Changing a Pay Group to "Without Salary" (WOS) is not the same as changing the Job Title to a WOS title. For benefits to actually stop, the Job Title name itself must specifically be a WOS title. 

Toggling the pay group does not override Stability Period rules; an employee reduction to 0.00 FTE results in an active, benefits-eligible job code where benefits premiums continue to accrue.

"Zeroing out" an appointment is one of the most common ways departments accidentally trigger thousands of dollars in arrears (unpaid back-premiums).
 

UC Group Insurance Regulations (GIRs) include a protection called the Stability Period. If an employee’s appointment percentage is reduced or their duration is decreased, their benefits must remain unchanged for the remainder of their Stability Period. 

Even if an employee is dropped to 0.00 FTE, if they are in a stability period, they remain enrolled and, since there is no paycheck to deduct from, premiums continue accruing.  

While the Stability Period may protect an employee for a period of time, a 0.00 FTE may have eventually cause their ACA (Affordable Care Act) hours to below the threshold and lead to a total loss of eligibility for the following year. 
 

Imagine an employee is at 0.00 FTE for a few months. During those months, the University continues to pay its portion of the healthcare costs, and the employee’s portion continues to accrue. When that employee finally receives a paycheck, the payroll system automatically deducts accrued unpaid premiums from the check. 

Because the employee was benefits-eligible during the 0.00 FTE period, the University cannot refund these deductions.