires employers to provide short-term disability benefits, you may be eligible¹. If your income from the theater stops during your disability, employer contributions to ELF on your behalf will also stop. However, any eligibilty for health coverage you previously earned through employment will continue. If your earned coverage ends during your disability, you and any covered dependents will be offered COBRA continuation coverage.
Temporary disability (work-related) – All states require employers to offer Workers Compensation benefits to those injured on the job, but benefits vary from state-to-state. You may also be eligible for ELF Supplemental Worker’s Compensation (SWC) benefits – visit our Health Forms page for an application. Otherwise, the impact on your Health Plan benefits is the same as described in the previous bullet.
Permanent and total disability – If you become totally and permanently disabled while covered by the Health Plan, you may continue benefits under COBRA for an extended period of 29 months².

If your dependent child (younger than 19) becomes totally and permanently disabled, he or she may keep ELF health coverage for as long as you are covered by employment – in some cases, even longer under COBRA. If the child’s disability occurs after reaching age 19, he or she may still qualify for coverage until age 26³.

1 While New York requires that employers offer short-term disability benefits, most states do not.

2 To qualify for the COBRA disability extension, your disability must have started before the 60th day of COBRA continuation coverage and last through the end of the standard 18 month period of COBRA coverage. Notice of a total and permanent disability must be provided to the ELF office within 60 days of the latest of: 1) the date Social Security Administration determines you are disabled, 2) the date of the qualifying event (when you became disabled), and 3) the date of the loss of coverage due to the qualifying event.

3 Written evidence of the child’s disability must be sent to the ELF office within 31 days of the age when coverage would normally end, and as requested by the ELF office thereafter.

A permanent disability may allow you to take your retirement benefits

As a participant, if you receive a disability award from the Social Security Administration indicating a total and permanent disability, you may be able to access your retirement benefits:

ELF pension disability benefits – If you were vested at the time of your disability, you may immediately begin collecting a disability pension. The pension will be equal to what your pension would have been at the normal retirement age of 65.
ELF 401(k) disability – If you are considered retired (regardless of age), you may take a 401(k) distribution subject to income tax, but not the 10% tax penalty for early 401(k) distributions.

Divorcing, or ending a domestic partnership

Leaving covered employment

When participants leave covered employment, the benefit options available vary depending upon the reason for the end of employment. The potential effects of leaving covered employment are summarized on this page. For complete details, refer to the Equity League Health Fund Summary Plan Description and the

Retiring

If you retire from the theater while you are a Health Plan participant, you may continue your benefits as self-paid coverage for up to 18 months through COBRA. You may be able to continue coverage even longer, through the Self-Pay After COBRA (SPAC) program, if you have 10 years of vesting service in the Pension Plan. For additional information, refer to our COBRA and SPAC pages.

If you participate in the Pension and/or 401(k) Plans, you may be able to begin collecting your retirement benefits. If you otherwise qualify, you may, without penalty, begin taking distributions from your 401(k) as early as age 59 1/2 and your pension benefits as early as age 60. For additional information, refer to our separate pages with information on taking your pension and taking your 401(k).

Changing to different work with benefits

If you find work outside the theater, such as in film or on television, you may be able to qualify for health or pension benefits in those industries. Or, you may gain employment outside of acting, but in a job where benefits are available.

In such cases, you should contact your new employer, other funds, or insurer to ensure there is no gap in benefits. Depending the circumstances, you may wish to continue ELF health coverage through COBRA, if you are eligible. For additional information, refer to our COBRA page.

If you find work in another industry after you are vested in the ELF Pension and/or 401(k) Plans, remember that you have earned a right to those ELF benefits. After you are vested, your retirement benefits are yours, no matter where you work.

Changing to different work with no benefits

If you had ELF health coverage before your employment ended, you should consider whether continuing your benefits through COBRA makes sense for you. In some situations, continuing coverage through COBRA will be the best alternative. In other situations, you may qualify for other health benefits that provide better value. Refer to our COBRA page for additional information.

In terms of retirement benefits,

if you are age 59 1/2 or older and participate in the ELF 401(k) Plan, you may wish to begin withdrawing from your 401(k) account. If you are age 60 and vested in the ELF Pension Plan, you may be able to begin collecting pension benefits as well. For additional information, refer to our separate pages with information on taking your pension and taking your 401(k).

Getting married

You or your spouse becomes eligible for Medicare

When you or your spouse become eligible for Medicare (typically at age 65), the options available to you for health coverage change dramatically. Certain actions – or inactions – may affect other coverage or limit the choices available to you. Therefore, it is critical that you take the time to fully evaluate and consider your coverage options.

Continuing employment-based coverage – Medicare pays secondary

If you or your spouse remain eligible for employment-based coverage – whether through the Equity-League Funds (ELF) or an employer – generally you should continue this coverage. When anyone is eligible for coverage as an employee, Medicare is only required to pay secondary benefits. This is true even if you decline the employer-based coverage; you would still have to pay all costs that plan would have covered if you had accepted the coverage.

Have COBRA coverage? Medicare automatically becomes primary, and ELF coverage becomes supplemental

Once a participant with self-paid coverage – such as COBRA – becomes eligible for Medicare, that coverage immediately becomes secondary to Medicare. Additionally, your ELF coverage automatically converts to our Medicare supplemental coverage, which requires significantly lower premiums.

ELF’s Medicare supplemental coverage pays secondary to Medicare, and it includes prescription drug coverage through a Medicare Part D plan from Cigna. To learn more, visit our Medicare supplemental coverage page.

However, ELF’s offering may not be the best option for Medicare supplemental coverage available to you. For assistance with exploring all coverage options, contact the Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center from the Actors Fund.

Know how purchasing private Medicare plans will affect your current benefits and choices

Purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan from a private insurer means that you waive your traditional Medicare benefits. Additionally, purchasing private Medicare Part D coverage may affect other prescription coverage available to you. Once again, the Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center can provide invaluable assistance with understanding your options and the impacts of your choices.

Moving

Going on the road

A qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) is issued

Becoming terminally ill

When ELF health coverage ends

(Birth, Death, Disability, Marriage, Divorce, Children Growing Up, Relocation, etc.)