Before you create an availability rule and override availability, you must set up a duration and set up general eligibility criteria.
When an employee becomes eligible, it is for all benefits in a benefit offering . If you want to make some benefits in an offering available on a different date than the rest, you can override the benefit availability.
Example: You could make all benefits or a Benefit Offering available to an eligible employee on the first day of the month following the employee's hire date. For benefits with availability exceptions, for example one that is immediately available, and another that is available when the employee has been with your company for a year, you could set up Availability Rules: one to specify no waiting period, and one to specify a 12-month waiting period. You can then use those waiting periods to override the availability of those benefits in the Benefit Offering that have exceptions in availability.
To set up an availability rule:
- To open the Availability Rules screen, on the Eligibility Setup screen Other tab in the Availability Overrides area, double-click in the Availability Rule box.
- In the Description box, type a description for the availability rule. The system automatically assigns a unique identification number that appears in the ID box, and the Active check box is selected by default.
- (optional) In the Notes box, type free-form informational text.
- In the Waiting Period list, select the duration for the availability rule.
To override benefit availability:
- On the Eligibility Setup screen Other tab in the Availability Overrides area in the Benefit list, select the benefit for which you want to override availability.
- In the Availability Rule list, select the availability rule that specifies when you want the benefit to be available.