Eligibility
Benefit Eligibility
To be considered "benefits-eligible," an individual must be appointed to a regular faculty or staff position that has an anticipated duration of 6 months or more and is at least half-time. Benefit-eligible faculty and staff may cover their spouses and eligible dependent children.
Domestic Partner Benefits
Domestic partners of employees may be enrolled in the MetLife Dental, Spectera Vision, and MetLife Term Life Insurance programs on an after-tax basis. An affidavit of domestic partnership is required; the affidavit form is available from Human Resources.
Qualifying Events for Changes in Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage:
Because your premiums for medical, dental and vision are deducted from your salary on a pre-tax basis, the IRS has established strict rules regarding the operation of your plans. The choices made by you during the annual open enrollment period must remain in effect for the entire plan year (January 1 – December 31). Exceptions are permitted under IRS rules when a member has a qualifying event. If you have an event, you are required to notify Human Resources Benefits office within 31 days and complete the appropriate forms. Some examples of qualifying events include:
- Change in marital status
- Birth or adoption of a child
- Death of a covered dependent
- Loss of eligibility status by a covered dependent
- Change in employment status that affects eligibility for coverage
- Losing or gaining healthcare coverage eligibility under Medicare or Medicaid
- Change in residence to a location outside of a healthcare plan’s service area
Consistency Rules
In order for a change in status to qualify for a midyear election change, the change in status must be "on account of," and must correspond to, a change in status that affects the eligibility of an employee, spouse, or dependent for coverage under an employer's plan. This change in status includes only a change that would make an individual eligible or ineligible for a particular benefit package option under the plan. The regulations do not permit midyear election changes for family members who are not affected by the change in status, such as unaffected children in the case of a divorce or death of a spouse.