Growing Your Family

Growing Your Family

Adding a new dependent, whether through childbirth or adoption, can be exciting, but it can also raise questions if you’re not sure what to do. See below for information on the changes you can make to your benefits so you can ensure your new addition, and family, are covered.

If you have a newly eligible dependent, you can make certain changes to your benefits, including adding your new child and other eligible dependents to your coverage.

You have 31 days after the event to make certain benefit changes. A benefit change because of the natural birth of your child is effective the date of the event. A benefit change because of adoption is effective the date that the legal adoption is final or the date the child is placed for legal adoption. If you do not meet this deadline, you must wait until annual enrollment to make changes.

If you are making changes within 31 days of the event, review the benefits listed below to see the changes you can make or changes that will occur as a result of this life event.

Health Care

Benefit	Changes Allowed
Medical and Dental Plans	Add your new dependent child to your coverage Add spouse and dependents, including new child, to your medical coverage Start coverage for yourself Drop coverage for yourself or any eligible children if you or they become covered under your spouse's plan. Note: this may result in loss of coverage for birth. Check with the carriers before making a change. Change options. Note: this may result in loss of coverage for birth. Check with the carriers before making a change

Benefit

Changes Allowed

Medical and Dental Plans

Add your new dependent child to your coverage
Add spouse and dependents, including new child, to your medical coverage
Start coverage for yourself
Drop coverage for yourself or any eligible children if you or they become covered under your spouse's plan. Note: this may result in loss of coverage for birth. Check with the carriers before making a change.
Change options. Note: this may result in loss of coverage for birth. Check with the carriers before making a change

Flexible Spending Accounts

Benefit	Changes Allowed
Health Care Flexible Spending Account	Start or increase contributions
Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account	Start or increase contributions Stop or decrease contributions if there is a decrease in the cost of day care (e.g., one parent is now staying at home) Note: Certain restrictions apply to availability of funds

Benefit

Changes Allowed

Health Care Flexible Spending Account

Start or increase contributions

Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account

Start or increase contributions
Stop or decrease contributions if there is a decrease in the cost of day care (e.g., one parent is now staying at home)

Note: Certain restrictions apply to availability of funds

Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Disability Insurance

Benefit	Changes Allowed
Basic Life	Change beneficiary at any time
Basic AD&D	Change beneficiary at any time
Basic Long-Term Disability	None
Employee Optional Life (after-tax benefit)	Start or increase coverage with evidence of insurability (EOI). May increase 1 level w/o EOI (e.g. 1x salary to 2x salary) Stop or decrease coverage at any time Change beneficiary at any time
Spouse Optional Life (after-tax benefit)	Start or increase coverage with evidence of insurability (EOI). May increase 1 level w/o EOI (e.g. 1x salary to 2x salary) Stop or decrease coverage Note: The amount of coverage for spouse cannot exceed 50% of employee's combined basic life and optional life coverage amount
Child(ren) Optional Life (after-tax benefit)	Start or increase coverage Stop or decrease coverage at any time
Optional AD&D	Start or increase coverage Change coverage category to family Stop or decrease coverage
Optional Long-Term Disability (after-tax benefit)	Start or increase coverage. Requires evidence of insurability (EOI) coverage

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