Qualifying Life Events

You can add or drop or change Health Plan, Dental Plan and Vision Plan coverage.

You can enroll in, increase, decrease, or waive your Supplemental Life Insurance coverage. Amounts in excess of the lesser of three times your annual base salary or $750,000 require Evidence of Insurability (EOI).

This may also be a good time to review/change your Life Insurance beneficiary information, which can be found on eServe under “Benefits.”

You can enroll in, increase, decrease, or waive Life Insurance coverage for your spouse or domestic partner in the amount of $25,000 or $50,000. Amounts in excess of the lesser of three times your annual base salary or $750,000 require Evidence of Insurability (EOI).

Your spouse or domestic partner’s insurance amount cannot be more than 100% of your combined Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance coverage amounts.

If you had enrolled your ex-spouse in Dependent Spouse Life Insurance, their coverage will end on the date we receive your Life Event submission.

Your ex-spouse may choose to continue coverage through conversion or portability. For more information about conversion, call Unum at 800-421-0344.

You can enroll in Life Insurance coverage for eligible dependent children up to age 26 in the amount of $10,000.

You can enroll, increase or decrease contributions for the Flexible Spending Accounts.

If you have new dependents under age 13 as a result of your marriage, you may enroll in, increase or decrease your current contributions to the Dependent Care FSA.

Now would be a good time to review your beneficiary information for your Tufts University-Funded and Self-Funded Retirement Retirement Savings Plans if you are enrolled. You can manage your retirement benefits using NetBenefits.

• Marriage Certificate or Affidavit of Domestic Partnership
• Court Document or Statement of Termination of Domestic Partnership
• NOTE: If you are also changing your name, you must wait for approval of documentation submitted for change in Marital Status before proceeding and a separate Name Change submission of documentation (Social Security Card, passport, or court-issued document) and approval must occur before it is updated to the database.

Payroll contributions for ex-spouse coverage in the health, dental, or vision plans will be on an after-tax basis in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service regulations.

Since ex-spouses do not qualify as federal tax dependents, the employee cost for covering an ex-spouse will be withheld as an after-tax payroll deduction and the employer-shared cost will be treated as income to the employee.

If you remarry and want to cover your new spouse, your ex-spouse can no longer be covered under any Tufts-sponsored health, dental, or vision plans.

If you request that your ex-spouse be removed from your health, dental, or vision plans, they can continue coverage through COBRA for up to 36 months from the date of divorce.

Once you submit a Life Event change in eServe to remove your ex-spouse from your plan, your ex-spouse will receive notification of COBRA from EBPA, the university’s COBRA administrator.

For questions about enrollment or billing contact EBPA directly at 888-232-3203.

Domestic partners are not tax dependents under federal law. The value of the university and employee contributions for health, dental and vision insurance for a domestic partner and their children is considered taxable.

Depending on your coverage level, this value could be reported on your paycheck as a post-tax deduction and as taxable imputed income. Imputed income is the taxable value of a service or benefit provided by an employer. Contact TSS for paycheck related questions.

If you have any tax questions, please consult your personal tax professional.

You will need to document your domestic partnership with a signed Affidavit of Domestic Partnership (PDF), and meet all of the following criteria:

• You are domestic partners and intend to remain so indefinitely
• Neither of you is married to someone else
• You are both age 18 or older and competent to give this certification and declaration
• You are not related to each other by blood to an extent that would prohibit legal marriage in the state where you legally reside
• You live together in the same residence, have done so continuously for the past six months, and intend to do so indefinitely
• You are jointly responsible for your common welfare and financial obligations

With your affidavit, you will need to provide evidence of your joint financial responsibilities or common welfare, such as:

• Joint mortgage, lease, or title to personal property
• Certificate of Domestic Partnership from your town or county

You can add or drop or change Health Plan, Dental Plan and Vision Plan coverage.

If you are adding your spouse or domestic partner to your benefit plans, you may also want to enroll them in Dependent Life Insurance. Subject to approval, you may add life insurance coverage for your spouse or domestic partner in the amount of $25,000 or $50,000.

Your spouse or domestic partner’s insurance amount cannot be more than 100% of your combined basic and supplemental life insurance coverage amounts.

You can enroll in Life Insurance coverage for eligible dependent children up to age 26 in the amount of $10,000.

This may also be a good time to review your life insurance beneficiary information, which can be found on eServe under “Benefits.”

You can enroll, increase, or decrease Flexible Spending Accounts contributions.

You may also want to review your beneficiary information for your retirement savings plans — your Tufts University-Funded Retirement Plan and/or your Self-Funded Retirement Plan.

Please contact the company that administers your Tufts retirement plans directly to make changes to your beneficiary information.

• TIAA Customer Service: 1-800-842-2776
• Fidelity Customer Service: 1-800-343-0860

• Letter on employer’s letterhead detailing the coverage (medical, dental, vision), which was gained or lost, the reason for the change, the affected members, and the date of the change.
• Open Enrollment documentation from your spouse/Domestic Partner/child's employer indicating coverage gained or lost.
• Letter on school's letterhead for dependents enrolled in a school's health insurance plan and one graduates.

If you or someone in your family is having trouble coping with a change in employment or has legal questions, the Employee Assistance Program provides a wide range of support services, including confidential counseling and financial advice, as well as the legal support through MetLife Legal Plans.

You may add your new child to your Health Plan, Dental Plan and Vision Plan as of the date of their birth or adoption, as well as any other dependent (spouse/domestic partner or child) who is eligible for benefits but not already enrolled. You can add or drop or change coverage.

This Life Event allows you to increase your supplemental Life Insurance. Subject to approval, you may also choose to enroll, waive, or decrease at this time. Amounts in excess of the lesser of three times your annual base salary or $750,000 require Evidence of Insurability (EOI)

You can enroll in Life Insurance coverage for eligible dependent children up to age 26 in the amount of $10,000.

This may also be a good time to review/change your life insurance beneficiary information, which can be found on eServe under “Benefits.”

You can enroll your spouse or domestic partner in dependent Life Insurance. Your spouse or domestic partner’s insurance amount cannot be more than 100% of your combined basic and supplemental life insurance coverage amounts.

You can enroll, increase, or decrease Flexible Spending Accounts contributions.

• Certificate or statement of birth record letter from the hospital
• Completed Adoption/Custody paperwork