.png){kind=logo}
What is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE)?
Who should read this article?
League members who experience a life change.
A Qualifying Life Event (QLE) is a change in your life that makes you eligible to add or remove dependents from your benefits plan or make new plan selections, outside of the regular Open Enrollment period.
If you experience a QLE, you have a certain number of days to let League or your insurance carrier know. The number of days depends on your employer and benefits plan, but is usually 30 or 31 days. For example, if you have a baby on June 1st and your benefits plan gives you 31 days to report a QLE, you should tell League or your insurance carrier about the event by July 1st or your carrier may ask you to submit Evidence of Insurability (EOI) before they approve adding the dependent to your benefits plan.
Tip: Learn how to report your QLE.
The most common types of QLEs are:
Changes in household
If you:
Have a baby
Adopt a child
Get married
Enter into a common-law relationship (but only if your relationship recently became common-law)
Enter into a Domestic Partnership
Become separated from your partner
Get divorced
Terminate a Domestic Partnership
Turn 65
A note on common-law partners and QLEs:
If you want to add a common-law partner to your benefits plan, your insurance carrier ultimately decides how long you need to have been living together before they consider your relationship common-law. You can find your carrier's definition of “common-law” in your Full Coverage Booklet to see if you meet their requirements.
If you just want to add a common-law partner to your League Health Spending Account (HSA), you need to meet the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) definition of "common-law".
Changes for your dependent(s)
If your dependent:
Loses benefits coverage (for example, if they lose their coverage through their own employer and now need coverage under your benefits plan)
Gains benefits coverage (for example, if they get a job and get their own benefits coverage, so they no longer need coverage under your benefits plan)
Changes their student status (if they’re no longer a student or become a student)
Becomes disabled (this life change is only considered a QLE for certain benefits plans)
Passes away leading to a change in family status (for example, if this causes you to move from family to single status)
Changes in residence
If you:
Change your province of residence to or from Quebec
Tip: Learn how to report your QLE.
Did you experience a life change but aren’t sure if it’s a QLE? Contact our Customer Care team through Chat or email us at help@league.com.