Do your dependent children still qualify for health insurance?
From Human Resources
Attention faculty and staff with dependents: Do you have a child graduating from college in December? If so, that child will no longer qualify as a dependent for purposes of medical and dental coverage.
To ensure that your child is not left without coverage, you need to notify the Benefits Team in the Human Resources Department. Contact Jeanne Kittleson, (651) 962-6497, for assistance.
Federal and state laws hold you responsible for notifying us within 60 days of the "qualifying event." For dependent children, qualifying events include attaining age 19 or, if the dependent is a full-time student, upon attaining age 25. Note: There are other events that require you to take action, but this article is addressing only the loss of dependent status issue.
Within 14 days of notifying us of your child's loss of dependent status, COBRA papers that explain continuation rights will be mailed to the "former" dependent child. ARC, the UST COBRA administrator, will mail the paperwork to the last known address. If there is an updated address, please let us know.
The Federal COBRA laws and state continuation laws allow the child losing dependent status the opportunity to continue medical and/or dental coverage for up to 36 months at their own cost. Failure to give us notice of a qualifying event within the 60-day time period allowed will result in the forfeiture of continuation rights for the child.
Dependent Optional Life Insurance through UnumProvident covers dependents to age 19, or to age 26 if they are a full-time student. If you have elected this coverage, please review the situation with your child and have him or her determine whether or not they want to continue the coverage. Optional Life Insurance continuation options will be included in the COBRA paperwork that will be sent to the "former" dependent child. You are able to continue coverage for your other remaining eligible dependents.
Please note that there are a number of employee notification responsibilities. If you are unfamiliar with your other responsibilities, visit Human Resources' COBRA Notice Web page that publishes the Summary of Rights and Obligations Regarding Continuation of Group Health Plan Coverage. This notice outlines various actions you must take upon the occurrence of certain events.
You also can contact one of the HR Benefits Team members for another copy of the COBRA Notice.
