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Adding a family member to your insurance
Adding a family member to your insurance
When you marry, establish a domestic partnership or add a child to your family, you may add your new family member to your benefits plans — usually within 31 days of the date they become a member of your family. Here’s a list of things you need to know and do.
Enroll your new family member in your benefits.
For most benefits, you must enroll your new family member within 31 days of the date they join your family or meet all the eligibility requirements. If you don’t enroll your family members during this period of initial eligibility (PIE), you can enroll them during Open Enrollment. For medical plans only, you may enroll your family member at any time after the PIE, but there will be a 90-day waiting period before benefits begin.
Employees have the following options, depending on their benefits package. You can make changes through your UCPath online account.
| Benefits | Benefits Package | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Medical | Full, Mid-level, Core | Enroll your family member in your plan or change plans. If you are not enrolled, you can enroll yourself and your family members in a medical plan. If you’re enrolled in the UC Health Savings Plan, you may start, change or increase your Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions at any time. If you are adding your spouse or domestic partner to your plan, he or she can also establish a personal HSA. A child who is not your tax dependent can also establish a personal HSA. UC’s contribution is determined at the beginning of each year and does not change if you change your coverage level to family coverage mid-year. |
| Dental, Vision | Full | Enroll your family member in your plans. |
| Dependent LIfe | Full, Mid-level | Enroll your family member in Dependent Life; if you are enrolled in Supplemental Life, you may enroll your family member in Expanded Dependent Life. |
| AD&D | Full, Mid-level, Core | You may enroll your family member at any time. |
| ARAG Legal | Full, Mid-level | If you are enrolled, you may add your family member to your coverage. |
| Health, DepCare FSA | Full, Mid-level, Core | You may enroll or increase your contributions. If you are eligible under a new spouse’s plan, you may disenroll or decrease your contribution. |
Retirees eligible for benefits have these options.
| Benefits | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Medical, Dental, Legal | Enroll your family member in your plan by submitting the UBEN 100 enrollment form (PDF) to the Retirement Administration Service Center. If you are enrolled in the UC Health Savings Plan, you may change your Health Savings Account contribution at any time by contacting Health Equity directly. |
| Vision | Enroll your family member in your plan by contacting VSP at 866-240-8344. |
| AD&D | Enroll your family member at any time by submitting the Retiree Enrollment form (PDF) directly to Prudential. |
Verify your family member’s eligibility for benefits.
UC requires all faculty, staff and retirees who enroll family members in their medical, dental and/or vision insurance plans to provide documents to verify their family members’ eligibility for coverage.
You will receive a packet of materials from UnifyHR to help you complete the verification process. Be sure to respond by the deadline shown on the letter or you risk disenrollment of your family members from UC benefits.
You can read more about family member eligibility verification here.
Consider changing your tax withholdings.
When you add a family member to your benefits, you also may want to change your tax withholdings. You can do so using your online UCPath benefits account.
If you are adding your domestic partner or your partner’s children, the value of UC’s portion of your medical, dental and vision coverage for anyone who is not your tax dependent is considered imputed income and may be subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes, federal income tax and any other required payroll tax. Read more about imputed income.
Update your beneficiaries.
For most benefits, you must enroll your new family member within 31 days of the date they join your family or meet all the eligibility requirements. If you don’t enroll your family member during the PIE, you can enroll him or her during Open Enrollment. You may also enroll your family member in your medical plan only at any time with a 90-day waiting period.