Examples:

UI employee or spouse/partner gives birth. 

UI employee adopts a child or child is placed in home for adoption.

UI employee gains legal guardianship.

UI employee begins fostering a child. 

Important deadline:

• You have 60 days from the date of birth, the date the child was placed in your home for the purpose of adoption, gained legal guardianship, or began fostering a child, to submit a benefits change request to add your new dependent and other eligible dependents to coverage.
  • If you do not submit your request for changes within the 60-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to add your dependent(s) at that time. 

Documents needed:

Please visit the Dependent Eligibility Verification webpage to review the documents you need for verification.

• Eligible dependents
• Spouse
• For adoption/legal guardianship/fostering: documentation supporting the formal placement (e.g., court order, lawyer's letter, placement letter from the adoption agency, or DHS)

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month the baby was born or when the child was formally placed in your home for adoption, legal guardianship, or fostering. 

Examples:

• An employee's spouse gave birth on May 3. The employee wants to cover both the new baby and the baby's mother (their spouse). Both added dependents will have coverage beginning May 1, so any birth services will also be covered. 
• The court granted an employee legal guardianship of their granddaughter on November 3. The employee wants to add the granddaughter to their health and dental insurance. The granddaughter will have coverage effective November 1. 

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Other considerations:

Dependent Eligibility Verification

• After you have submitted your enrollment for your newly eligible dependent(s), you will be asked to submit documentation to University Benefits to verify your dependent's eligibility within four weeks of adding your dependent(s) to health and dental coverage. If complete documentation is not received within four weeks, your unverified dependent(s) will be removed from coverage and cannot be added without a qualifying event. Review the verification process. 
• Our office understands there can be a delay in promptly receiving birth certificates or other legal documentation. If you are close to your deadline, please refer to your Dependent Eligibility Verification email for additional instructions on requesting an extension. 

Example:

An employee's dependent child has died.

Important deadline:

• Please notify the University Benefits Office to inform us of the death as soon as you are able.

Documents needed:

• If you plan to make a life insurance claim, you need a copy of the death certificate. You do not need to supply the death certificate to remove your loved one from coverage. 

When do changes take effect?

New changes will take effect on the 1st of the month following the date of death. 

What you can change

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

Loss of Eligibility: An employee's dependent child is over age 26 and is no longer a full-time student due to graduation, leaving their collegiate program, or reducing from a full-time status to part-time or less. 

Gain of Eligibility: An employee's dependent child who is over age 26, is returning to full-time student status at an accredited university or college. 

Important deadline:

• Losing Eligibility - A dependent child over age 26 due to student status (no longer full-time or graduated) 
  • You must notify University Benefits when the dependent child is no longer a full-time student. Your dependent will lose coverage effective the last day of the month they became ineligible to be on the plans. 
• Gaining Eligibility - A dependent child over age 26 (returns to full-time student status)
  • You will have 30 calendar days from when your dependent child begins full-time student status to submit a benefits change request to add them to your benefits coverage.
    • If you do not add them within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to add your dependent child at that time. 

Documents needed:

This documentation will be requested twice a year by a letter sent to your home address as long as they remain on our plans.

• A copy of your child's student schedule for the semester showing full-time enrollment in an accredited college or university.
  • All required documents MUST contain a date and the dependent's name.
  • You may block out personal information such as Social Security numbers, account numbers, and financial information. 

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month following the event date (the loss or gain of eligibility).  

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Other considerations:

Tax Consequences:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has determined that if an employer allows employees to insure dependent children over 26 years of age who do not qualify as tax dependents, a value must be added to the employee’s taxable salary when reporting income earned on the annual W-2. This imputed income, which will be added to the tax base monthly, is calculated on the Taxable Coverage of Adult Children webpage. If the child is over 26 and a tax dependent, no additional income is applied to the employee’s taxable salary.

COBRA Offer:

When your dependent child is no longer eligible for our plans and has been removed from coverage - 

• The child will remain on your active employee coverage until the end of the month when they become ineligible for our plans. For example, if your child graduates on May 15, they will remain on your plan until May 31.  
• The child will receive a COBRA enrollment packet to your residing address. This will allow your dependent child to elect to continue insurance for the next 18 months through our COBRA program. 

Examples:

UI employee is decreasing or increasing percent time worked: The employee has different needs for childcare depending on a decrease or increase in working percentage.  

UI employee is losing or gaining a childcare provider: An employee is changing the childcare provider. 

Important deadline:

• You have 30 days from the date of change in work schedule or provider to submit a Flexible Spending Account Salary Reduction Agreement form to update your dependent care contributions. 
  • If you do not submit the salary reduction agreement form to our office within 30 days of the qualifying change, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1.
• If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to change your dependent care FSA contribution amount. 

Documents needed:

• Flexible Spending Account Salary Reduction Agreement form (pdf)

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month following the event date. 

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

UI employee's dependent gains other coverage - (always enter the last day of coverage by UI plans in the event date section of the benefits change request form.) 

• An employee's spouse/domestic partner got a new job on July 15 and will enroll with new employer coverage beginning August 1. (event date - July 31)
• A dependent child was added to the other parent's insurance effective January 1. (event date - December 31)
• The dependent child became eligible for Medicaid beginning March 1. (event date - February 28)

Important deadline:

• You have 30 days from the date the dependent gained other coverage to submit a benefits change request to remove your dependent from coverage.
  • If you do not submit your request for changes within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to remove your dependents at that time. 

Documents needed:

• New employer coverage: your dependent must secure a letter of coverage from their HR department that confirms they have gained new coverage. 
• Must submit an eligibility letter for Medicaid showing dates of coverage and which dependents.

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month following the gain of new coverage.

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

UI employee's dependent lost other provider coverage - (always enter the last day of coverage by their  provider in the event date field of the benefits change request form.)

• An employee's spouse/domestic partner lost their job on July 15 and insurance coverage will end on July 31. (event date - July 31)
• An employee's spouse/domestic partner turned age 26 on November 17 and will no longer be eligible to remain on their parent's coverage effective December 31.  (event date - December 31)
• An employee's child, who is under age 26, lost their job on April 2 and no longer has employer coverage effective April 2. (event date - April 2, and their coverage on your plan will not be active until May 1)
• An employee's child loses eligibility under Medicaid on August 31 and needs to be added to the employee's UI coverage. (event date - August 31, so child is covered effective September 1)

Important deadline:

• You have 30 days from when your spouse, domestic partner, or dependent child lost coverage from another provider to submit a benefits change request and add them to your benefits coverage. 
  • If you do not enroll them within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to add your spouse/partner or dependent child at that time. 

Documents needed:

• Loss of employer coverage: your dependent must secure a letter of coverage from their HR department that confirms they have lost coverage. 
• Loss of eligibility due to age of dependent: your spouse/domestic partner must secure a letter from their parent's insurance provider or HR department verifying the end date of coverage. 
• Losing governmental assistance coverage: Must submit a letter for Medicaid showing when coverage ends for the dependent child. 

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month following the loss of coverage.

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

Your loss of coverage:

• A UI employee is covered under a spouse/domestic partner's employer coverage:
  • The spouse/partner lost their job and employer coverage.
  • The spouse/partner is retiring from their job and will no longer have employer coverage.
  • The spouse/partner opted out of coverage at their workplace during their open enrollment period.
  • The UI employee and spouse/partner are getting a divorce/termination of a domestic partnership.
  • The spouse/parnter is no longer living.
• A UI employee is covered under their parent/guardian's insurance coverage:
  • The UI employee is no longer eligible to remain under their parent's coverage due to the age 26 requirement, or they are no longer a full-time student.
  • The parent/guardian lost their job and coverage, retiring, or is deceased. 
• A UI employee loses eligibility for Medicaid.

Important deadline

• You have 30 days from when you lost coverage from a spouse, domestic partner, or parent's insurance provider to submit a benefits change request and enroll in benefits. 
  • If you do not enroll within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying life event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to enroll at that time.

Documents needed:

• Loss of employer coverage: your spouse/partner/parent must secure a letter of coverage from their HR department that confirms that they and their covered dependents have lost coverage. 
• Loss of eligibility due to dependent age: Your spouse/domestic partner/parent must secure a letter from their parent's insurance provider or HR department verifying the end date of coverage due to your ineligibility under plan rules. 
• Losing governmental assistance coverage: You must submit a letter from Medicaid showing when or that you are no longer covered under the program.  

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month following the loss of coverage.

What you can change:

 Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

Your gain of other coverage:

• Your spouse or partner now covers you under their insurance plans.
• You are over age 26, and have returned to school full-time and will be added back under your parent's coverage. 
• You have gained eligibility for Medicaid.

Important deadline

• You have 30 days from when you gained other coverage from a spouse, domestic partner, or parent's insurance provider to submit a benefits change request and enroll in benefits. 
  • If you do not request a benefits change request within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to make changes at that time. 

Documents needed:

• Gain of other coverage: your spouse/partner/parent must secure a letter of coverage from their HR department that confirms that you are now covered under their employer plans. 
• Losing governmental assistance coverage: You must submit a letter from Medicaid showing when or that you are no longer covered under the program.  

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month after gaining other coverage.

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

Your domestic-partner becomes Medicare-eligible

Important deadline

• You have 30 days from when your domestic partner became Medicare-eligible to submit a benefits change request and make changes in benefits. 
  • If you do not request a benefits change request within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to make changes at that time. 

Documents needed:

• You may need to secure a copy of the eligibility letter from CMS that shows when your partner obtained the new eligibility status for Medicare. 

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month after becoming Medicare-eligible.

What you can change:

Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

Examples:

UI employee transfers from a temporary position into a full time benefit-eligible position. 

Important deadline:

• You have 30 days from the date you transferred into your new position to work your New Hire enrollment event.
  • If you do not submit your benefit elections within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
  • If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to enroll at that time. 

When do changes take effect?

New changes will be effective on the 1st of the month following the change in your eligibility.

What you can change:

This change in status does not allow you to change your benefits, as you would no longer be eligible. 

Examples:

A UI employee has a percent change below 50% (e.g., at-will (PRN))

A UI employee transfers into a temporary non benefit-eligible position. 

Important deadline

• Your regular benefit-eligible benefits will end on the last day of the month that you became ineligible. For example, if an employee decides to reduce their time from 50% to 20% on December 15, their benefits will remain active until December 31. 

What you can change

Benefits terminate effective the last day of the month in which the last paycheck was received. An option to continue benefits while on leave may be available. Please visit our Leave of Absence webpage for more information. 

This qualified change in status allows you to make changes to and enroll in benefits mid-year. The benefits affected for you, the employee, who is returning from an unpaid absence during which you lost your benefits, are listed below.

Important deadline

• You have 30 days from your new eligibility date to enroll in coverage. 
• If you do not enroll in benefits within 30 days from your new eligibility date, you must wait until our next annual open enrollment period, when changes will take effect on January 1. 
• If you experience another qualifying event during the year, depending on the life change, you may be able to enroll in coverage at that time. Please review the changes that are eligible to be made per life event. 

What you can change