Haw. Code R. § 4.09 - Continuation of Coverage

Subject to applicable federal and state law, coverage under the benefit plans offered or sponsored by the Fund shall continue:

(a) Provided the employee-beneficiary meets the eligibility provisions of Rule 3.01 and pays the employee-beneficiary's premium contribution as provided by statute, the employer's administrative rules, or an applicable bargaining unit agreement.

(b) While the employee-beneficiary participates in an employee strike authorized by chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes, provided that nothing in this rule shall limit the right or ability of the Fund to collect premium contributions from any public employer or employee-beneficiaries or the remedies available to the Fund to collect such premium contributions.

(c) When an employee terminates employment and is rehired by the same public employer within the same pay period or the next consecutive pay period, the employee shall be considered as having transferred employment, such as when the employee terminates employment with the state and is rehired with the state, or when the employee terminates employment with a county and is rehired by the same county. The employee shall be treated as if continuously enrolled in the Fund benefit plans in which the employee was enrolled at the time of termination and shall be required to pay the full cost of coverage to the extent that such is not paid by the employee's public employer. When an employee terminates employment and is rehired by a different public employer within the same pay period or the next consecutive pay period, such as when the employee terminates employment with the state and is hired by a county or terminates one county and is rehired by a different county, the employee shall be allowed to change between plans, including adding or dropping dependents and changing tiers. Notwithstanding the definitions of "employer" and "public employer" set forth and used in these rules, for purposes of this section only, the different public employers are:

1) State, including executive, legislative, and judicial branches, Department of Education, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all Charter Schools;

2) City and County of Honolulu;

3) County of Hawaii;

4) County of Maui, and

5) County of Kauai. Changes shall become effective at the beginning of the next pay period in which the termination of employment occurred, without a break in coverage.

Notes

Haw. Code R. § 4.09

Eff 8/13/2016 Eff 10/18/2019 Am 12/1/2023 Am 10/10/2024