Domestic Partnership - Change in Coverage

If your domestic partner experiences a change in benefits, this may allow for special enrollment in the RF benefit plans (refer to “Special Enrollment Rights” in the Benefits Handbook).

To add a domestic partner to your RF benefit plans, the domestic partner must be:

• age 18 or older, and
• unmarried and not related to you by marriage or blood in any way that would bar marriage, and residing with you, and
• financially interdependent with you, and
• involved in the domestic partnership for a period of not less than 1 year

You may also add your domestic partner’s children. Documentation of the above must be approved by the RF. Please contact your campus Benefits Office.

Enroll a Domestic Partner:

To enroll a domestic partner and his/her children in your Health Plan, Dental Plan, or Vision Plan, complete the following forms and submit them to your campus benefits office with two documents that substantiate financial interdependence and proof of one year residency.

• Benefit Plan Affidavit of Domestic Partnership
• Affidavit of Financial Interdependency
• Benefits Enrollment Form
• Proof of One Year Residency

Enroll a Same-Sex Spouse:

• complete the Benefits Enrollment Form
• submit the form with a copy of your marriage license or certificate

In addition to the above, if your partner qualifies as your dependent for federal tax purposes and you wish to avoid the additional taxes that may result from this benefit (see Income Tax Implications), you must also complete the "Dependent Tax Affidavit for Enrolling Domestic Partner in the Benefits Program" and return it with the other documents. Applications filed without the required affidavits and substantiating documentation will not be processed.

Health Plan

If, as a result of the change in benefits of a domestic partner, you and/or your dependents have lost coverage through your domestic partner’s plan, you will be allowed to change or add coverage through one of the RF’s health plans.

The special enrollment period following your loss of other coverage allows you to elect one of the RF’s health plans, within 30 days after the other coverage ends.

If elected, coverage begins on the first day of the calendar month that begins after the date that the completed request is received by the Plan. Please refer to the Health Plan Web pages and the Benefits Handbook for additional information on eligibility and how to enroll.

Dental and Vision Plans

If you wish to change your coverage level, you must complete and submit a new RF Benefits Enrollment Form to your campus benefits office.

You may change coverage anytime during the year. Your new coverage will become effective on the day your campus benefits office receives your completed form.

If the change involves a newly eligible dependent, dependent coverage becomes effective on the date the dependent became eligible, provided a new enrollment form is completed within 60 days of this date.

Please refer to the Dental Plan and Vision Plan Web pages and the Benefits Handbook for additional information on eligibility and how to enroll.