How do I decline Ascen health benefits?
Last updated: November 11, 2026
Applies to: US W-2 employees who are offered Ascen health benefits. Independent contractors, Canadian T4 employees and international workers are not on Ascen's US health plans, so they do not see a benefits step, and not every W-2 assignment is eligible (see Who is eligible to enroll in healthcare benefits?).
Summary: You do not have to enroll. To decline (opt out of) medical, dental and vision coverage, open the benefits step in your Ascen portal at app.ascen.com and choose Decline All. The benefits step opens once you have started working on your assignment. Nothing is deducted from your pay for health coverage you decline. Your 401(k) is a separate choice: to contribute nothing, set it to 0%.
How to decline
Log in at app.ascen.com.
Open the benefits step.
Choose Decline All.
You are free to decline for any reason, for example because you already have coverage through your spouse or you simply do not want benefits. Choosing Decline All records your choice and completes the step.
Declining benefits does not replace your other onboarding documents, such as your offer letter and employee handbook: review each one before you sign, and email support@ascen.com if you are not sure what a document is for.
When you can decline: after you start working
The benefits choice opens after you have started work on your assignment, meaning you have timesheets in the portal. During onboarding, before you have worked, you may only see information about benefits. Acknowledging it lets the rest of your onboarding move on, but it does not enroll you. Once you have started working, the benefits step appears again in your portal: that is expected, and it is when you choose Decline All. If you have not started working yet, you do not need a reset. See When do I enroll in healthcare benefits?
If you have started working and the benefits step still has not appeared, email support@ascen.com with your full name and the email address on your Ascen account and we will check your record.
If you already completed the step and want to decline
If you enrolled and now want to decline instead, email support@ascen.com with your full name and the email address on your Ascen account. We can reset the step so you can log back in and choose Decline All, as long as your coverage has not started and no premium has been taken from your pay. Once either has happened, ending your coverage generally needs a qualifying life event, requested within 30 days of the event, or waits for the next annual open enrollment. See What is a Qualifying Life Event? and How can I change my benefits?
If you decline and later change your mind
While your enrollment window is still open, email support@ascen.com and we can reopen the step so you can enroll. See How to get your benefits enrollment step reopened. After the window closes, you generally cannot enroll until the next annual open enrollment, unless you have a qualifying life event such as losing other coverage (for example, your spouse's plan ends).
What happens if you do nothing
If your enrollment window closes without a choice, you are not enrolled, and you generally cannot enroll until the next annual open enrollment unless you have a qualifying life event. Choosing Decline All has the same result.
Your 401(k) is a separate choice
Your 401(k) is a separate election, so declining health coverage does not change it. To opt out of the 401(k), set your contribution to 0%: nothing is deducted, and you can start contributing later.
During your enrollment window: you set your 401(k) yourself on the benefits step. If it will not take what you enter, see Having trouble with the 401(k) step during onboarding?
After that: email support@ascen.com and ask us to set your contribution to 0%. See How to Update Your 401(k) Contribution.
If you declined health coverage and still see a deduction on your pay stub, see A benefit premium was deducted but you did not enroll.
Where to get help
Ascen (support@ascen.com): declining or enrolling in benefits, resetting your benefits step, your 401(k) contribution, and questions about any onboarding document.
Your staffing partner: your schedule, your assignment, and your timesheets.