Coverage and Payments
When Coverage Ends
Your coverage will continue uninterrupted as long as contributions are deducted from your paycheck. After four consecutive weeks of no pay, benefits are terminated and a COBRA packet will be sent for COBRA-eligible benefits.
Your benefits coverage will end on the earliest of:
- The date you’re no longer eligible for benefits
- The first day for which no benefits premium has been paid*
- The date the group policy terminates
Your dependents’ benefits coverage will end on the earliest of:
- The date your benefits coverage terminates
- The first day for which no benefits premium has been paid for your dependent
- The date the coverage for dependents is terminated under the group policy
- The date your dependent ceases to be a dependent as defined in the policy
*Coverage in the High-Deductible Medical Plan will end at the end of the month after four consecutive weeks of no pay.
Canceling Your Benefits
You may cancel your benefits at any time by contacting The American Worker at 1.855.495.1192 even if you do not have a qualifying life event. However, once you cancel, all benefits will be terminated. If coverage is canceled, you cannot re-enroll until the next Open Enrollment period for coverage effective January of the following year, you have a qualifying life event, or you become eligible for Benefits Reinstatement, as described in the “Paying for Your Benefits” tab.
Paying for Your Benefits
Premiums for all elected benefits are deducted from your paycheck each week; however, how the premium is applied and when your coverage is effective vary by plan.
For All Plans Except the High-Deductible Medical Plan, Kaiser Hawaii and HMSA:
Coverage:
- Coverage is provided weekly, with benefit periods running Monday through Sunday.
- Deductions are taken from your paycheck for each elected benefit, and coverage is effective the Monday of the week you receive your first paycheck with benefit deductions.
- Your coverage will continue uninterrupted as long as deductions for all of your benefits are taken from your paycheck each week.
If you receive a paycheck without any deductions or with deductions for only some of your benefits, coverage for any benefit without a deduction is suspended. Coverage remains suspended for any benefit without a deduction until the Monday of the week you receive a paycheck with a deduction for that benefit. To avoid having coverage suspended, you must make a missed premium payment directly to The American Worker every time a deduction is not taken from your paycheck.
Making up missed premium payments allows you to maintain coverage when you do not have any deductions or only have deductions for some of your benefits. You have four weeks from the date your paycheck has no deduction to make a payment. If you do not pay for a missed deduction within four weeks, you will not be able to pay for it at a later date, and you will not have coverage.
For example, if you are enrolled in Dental and Vision and receive a paycheck with only a Dental deduction (and no Vision deduction), you will have Dental coverage for the week in which the deduction was taken. However, your Vision coverage will be suspended for the week in which the deduction was NOT taken. If you want Vision coverage for that week, you must pay your Vision premium directly to The American Worker within four weeks of the date you received the paycheck without a Vision deduction.
Missed Deductions:
- You can pay for missed deductions online, by phone or by mail using an electronic or personal check, credit or debit card or money order.
- You can make a one-time payment or set up automatic payments that will be processed when a benefit deduction is not taken from your paycheck.
If you previously set up automatic payments, you are responsible for contacting The American Worker to discontinue this arrangement. If you do not, your account will continue to be charged (for up to four weeks) and you will not receive a refund.
If you have NO payroll deductions for four consecutive weeks, your coverage will be automatically terminated back to the end of the last benefit period (Sunday) for which a premium was paid.
For the High-Deductible Medical Plan, Kaiser Hawaii and HMSA ONLY:
Coverage is provided monthly from the first through the last day of the month; however, deductions are taken weekly.
To prevent a lapse in coverage, you can make up to four direct payments to Robert Half while not on assignment. If you receive a paycheck without a deduction, you are required to make a missed premium payment. To learn how, contact Robert Half at 1.855.744.6947 or benefits@roberthalf.com.
Benefits Reinstatement
If you stop working for Robert Half, your benefits coverage will end as stated in the “When Coverage Ends” section. If you start working for Robert Half again after four weeks, a new enrollment window will be opened for you and you will be able to elect coverage as if you were a new hire.
COBRA Continuation Coverage
The Preventive Care Plus Plan, High-Deductible Medical Plan, Group Hospital Indemnity Plans, Dental, Vision, Kaiser Hawaii and HMSA coverage are subject to federal COBRA continuation requirements. In general, this allows you to continue your insurance under the group policy for 18 months after you cease to be an active contract professional (i.e., four weeks after the end of your most recent job assignment). If your dependent would lose coverage due to your death or divorce, or because he or she reaches the eligible dependent age limit, his or her coverage may be continued for up to 36 months.
If you haven’t been paid by Robert Half for a period of four consecutive weeks, your coverage will be terminated, and you will be offered COBRA continuation, retroactive to the last day for which your premium has been paid. For information about COBRA continuation, contact The American Worker at 1.855.495.1192.