You may enroll in an early retiree medical and prescription drug plan option when you are first eligible, during open enrollment or if you have a qualifying change in family status.

To participate in an early retiree plan, you must complete and return a Benefits Enrollment Form to the Trust Office. Benefit Enrollment Forms are available from the Trust Office or from the Trust web site at www.sdtrust.com.

Even if you plan to defer enrolling in a Trust early retiree medical plan option, you should notify the Trust Office of your decision to defer enrollment before your active employee coverage through the Trust ends.

If you are eligible for a District contribution for retiree medical coverage and do not elect a medical plan option within 60 days of the effective date of your retirement, your enrollment will automatically be deferred (subject to retiree sunset rules) until the first of the month after you have returned a completed enrollment form to the Trust Office.

If you are not eligible for a District contribution for retiree medical coverage, you must submit your Benefits Enrollment Form within 60 days of the effective date of your retirement; otherwise, you will forfeit your right to self-pay for retiree coverage through the Trust.

If you defer enrollment and decline enrollment for yourself and/or your eligible dependents because you have other health insurance coverage, you may enroll yourself and/or your dependents if your or your dependents' other coverage ends. To enroll, you must complete and submit a Benefits Enrollment Form to the Trust Office. To activate coverage more than 60 days after the effective date of your retirement, you must show that you and any dependents had creditable coverage from another health plan from the date of your retirement.

The Trust holds an open enrollment period each fall. During this period, you have the opportunity to change your benefit elections for medical and prescription drug coverage and add or drop dependent coverage. The elections you make during the annual open enrollment period take effect February 1, 2016 and continue through December 31, 2016. Thereafter, elections will take effect January 1 and continue through December 31.

Under the Trust early retiree voluntary dental and vision coverages, you cannot change your coverage once it has been elected. See "Enrolling for Voluntary Dental and Vision Coverage" for more information.

Certain changes in your family or employment status qualify you to make midyear benefit changes. A "qualifying status change" occurs when you:

When you experience any of these qualifying status changes, you may make related enrollment changes. To make changes, submit a Benefits Enrollment Form to the Trust Office.