2024 OVERVIEW
Benefit Guide – this attachment gives detailed information about all of our benefit offerings
Eligbility
Annually during open enrollment, you have the opportunity to choose the benefits that match the needs of you and your family. Your elections are effective on January 1, 2024 through the remainder of that calendar year. Your elections remain in effect for the entire period unless you experience a Qualifying Life Event or your eligibility for the plan changes. If you are a new hire or have a qualified life event, most of your benefits are effective on the first of the month following your date of hire or qualified life event.
Do you qualify for benefits? Click here to see.
EMPLOYEES
If you are regularly scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week, you are eligible for Southwest healthcare benefits. Please refer to the chart on the previous page 2 for specific eligibility.
If you and your spouse are both employees of Southwest, each employee may only be covered by one Southwest plan in each benefits category.
Remember, if you experience a Qualified Life Event that impacts your benefits, you must submit the completed Benefit Change form within 30 days of the Event or you will not be able to change your benefits until the next Annual Enrollment period.
DEPENDENTS
Your family’s needs matter to us. When you enroll in Southwest benefits, you may also include coverage for eligible dependents including:
- Your legal spouse
- Your children, until the end of the month in which they turn age 26
- Legally adopted children or children for whom you are the legal guardian, until the end of the month in which they turn age 26
- Disabled children older than age 26, if they rely on you for financial support and are designated as disabled by Social Security.
If you and your spouse are employees of Southwest and are both eligible for coverage under our plans, only one of you may cover any eligible children as dependents.
Qualified Life Events
Life doesn’t always follow a predictable path. When certain events occur, you can make changes to your Southwest benefits. These Qualified Life Events include:
- Marriage
- Divorce or legal separation
- Birth of your child
- Death of your spouse
- Adoption of or placement for adoption of your child
- Change in employment status of employee, spouse or dependent child
- Qualification by the Plan Administrator of a child support order for medical coverage
- Medicare or Medicaid Eligibility
If you need to change your benefits because of one or more of these events:
- Request a Benefits Change form from Human Resources
- Return the completed form to Human Resources within 30 days of the event
- In some instances, additional documentation will be required.
Spousal Surcharge
If your spouse is eligible for medical coverage through his or her employer and you elect to cover him or her under a Southwest medical plan, a $225 monthly spousal surcharge will be added to your monthly medical benefits cost. If you and your spouse are both Southwest employees, each employee may only be covered by one Southwest medical plan and the spousal surcharge will not apply. If a spouse’s medical eligibility changes throughout the year, you must notify Human Resources within 30 days of the event.
