December 2025

Temporary Benefits Department Location: Due to construction, the Benefits Department will temporarily relocated to the former Overbrook Child Development Center at 111 Laurens Road in Greenville, 29607 after Winter Break. You will not be able to access in-person Benefits services at the Central Office during this time. Please plan accordingly, and we look forward to seeing you at 111 Laurens Road. If you are planning to visit the Benefits Department, please call us at 864-355-0960 before visiting to ensure you come to the correct location.

Special Eligibility Situations

Special Eligibility Situations Quick Reference

The quick reference describes changes subscribers can make when a special eligibility situation occurs. Unless otherwise noted, all changes must be made within 31 days of the event.

Marriage

If you, as a covered subscriber, wish to add a spouse because you marry, you can do so the following ways:

Employee initiated through MyBenefits

To add your spouse to your State insurance coverage, you may go to “MyBenefits” on the PEBA website. There is also an instructional flyer for the MyBenefits website. If you have any issues accessing the website please contact PEBA at 1-888-260-9430.

Employer initiated by Notice of Election (NOE)
Employer initiated through EBS

You must add your spouse within 31 days of the date of your marriage. Failure to do so may result in you not being able to add your spouse until the next Open Enrollment period or within 31 days of another special eligibility situation.

You will need to provide a copy of your marriage license and page 1 of your most recent year federal tax return. Additionally, we will need your spouse’s SSN. If any children will be added to your coverage, you will need to provide the child’s long form birth certificate. We will also need the child(ren)’s SSN.

You may enroll yourself, your spouse and eligible children/stepchildren in the State Health, Dental, Dental Plus and/or Vision Plan(s). If you are already enrolled in health, you may change plans if you are adding your spouse or stepchild to health. You may also enroll in or increase State Optional Life (up to $50,000 without evidence of insurability; more than $50,000 with evidence of insurability), enroll in State Dependent Life-Child, enroll in District Dependent Life (must be done through District Office, not online) and/or enroll in State Dependent Life-Spouse ($10,000 or $20,000 without evidence of insurability; more than $20,000 with evidence of insurability). This Special Eligibility Situation will also allow you to make related changes to your Flexible Spending Account(s).

Legal Separation

Separation is not recognized as a legal status in South Carolina, and therefore is not a special eligibly situation in which a subscriber can make changes to their coverage. If the subscriber has a court order from a jurisdiction that recognizes legal separation as a legal status, PEBA will honor that order and allow the subscriber to drop coverage as a result of a special eligibly situation. It’s important to note, however, that in these cases, reconciliation is not a special eligibly situation.

Divorce

If you, as a covered subscriber, wish to drop a former spouse because of divorce, you can do so the following ways:

Employee initiated through MyBenefits

To drop your spouse from your State insurance coverage, you may go to “MyBenefits” on the PEBA website. There is also an instructional flyer for the MyBenefits website. If you have any issues accessing the website please contact PEBA at 1-888-260-9430.

Employer initiated by Notice of Election (NOE)
Employer initiated through EBS

If you divorce, your former spouse and former stepchildren are no longer eligible for coverage on your policy. Once the divorce is final, you must drop your former spouse and stepchildren from all benefits. You will need to provide a copy of the entire divorce decree. The effective date is the first of the month after the divorce becomes final, except for dependent life coverage which ends the date of the divorce. If you fail to drop your former spouse/stepchildren within 31 days of the divorce, the effective date will be the first of the month after the request is made. This Special Eligibility Situation will also allow you to enroll in or increase State Optional Life - up to $50,000 without evidence of insurability, cancel or decrease State Optional Life and/or make related changes to your Flexible Spending Account(s).

Adding Children

Eligible children must be added to coverage within 31 days of the special eligibility event. Otherwise, they may be added during the next open enrollment period or within 31 days of another special eligibility situation.

Qualifying special eligibility situations include marriage, birth, adoption/placement for adoption, placement of a foster child, gaining of legal custody, other court order or loss of other coverage.

PEBA requires all employees adding dependents to provide documentation that verifies the dependent is eligible for coverage. The most common documentation required for enrollment is a marriage license for a spouse or a long form birth certificate for a child(ren). For complete information contact the Benefits Department at benefits@greenville.k12.sc.us or PEBA at 1-888-260-9430.

Notice of HIPAA Special Enrollment Rights. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) requires PEBA Insurance Benefits to notify you of a very important provision in its health insurance plan. You have the right to enroll in PEBA Insurance Benefits’ health insurance plans under its “special enrollment provision” if you acquire a new dependent or if you decline coverage under PEBA Insurance Benefits’ health insurance plans for yourself or an eligible dependent while other coverage is in effect and later lose that other coverage for certain qualifying reasons. View/Download HIPAA notification.

Beneficiary Changes

You should review your beneficiaries anytime you have a special eligibility situation. Please take the time to review any Retirement, Trustmark and/or Life Insurance beneficiaries you may have with Greenville County Schools and other entities.

PEBA (State Life Insurance and Retirement) - 1-888-260-9430 or www.peba.sc.gov
Deferred Compensation 401(k) or 457(b) - 1-877-457-6263
403(b) TSA Consulting - 1-888-796-3786
Trustmark - 1-800-673-6472
District Life Insurance Policies - 864-355-0960 or benefits@greenville.k12.sc.us

Appeals

If you are dissatisfied after an eligibility determination has been made, you may ask PEBA Insurance Benefits to review the decision.

If you are an employee, a Request for Review should be submitted through your benefits office. Your Benefits Administrator will use the Request for Review form, which is available online at the PEBA Insurance Benefits website.
If the request for review is denied and you disagree with PEBA’s decision, you may appeal by writing to PEBA within 90 days of the denied request. You should explain why you are appealing, attach any additional information and supporting documents and include a copy of the denied Request for Review form (which you will receive from the Benefits Department). If the request for review was denied because of lack of documentation, you should include the previously missing documentation. A benefits administrator, employer or healthcare provider may not appeal to PEBA on your behalf. Only you, your authorized representative or a licensed attorney admitted to practice in South Carolina may initiate an appeal through PEBA. A benefits administrator, employer or healthcare provider may not be an authorized representative. In most cases, the appeal should be sent to IAD@peba.sc.gov or:
- S.C. PEBA
- Attn: Insurance Appeals Division
- 202 Arbor Lake Drive
- Columbia, SC 29223

If the appeal is urgent and relates to a pregnancy, newborn child or the preauthorization of a lifesaving treatment or drug, the subscriber may send the appeal to urgentappeals@peba.sc.gov .

PEBA will review your request and make every effort to process your appeal within 180 days of the date all of the appeal information is received. However, this time may be extended if additional material is requested or if you ask for an extension. PEBA will send you periodic updates on the status of the review. Once PEBA’s review of the appeal is complete, the subscriber will receive a written determination in the mail. If the appeal is approved, PEBA notify you and the benefits department of any other needed documentation. If the appeal is denied, PEBA will send you a detailed decision letter explaining the reason(s) for denial. You will then have 30 days to seek judicial review at the Administrative Law Court, as provided by Section 1-11-710 and 1- 23-380 of the S.C. Code of Laws, as amended.

Disclaimer: The information on this webpage is intended to be a general summary of information. It is not intended to take the place of written law, regulations or actual documents that govern District and/or PEBA programs. Please note only PEBA can determine eligibility for retiree insurance or other benefits.

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