To LBCC Part-time Faculty Employees:

OPEN ENROLLMENT for PART-TIME FACULTY HEALTH INSURANCE begins on Sept 1, 2026 and runs through October 15, 2026.

During Open Enrollment, part-time faculty who meet specific eligibility requirements of Oregon House Bill 2611, which amends the 2021 Oregon Senate SB551, may enroll in group medical/Rx, dental, and vision coverage for the plan year beginning October 1, 2026. Eligibility under HB 2611 provides coverage for the employee only and does not include options for dependent coverage.

Part-time faculty who are currently covered on a medical, dental, and vision plan, and who remain eligible under provisions of HB2611, may change their plan selections. (please see step 4)

The Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB) provides several plan options for LBCC staff to choose from.

ELIGIBILITY

To qualify for coverage on the employer’s group medical plans you must meet all following criteria:

1) You must be actively working for the Home Institution (see Step 1 below) during the academic term of which you are applying for benefits. For example, if you are designating Linn-Benton Community College as your Home Institution, you need to be actively working for LBCC during the Fall term of the 2026-27 academic year.

2) Based upon your Home Institution’s established workload calculation, you must be eligible for membership in the Public Employees Retirement System or another plan authorized under ORS chapter 238 or 238A by teaching [working at a level equal to at least half of a full-time equivalent employee determined as an average] either at a single public institution of higher education or in aggregate at multiple public institutions of higher education during the previous academic year [at least three of the four previous academic terms].

3) Once initial eligibility is confirmed and enrollment is processed, eligibility for coverage will be continued through the current plan year.

4) Enrolled employees must re-qualify each year in order to continue their  coverage on their Home Institution's plans. If eligibility on the home institution's plan ends, you may potentially qualify for coverage on a different college’s plan provided you are currently working for them, meet eligibility requirements, and comply with all eligibility and enrollment protocols.

To enroll in LBCC’s group health coverage for the 2026-27 plan year, or if you are still eligible, to re-enroll and/or change your plan selections, please read and follow the information and instructions below.

STEP 1 – CONFIRM ELIGIBILITY and DESIGNATE YOUR HOME INSTITUTION

Currently employed, part-time faculty who meet all qualifications for coverage may select either LBCC or another Oregon public institution of higher education where they are currently employed to designate as their “Home Institution.” Qualified part-time faculty may then apply for coverage under group medical plans offered by their designated home institution. It’s important to note that your Home Institution need not be the institution at which you teach the majority of your workload credits or hours. Because medical/Rx, dental, and vision plan choices, as well as the premium costs, will vary from employer to employer, you may choose the qualifying Home Institution whose plan selections best meet your individual needs.

STEP 2 - ENROLLMENT

If you meet the above criteria and wish to designate Linn-Benton Community College as your Home Institution you must do the following:

1) Complete the attached Part-time Faculty Designation of Home Institution and Attestation of Eligibility (select link and download the document) and submit it to Human Resources no later than October 15, 2026. HR will verify your eligibility and notify you of those results as soon as possible.

2) Review the college’s group medical, dental, and vision plan choices which are available through OEBB at OHA-Oregon Educators Benefit Board or a quick overview with OEBB Benefit Summary. (You can schedule a meeting with Diana Ward, Benefits Coordinator to go over all the details of the plans. There are some increases on Medical deductibles.)

You may review the pre-tax monthly employee contributions (premium rates) for the plans you choose by clicking on the following link: 2026-2027 Part-time Faculty Insurance Rates. 

3) Once you are notified from HR that you qualify, select the Medical/Rx, dental, and vision plan(s) that you wish to enroll in and complete a  SB 551 Member Enrollment Form. This must be sent to Human Resources no later than October 15, 2026. 

**Once Human Resources has confirmed your eligibility and processed your enrollment, your portion of the medical insurance premium will be set up for a pretax payroll deduction. The college contributes 90% of the premium cost for each eligible employee, and employees must pay 10% of the total monthly rate for the medical/Rx, dental, and vision plan(s) they select. Per OEBB administrative rules, persons currently eligible for OEBB or PEBB coverage as a subscriber or dependent are not eligible for SB 551 or HB2611 coverage.**

LENGTH OF COVERAGE

Initial coverage begins October 1, 2026, and continues through September 30, 2027. Continuation of eligibility beyond this date will be evaluated on an annual basis and is dependent on your continued eligibility and fulfillment of the required process(es) during LBCC’s Open Enrollment period. If the employee is no longer eligible for coverage on the home institution’s group plans, i.e., the employee no longer meets the eligibility for PERS described in Section 1 of this document, Human Resources will provide notification to the employee of the date their coverage will end, and notification of applicable options for continuation of coverage (change of home institution, COBRA, etc.).

CONTINUATION OF COVERAGE

Part-time faculty who are not scheduled to work at their home institution during a term within their eligibility period may continue their coverage by self-payment of their monthly medical, dental, and vision premiums, paid each month to their Home Institution. Self-pay of group health premiums can be made by check, credit/debit card, or by setting up an automatic bill payment from the employees’ bank account.

Part-time faculty who are not scheduled to work at any institution and no longer qualify for coverage under HB2611 are eligible to continue coverage under the provisions of COBRA (Consolidated Budget Reconciliation Act) when elected within 60 days from the date their coverage ends.

A QSC (Qualified Status Change), such as a Change in Employment, may give part-time faculty who are currently covered the opportunity to choose a new Home Institution and enroll in coverage under the new employers’ plans (subject to continued eligibility under HB2611).

COVERAGE ENDS

Eligibility for medical coverage under HB2611 ends when:
1) The employee separates from employment. Please note, separation of employment is different from simply not working or teaching during intermittent terms. If a part-time faculty is active but unassigned to teach/work in a given term, the employee remains eligible for benefits with the home institution through the end of the applicable qualifying period.

2) Failure to pay the employee premium through “Self-pay” premiums within 30 days of the premium due date.

If you have questions about this notice or would like to schedule an individual meeting, please contact me directly or contact a Human Resources representative listed below.

Please contact HR Representatives for additional assistance as needed:

Sandra LeHoullier, HRIS Specialist

Attestation Documents and Eligibility Confirmation

Phone (541) 917-4429

lehouls@linnbenton.edu

Diana Ward, Benefits Coordinator

Enrollment Applications and Processing

Phone: (541) 917-4424

wardd@linnbenton.edu

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Whitney Brown

Manager, Human Resources

Phone: (541) 917-4431

brownw@linnbenton.edu

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Diana Ward

Benefits Coordinator, Human Resources

Linn-Benton Community College

6500 Pacific Blvd. SW

Albany, OR 97321

Phone: 541-917-4424

Room Willamette Hall WH-210

www.linnbenton.edu

[BENEFITS-LEAVES-WORKERS COMPENSATION HR LINK]