State Insurance Benefit Plans

The information on this page is meant to be an easy reference and summary of plans.

For additional information on any of the plans, please visit the South Carolina PEBA Insurance Benefits website. 

PEBA has added an informative "Navigating Your Benefits" section.

General Information

Detailed information and rates about plans covered by PEBA Insurance can be found in the Insurance Benefits Guide. 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Employees: Permanent, full-time faculty and staff employees who work at least 30 hours a week are eligible for insurance benefits.
  • Eligible spouse: An eligible spouse is defined as a spouse by South Carolina law. *Documentation will be required. If a spouse is eligible for coverage as an employee of any participating South Carolina state covered entity, they may not be covered as a spouse under any plan.
  • Eligible Children: You may cover your child younger than age 26. The child must be the subscriber’s natural child, adopted child, (including child placed for legal adoption), step-child, foster child, or a child for whom the subscriber has legal custody. *Documentation will be required.
    • If you and your spouse are both eligible for coverage, only one of you can cover your children under any one plan.  However, one parent can cover the children under health, and the other can cover the children under dental.
    • For Children age 19 and older, according to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, a child age 19-25 does not need to be certified as a full-time student or an incapacitate child to be covered under his parent’s health, dental or vision insurance. This includes a child who is eligible for state coverage on his own because he works for an employer that participates in PEBA Insurance Benefits.  However, if the child is covered under his parent’s insurance he is only eligible for benefits offered to children.
    • Note: For Dependent Life Child coverage, a child between age 19-24 must be certified as a full-time student or certified by EIP as an incapacitated child.
    • Required Documentation for dependent coverage

Effective Dates

Coverage begins on the first day of the month the employee commences active employment if the employee commences active employment on the first working day of the month. Otherwise, coverage commences on the first day of the following month.

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA)

If you lose health, dental and/or vision coverage due to termination of employment or reduction in hours, or your dependents are no longer eligible for coverage, coverage for you and/or your dependents may be continued under COBRA. A spouse or dependent of an active or retired employee may continue coverage if the termination of coverage falls within COBRA guidelines. You will receive information on COBRA when you initially enroll in a health, dental, and/or vision plan.

Enrollment Changes

Eligible employees have 31 days from your date of hire to enroll yourself and eligible dependents in the College's insurance plans. After 31 days from your hire date, you may make changes only on the following occasions:

  • Qualified Events: You may make certain changes throughout the year within 31 days of a qualified event. Qualified events include: marriage, birth, adoption or placement, loss of group health plan coverage, divorce/legal separation, death of the covered employee, loss of dependent's eligibility for coverage, etc. Documentation is required for certain events.
Open Enrollment:
Open Enrollment is offered every October at which point you may:
  • Change health plans
  • Add or drop health plan coverage for yourself and for eligible spouse and/or children
  • Eligible members of the military community may add or drop TRICARE Supplemental Plan coverage for themselves and for their eligible dependents
  • Add or drop State Vision Plan coverage for yourself and for eligible spouse and/or children
  • Add or drop State Dental Plan and Dental Plus coverage ONLY DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT IN OCTOBER OF ODD-NUMBERED YEARS, or within 31 days of a special eligibility situation.

Changes made during Open Enrollment are effective January 1 of the following year.

Health, Dental, Vision, and Other Insurance

Here you will information regarding insurance offerings through PEBA. These offerings included health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, long - term disability insurance, and other insurance that may be payroll deducted. In addition you will information on other offerings such as MoneyPlu$ and patient center medical home.