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Dependent Information
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- Dependent Eligibility - Health Insurance
- Dependent Eligibility - Life & Personal Accident Insurance
- Dependent Verification Process
- Domestic Partner Coverage
- Healthcare Reform -Adult Children Health Plan Coverage
- Loss of Dependent Eligibility
- Qualified Status Changes
- Spouse/Domestic Partner Surcharge
- Taxes and Domestic Partner Coverage
- Tuition Remission for Dependents
Dependent Eligibility - Health Insurance
An employee may elect to enroll himself/herself, spouse, domestic partner and/or children in UC's medical and/or dental plans. All employees will be required to provide documentation (such as birth and marriage certificates) in order for dependents to be covered under UC's medical or dental plans. Refer to the Dependent Verification Process for more information.
For more information or for an enrollment form go to the Benefits web page.
| Spouse* | A person of the opposite gender to whom an employee is legally married. |
| Domestic Partner* | A same or opposite gender qualifying domestic partner. |
| Child | An employee's natural, step, or adopted child under age 26. An employee's child of any age if disabled prior to reaching the Plan's limiting age and who is incapable of self-sustaining employment due to being mentally or physically handicapped. The child must meet all of the qualifications of a dependent as determined by the IRS. Other children under the Plan's limiting age may be eligible for coverage if an approved court order or legal guardianship exists. If an employee is under a court order to provide health insurance for a dependent (such as a court order to provide child support), the employee must enroll that child in dependent coverage. For medical coverage only: Adult children age 26 or 27 may be eligible for coverage if they meet the requirements of State of Ohio H.B. 1. Under Ohio state law, the adult child must be unmarried and: - the natural child, stepchild, or adopted child of the employee; |
Dependent Eligibility - Life and Personal Accident Insurance
Coverage begins at 14 days of life for the Personal Accident Insurance Plan. For more information go to Life and Accident Insurance.
| Spouse | A person of the opposite gender to whom an employee is legally married. |
| Domestic Partner | A same or opposite gender qualifying domestic partner. |
| Child | An employee's unmarried natural, step, or adopted child under age 19. Children may be continued beyond age 19 if a full-time student and the employee's tax dependent (under the age of 25 for AAUP; under the age of 23 for all others). It is the employee's responsibility to notify the Benefits Department when his/her dependent ceases to meet the Plan's definition of eligible dependent. |
Dependent Verification for Newly Hired & Newly Eligible Employees
UC is sensitive to the rising costs of health care and the verification process is necessary to control premiums and claim costs. Only dependents eligible for coverage according to the plan's eligibility rules will be covered.
The University of Cincinnati requires all new hires and newly eligible employees to provide dependent verification documents upon request.
Dependent Verification Documentation Resources
To find required vital records such as birth certificates, adoption or legal guardianship documentation, death certificates, marriage and divorce records, first contact the Office of Vital Statistics or the County Clerk's office in the state/county in which the event occurred.
Tax Returns
To obtain a copy of your tax return, review the information provided by the IRS (Obtaining a copy of your tax return). Please note that while an exact copy of the tax return requires a fee, a transcript available at this site is available free of charge and will suffice for most documentation purposes.
Student Information Related to Enrollment
To obtain information related to a student's current enrollment, visit the National Student Clearinghouse.
Foreign Language Documentation Translation
Other Records or Services
Domestic Partner Coverage - Additional Information
An employee may cover his/her domestic partner, opposite or same sex, under UC's benefits including medical, dental, life, personal accident insurance, and tuition remission.
To cover a domestic partner, the following criteria must be met:
- The employee and his/her domestic partner must share a permanent residence (unless residing in different cities, states, or countries on a temporary basis).
- The employee and his/her domestic partner must be each other's sole domestic partner; have been in the relationship for at least six (6) months; and intend to remain in the relationship indefinitely.
- Neither the employee nor the domestic partner can be currently married to or legally separated from another person under either statutory or common law.
- The employee and his/her domestic partner must be responsible for each other's welfare.
- The employee and his/her domestic partner must be at least 18 years of age and mentally competent to consent to this contract.
- The employee and his/her domestic partner cannot be related by blood to a degree of closeness that would prohibit marriage in the state in which he/she legally resides.
- The employee and his/her domestic partner must be financially interdependent.
Financial interdependency may be demonstrated by the existence of at least three (3) of the following to verify domestic partnership:
- Joint ownership of real estate property or joint tenancy on a residential lease
- Joint ownership of an automobile
- Joint bank or credit account
- Joint liabilities (i.e. credit cards or loans)
- A will designating the domestic partner as the primary beneficiary
- A retirement plan or life insurance policy beneficiary designating the domestic partner as primary beneficiary
- A Durable Power of Attorney signed to the effect that powers are granted to one another
In order to cover a domestic partner, the employee will be required to complete an Affidavit of Domestic Partnership and provide the documents to verify domestic partnership. Documentation must include dates that substantiate that the relationship and financial interdependency has been in place for at least six (6) months. The employee may download the Affidavit from the Human Resources website.
In addition, the employee is responsible for notifying the Human Resources Department in writing within 30 days of any of the following events:
- There is a change in circumstances that would make a domestic partner ineligible for coverage under the terms of the University's plans; or
- The employee terminates the domestic partnership.
Once a qualified status change in the domestic partnership occurs and the domestic partner is no longer eligible for coverage, the employee may not cover another domestic partner for at least six (6) months.
To enroll a domestic partner in coverage, the employee will need to select the appropriate level of coverage for himself/herself, children, and domestic partner (i.e., self plus domestic partner, or family plus domestic partner). Please review the enrollment information online.
Background
Both the federal government (through the Affordable Care Act), and the Ohio state government have passed legislation allowing older age children ("adult children") to remain covered under their parents' health insurance coverage. The federal and state laws have different eligibility requirements. The federal law requires plans to extend the eligibility age for adult children to age 26 (through age 25). Under state law, the employee must be allowed to pay for extending coverage for the adult child until the adult child turns 28 (ages 26 and 27).
Additionally, under the federal law, employees are able to enroll adult children in a medical and/or dental coverage. Under the state law, only medical coverage is available to adult children.
Cost for Coverage
Federal law (adult children through age 25)
- The cost to participants to enroll adult children through age 25 will be the same as the cost to enroll any other child.
- The cost will increase if the coverage level changes. For example, if you are currently enrolled in Employee Only coverage and add your adult child to your medical coverage, your coverage level will change to Employee Plus One Dependent coverage.
- Your contributions for coverage will continue to be deducted from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis.
State law (adult children age 26 and 27)
- If you request medical coverage for an adult child age 26 or 27, you will pay an 'adult child surcharge' in addition to your monthly pre-tax contribution for coverage. The adult child surcharge applies separately to each adult child; if you have both a 26 year old and a 27 year old adult child for whom you request coverage, you will pay the adult child surcharge for each.
- Monthly Rate Information - State of Ohio Adult Children (26-27)
Coverage Expansion Effective Dates
- The state law went into effect on July 1, 2010. For UC, the change was effective on January 1, 2011. Employees can request coverage for eligible adult children during the annual enrollment period or following a qualified status change.
- The federal law went into effect on September 23, 2010. For UC, the change was effective on January 1, 2011. Employees can request coverage for eligible adult children during annual enrollment period, or following a qualified status change.
Applicable to children age 19-25
Under federal law, the child may be married or unmarried and must:
- be the child of the employee as that is defined under the plan or policy (for UC this means a natural, legally adopted, step, or other child of whom the employee has legal guardianship);
- have not yet reached their 26th birthday
Applicable to adult children ages 26 and 27
Under Ohio state law, the adult child must be unmarried and:
- the natural child, stepchild, or adopted child of the employee;
- have not yet reached their 28th birthday;
- a resident of the state of Ohio or a full-time student at an accredited public or private institution of higher education;
- not employed by an employer that offers any health benefit plan under which the child is eligible for coverage; and
- not eligible for coverage under Medicaid or Medicare.
Please note that neither the state nor federal law require the adult child to live with or be financially dependent on the parent.
Relevant Links and Forms
- FAQs - Adult Children Healthcare
- Forms:
- Health Insurance Enrollment Form (A1) - Adult Child Age 19-25
- Health Insurance Enrollment Form (A2) - Adult Child Age 26-27
Loss of Dependent Eligibility
If a dependent ceases to meet Plan eligibility requirements, the employee is responsible for notifying the Human Resources Department within 31 days of the qualified status change. If a dependent's eligibility cannot be verified, that dependent will not be covered for any benefits, including tuition remission, as of the end of the month in which dependent status was last verified.
Spouse/Domestic Partner Surcharge
A monthly spouse or domestic partner surcharge will be added to employee premiums if he/she elects to cover his/her spouse or domestic partner, and he/she is eligible for medical coverage through his/her employer but chooses not to enroll. If the Spouse or Domestic Partner Surcharge is applicable, the employee will indicate this when he/she enrolls for coverage. If no election is made and the employee's spouse or domestic partner is enrolled in medical coverage, the employee will be charged the surcharge.
The Spouse/Domestic Partner Surcharge does not apply if:
- the employee's spouse/domestic partner is not employed;
- the employee's spouse/domestic partner enrolls in his/her employer's medical plan;
- both the employee and his/her spouse/domestic partner are employed by the university; or
- the spouse/domestic partner is enrolled in the university's medical plan on a SECONDARY basis (his/her employer's plan is primary).
The Spouse/Domestic Partner Surcharge does apply if:
- the spouse/domestic partner is employed, his/her employer provides access to group or individual medical coverage, and the spouse/domestic partner declines coverage (regardless of whether or not the employer contributes to the cost of coverage); or
- the spouse/domestic partner is self-employed and offers group or individual coverage to individuals in his/her employment.
Taxes and Domestic Partner Coverage
The premiums paid by the employee for coverage of a domestic partner for medical, dental, life, and personal accident insurance are paid on an after-tax basis. The premiums for the employee and his/her dependent children for medical and dental insurance will remain on a before-tax basis.
The value of the medical and dental insurance for a domestic partner is considered taxable to you under IRS rules for federal, state, and local taxes. The value (cost) of a self plan minus the premium paid for a domestic partner is the amount on which the employee will be taxed for medical and dental insurance.
For life and personal accident insurance, the premium is paid on an after-tax basis with no taxability of the value of the coverage for a domestic partner. The value of undergraduate and graduate tuition remission for a domestic partner is taxable to the employee. The taxes will be deducted from the employee's paycheck for the undergraduate and/or graduate courses taken.
Flexible Spending Accounts - Additional tax information
Under current federal tax law, domestic partners (other than those who qualify as tax dependents of employees) may not participate in the University's dependent care and health care flexible spending account programs. In other words, medical and dependent care expenses incurred by or on behalf of a domestic partner who is not a tax dependent are not eligible for reimbursement under the spending account programs.
Flexible Spending Accounts - Medical Practice Retainers and/or Access Fees
UC’s flex plan administrator, Chard Snyder, is required to follow IRS Code Section 213(d) to determine medical expenses that are eligible for reimbursement under the Health Care Flexible Spending Account. Medical practice retainers or access fees are not eligible for reimbursement under the Health Care Flexible Spending Account.
Tuition Remission
Eligibility for Dependents
| Spouse | A person of the opposite gender to whom an employee is legally married. |
| Domestic Partner | A same or opposite gender qualifying domestic partner. |
| Child | An employee's unmarried natural, step, or adopted child who is claimed as a tax dependent or, if not a tax dependent, the employee's unmarried child for whom he/she provides more than half of his/her support. The employee is required to submit a Tuition Remission Application and provide proof of dependency once each academic year. |
Not all employee groups are eligible for dependent tuition remission. See Tuition Remission page.
Limitations
Tuition Remission is only available for graded courses, except full-time equivalent AAUP represented faculty. Employees, spouses, domestic partners and dependents, classified as out-of-state residents for tuition remission purposes, will be subject to a per credit hour fee for all coursework.
Certain limits apply to tuition remission benefits. For example, students who apply for financial aid, such as grants, loans, or scholarships, must contact the Student Financial Aid Office. Keep in mind that tuition remission may affect eligibility for other forms of student aid.
Employees and their spouses, domestic partners, and eligible dependents must maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible for tuition remission.
For spouses, domestic partners, and dependents:
The maximum number of attempted credits, as defined by the Registrar, at the undergraduate level to which full tuition remission benefits may be applied is 144 credit hours. In cases where the minimum number of credit hours required to complete a program is greater than 144 credit hours, tuition remission will cover the minimum number of credit hours required.
Tuition remission benefits for spouses, domestic partners and dependents shall NOT apply for specific programs for the College of Law (JD), College of Medicine (MD and MS in Physiology) and College of Pharmacy (PharmD).
NOTE: Employees who are charged for dropping a course must write to HROneStop@uc.edu to have fees removed. Please include your name and "M" number. Fees will not be removed for any spouse, domestic partner, or dependent.