Some special considerations may apply to your HPE benefits under the following circumstances. Follow these links to learn more.
If you leave under a severance or workforce reduction program, your benefits are generally affected the same as if you leave for any other reason. Most benefits continue normally until your termination date. However, the following special provisions and considerations apply:
- Retiree medical “bridging”: You may be eligible for a special retiree “bridging” provision, under which you can qualify for retiree medical coverage if your termination date falls within one year of meeting the normal eligibility requirements of a retiree medical program for which you could have become eligible had you continued to work at HPE. Eligibility for bridging requires that you comply with all terms of the applicable severance program.
Tip for your action plan: If you qualify for retiree medical bridging, you can answer the age and service questions as if you already have sufficient age and service to qualify. This way, your retiree medical program will be part of your action plan.
- Payment of retirement benefits: Payment of benefits under HPE retirement programs can’t commence until after your termination date, unless you meet certain requirements described in the SPD.
- Equity programs: Special vesting provisions will apply to restricted stock units (RSUs), and special exercise provisions will apply to vested stock options or stock appreciation rights (SARs), depending on your circumstances. For more information, see the workforce reduction program website.
If you have questions about any of the special provisions or considerations that may apply, contact the applicable program resource listed in the HPE benefit resources and phone numbers (PDF). If you have questions about the severance program material or process, contact the HPE Workforce Management Administration at hr_global_services_usa_wfm@hpe.com.
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If you’re working at HPE after having previously retired, your retiree status will be restored when you leave again, and you’ll be eligible to participate in the same retiree medical program for which you qualified previously (subject to any changes in coverage options or costs that may have occurred during your period of re-employment). This means that the retiree medical program displayed for you using the Action Planner may differ from the program for which you’re actually eligible. For information and action steps related to your specific retiree medical program, click on the applicable link below. If you have questions or are a rehired Compaq or EDS retiree, contact the HPE Benefits Center for assistance.
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If your employment is terminated while you’re receiving benefits under the HPE Disability Plan, special provisions may apply to your HPE health and life insurance benefits. Because these special provisions may not be reflected in your action plan, please review the information below.
- Health benefit continuation for you: You can continue participation in HPE medical, dental, and vision benefits at active team member rates, for as long as you continue to qualify for and receive income benefits under the HPE Disability Plan (as determined by Matrix, our Short-Term Disability administrator, or Reliance Standard, our Long-Term Disability administrator). Your current coverage will automatically continue, but you must continue to pay your share of coverage costs by paying monthly invoices from the HPE Benefits Center. Failure to make payment by the due date will cause your coverage to be permanently dropped for nonpayment, with only a one-time, 90-day grace period available to request that coverage be reinstated.
- Health benefit continuation for your dependents: You can also continue or elect health coverage for your eligible dependents, but only if you had enrolled in the Long-Term Disability (LTD) Dependent Health Continuation program before your disability began. If you hadn’t enrolled in the LTD Dependent Health Continuation program, your covered dependents will only be able to continue coverage through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 (if they aren’t eligible for Medicare).
- Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance: You can continue your Employee Life and AD&D insurance benefits for as long as you continue to receive benefits under the HPE Disability Plan-(coverage cannot be increased while you are on disability). However, any coverage in effect for your spouse/domestic partner or children ends, with continuation options as described under Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance.
- Important: Medicare as primary coverage: As a terminated team member, your HPE health coverage generally pays benefits on a secondary basis to other coverage you have available, including Medicare. You may qualify for Medicare starting after 29 months of disability, provided you’re approved by Social Security. It’s important to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B as soon as you qualify. Medicare will generally become your primary medical coverage and your HPE medical coverage will pay secondary to Medicare once you become eligible, even if you don’t enroll.
If you are entitled to Medicare before age 65 due to disability, you can get help with Medicare enrollment by contacting Allsup. HPE has partnered with Allsup to assist with Medicare enrollment issues for disabled former team members. You may find that Allsup can help complete your Medicare enrollment faster than you could on your own, helping to minimize any impact on your HPE benefits. For more information and assistance with enrolling in Medicare Part B, contact Allsup toll-free at 1-800-883-6650.
- Access to RMSA credits: If you’ve received HP/HPE credits to the Retirement Medical Savings Account (RMSA), you can access those credits if you’ve met the age/service requirements to be a “retiree.” You can also access your own contributions following your termination of employment, even if you haven’t met the requirements for a “retiree.” You must opt in to access your RMSA contributions by contacting .
Funds will be available for use on the first of the month following completion of the opt-in process, or as soon as is administratively possible. It’s important to know that if you opt in, you can’t make or receive contributions to a Health Savings Account.
For questions regarding any of these special provisions, call the HPE Benefits Center. Once you no longer qualify for disability payments under the HPE Disability Plan, you may be eligible for continued health coverage under COBRA (if you aren’t eligible for Medicare) or as a retiree if you satisfied eligibility criteria for retirement at the time your employment was terminated.
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