Spouse/Partner/Child Gains or Loses Healthcare Coverage
If your spouse, domestic partner, or dependent child gains or loses healthcare coverage, you will be able to make changes to your healthcare benefits outside of the annual open enrollment period.
What To Know
Be aware of deadlines!
If your spouse, domestic partner or dependent child gains or loses health coverage, this is a qualifying event allowing you to change your benefits.* Please be aware that if you decide to make changes due to your recent qualifying event, some benefits have deadlines you must adhere to as follows:
Within 30 days
- Contract College benefits-eligible employees have 30 days from the date of their qualifying event to make applicable benefit changes to their medical and dental plans.
Within 60 days
- Endowed benefits-eligible employees have 60 days from the date of their qualifying event to make applicable benefit changes to endowed health, dental and vision plans.
- Both Contract college and endowed benefits-eligible employees have 60 days from the date of their qualifying event to make applicable benefit changes to:
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Legal Plan Insurance
- Group Universal Life (GUL) Insurance
Read the Benefit Aids below for details, and contact HR Services and Transitions Center at 607-255-3936 with any questions.
* An employee’s benefit change(s) must be consistent with the qualifying life event that has occurred.
Checklist
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Review Your Benefits Options
Be sure to make any changes within the deadlines.
Endowed
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Other Updates To Make
Change beneficiary information directly with providers:
- Life Insurance
- Retirement Plans
Resources
- Crisis Support: It can be difficult to cope with stress if your spouse or partner has lost healthcare coverage due to loss of employment or another crisis. Cornell offers support for navigating life crises: