Office of Student Life
Student Health Insurance

Qualifying Events

Qualifying Events for the Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP)

What is a Qualifying Event?

A Qualifying Event (sometimes called a Life Event) is a life change that may allow you to update your enrollment in the Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) outside of the academic year enrollment (Select/Waive) period. For example: marriage, the birth of a child, aging off your parents’ plan, involuntary loss of employment coverage, getting a new job that qualifies you for employer health insurance. You have 31 days from the date of the qualifying event to make this change.

Please note:  The following are NOT Qualifying Events for the SHBP:

  • An "Open Enrollment" period for an insurance policy. Newly selecting employer coverage or marketplace coverage during an Open Enrollment period is not a Qualifying Event. 

  • The loss of a university subsidy or a change in personal financial circumstance. 

  • Purchasing other health insurance after the Select/Waive deadline of your first term in an academic year. 

  • If you are not currently enrolled in the SHBP, a new dependent is not a Qualifying Event

How to request a Qualifying Event:

Submit a Qualifying Event Form, including the needed documentation within 31 days of the date of the Qualifying Event (late submissions will not be processed).  If you are unsure what date is your Qualifying Event date, please contact us ahead of time to clarify so you may plan accordingly and not miss your deadline.

Please read the below information to better understand your options.

Request to ADD SHBP Coverage and have the SHBP fee posted to your university statement of account if you currently have a Waiver, and when you experience an involuntary loss of coverage.       

Age Limit - You Age off Other Coverage

Documentation required: Letter from insurance company indicating age limit reached and coverage loss date.

Job Loss – Involuntary Loss of Coverage

Documentation required: Letter / documentation from employer or insurance company with termination date.

Divorce - Involuntary Loss of Coverage

Documentation required: Divorce Certificate. Letter / documentation from employer or insurance company with termination date.

Other Involuntary Loss of Coverage

Documentation required: Letter / documentation from insurance company with termination date.


Request to ADD Dependents to your existing SHBP Coverage and have the SHBP fee posted to your university statement of account when:

Newborn or Newly Adopted Child

Documentation required: Hospital document with date of birth; Adoption document with date of placement.

New Spouse

Documentation required: Marriage Certificate

New Domestic Partner

Documentation required: Certificate from City of Columbus Domestic Partner Registry.

Newly Arrived Dependent(s) from their Foreign Homeland

Documentation required:  Most Recent I-94 AND Travel History.

New Responsibility to Insure my Dependent(s)

Documentation required: Legal document with date and specification of requirement.


Requests to TERMINATE SHBP Coverage for you and/or your dependent(s).

Please Note: Termination will begin at the start of the next coverage period, not during the period containing the Qualifying Event. No fee refunds will be issued for the coverage period containing your Qualifying Event.

If your Qualifying Event occurs during the autumn coverage period (August 13, 2024 – December 31, 2024), you will remain covered under Student Health Benefits Plan until December 31, 2024 - the end of autumn coverage period. Your coverage for the spring/summer 2025 coverage period will be cancelled and you will not be billed.

If your Qualifying Event occurs during the spring/summer coverage period (January 1, 2025 – August 18, 2025), you will remain covered under Student Health Benefits Plan until August 18, 2025 - the end of spring/summer coverage period. Your next opportunity to modify your coverage level under the Student Health Benefits Plan will be by completing the 2025-26 Select Waive process in Buckeye Link. The deadline to complete that process is August 19, 2025.

I / My Family has a New Job / Position with New Eligibility for Enrollment in Employer Health Insurance (let your employer know that you are currently covered under the SHBP)

Documentation required: Letter from employer specifying new job/position, start date and new eligibility for coverage. Evidence of your new coverage (Member ID Card, or insurance company document showing member ID or effective date). REMEMBER, waiting to enroll in your employer’s health insurance during open enrollment is NOT a qualifying event.

Marriage: New Eligibility for Health Insurance Through my New Spouse

Documentation required: Marriage Certificate. Evidence of your new coverage (Member ID Card, or insurance company document showing member ID or effective date). REMEMBER, waiting to enroll in employer health insurance during open enrollment is NOT a qualifying event.

Domestic Partnership: New Eligibility for Health Insurance Through my New Domestic Partner 

Documentation required: Evidence of Domestic Partner Qualifying Event. New coverage (Member ID Card, or insurance company document showing member ID or effective date). REMEMBER, waiting to enroll in employer health insurance during open enrollment is NOT a qualifying event.

Dependent(s) Returning to Foreign Homeland

Documentation required: Most Recent I-94 AND Travel History

Divorce – Need to Remove Dependent(s)

Documentation required: Divorce Certificate.

Termination of Domestic Partnership – Remove Dependent(s)

Documentation required: City of Columbus Domestic Partnership Registry Notice of Termination of Domestic Partner form.

Retroactive Medicaid Eligibility (you must have applied for Medicaid PRIOR to your first select/waive deadline of the academic year)

Documentation required: Medicaid Notice of Action document. Medicaid member portal eligibility screenshot. The screenshot must show your member ID and effective date of coverage.

IF the SHBP has not paid claims for the student and/or dependents, termination will be granted retroactively to the start of the initial coverage period.

IF the SHBP paid claims for the student and/or dependent(s), termination will be approved for the next(subsequent) coverage period to the student’s initial coverage period.

Please contact the Student Health Insurance office if you have any questions. shi_info@osu.edu  614-688-7979