SEB Board approves eligibility resolutions

On April 6, 2023, the School Employees Benefits Board (SEB Board) met. Members attended in person at the Health Care Authority (HCA) building in Olympia and remotely. The meeting was open to the public both in person and via Zoom.

Meeting recap

Highlights are listed below. See the briefing book for all presentation materials.

The Board approved the following resolutions:

  • 2023-01 — SEBB continuation coverage eligibility for non-represented Educational Service District (ESD) school employees not eligible for benefits under the SEBB Program: A non-represented Educational Service District’s school employee and their dependents who are enrolled in medical, dental, or vision under a group plan offered by a SEBB Organization on December 31, 2023, who lose eligibility because the school employee is not eligible under the SEBB Program, may elect to continue existing enrollment in one or more of the following SEBB benefits: medical, dental, or vision coverage. These benefits will be provided for a maximum of 18 months on a self-pay basis.
  • 2023-02 — SEBB continuation coverage for dependents not eligible under the SEBB Program: A dependent of a SEBB-eligible non-represented school employee of an Educational Service District who is enrolled in medical, dental, or vision under a school employee’s account on December 31, 2023, who loses eligibility because they are not an eligible dependent under the SEBB Program may continue existing enrollment for a maximum of 36 months on a self-pay basis.
  • 2023-03 — SEBB continuation coverage for a non-represented school employee’s dependent who is already on an ESD’s continuation coverage: A dependent of a non-represented school employee who is continuing medical, dental, or vision coverage through an Educational Service District on December 31, 2023, may elect to continue existing enrollment to finish out their remaining months authorized by COBRA for a similar event, by enrolling in a medical, dental, or vision plan offered through the SEBB Program on a self-pay basis.
  • 2023-04 — When a subscriber has a change in residence or employment location that affects medical plan availability: After a change in residence or employment location, the subscriber must elect a new medical plan if a subscriber’s current medical plan is no longer available based on either residence or employment location. If they do not elect a new medical plan within the time period allowed by special open enrollment rules, the subscriber will be enrolled in a SEBB medical plan as designated by the director or designee.

Minutes from March 2022 through March 2023 were approved. Staff explained a new strategy about providing access to information about what happened during meetings. Going forward, audio recordings will be posted on the SEB Board Meetings and materials webpage. The recording should typically be posted within a week after the meeting. Meeting minutes will be transitioned to a brief summary format and presented at the following meeting. This is in keeping with state laws and practice. 

HCA staff provided presentations on the following:

  • Follow up on a question asked at the March board meeting about measuring customer satisfaction with Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) pharmacy services
  • SEBB Program financial overview
  • The legislative-proposed SEBB Program budget
  • The 2023 legislative session and several bills that passed fully already, including:
    • SB 5421, which creates a public records act exemption for enrollment information collected by the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and SEBB Programs.
    • SB 5490, which allows certain retirees to have a second chance to apply for PEBB retiree coverage if they were denied and appealed their application for enrollment by December 31, 2022.
    • SB 5275, which allows some employer groups to join the SEBB Program.
  • Update on the annual rulemaking
  • Washington Wellness program and SmartHealth participation
  • The procurement process, including procurement for a flexible spending arrangement (FSA) and Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) vendor for 2024, as well as progress on implementation of WebMD as the SmartHealth vendor for 2024

Next meeting

The next public meeting of the SEB Board is scheduled for May 4, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Board members and the public may attend in person (masks are recommended) or virtually via Zoom. A link or call-in number for virtual attendance will be noted on the meeting agenda and posted on the SEB Board Meetings and materials webpage.