Mid-Year Qualifying Events
Faculty, administrative professional or non-classified staff
When you experience a life event – such as birth or adoption of a child, marriage, or loss of other coverage – you can make changes to your benefits within 30 days of the event. If you miss the 30 day deadline, your next chance to make a change is during the annual open enrollment period.
Changes must be consistent with the event and type of coverage. With the exception of birth and adoption, the effective date of a change is the first of the month following the life event date or notification to HR, whichever is later.
State Classified employees should visit the State of Colorado’s website for information about mid-year qualifying events.
Resources
- Request for mid-year life event change
- Required Documentation
- Documentation Examples
- Upload documents to secure OneDrive
Human Resources
970-491-6947
[email protected]
Birth or Adoption
Congratulations on the addition to your family! You may enroll a child in all benefits via Employee Self-Service within 30 days of the birth, adoption, placement for adoption or legal guardianship.
Upon enrollment, the child is covered from the date of birth or adoption.
Social Security Number: Your child’s Social Security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) is required to enroll your child. If you have not yet obtained an SSN for your child, please contact Human Resources and a temporary number can be provided until the child’s SSN is received.
Documentation: A photocopy of the official, certified birth certificate will be required to finalize the enrollment. If the certificate has not yet been received, do not wait to notify Human Resources of this event – contact us for next steps.
Include steps here and link to adding a dependent in ESS.
The child may be added to any or all plans you are currently enrolled in and coverage is effective as of the child’s date of birth or adoption.
You also have the option to change the medical/dental plan you are enrolled in as long as the child is added to the coverage. Plan changes are effective the first of the month following the date of event.
Adding additional eligible dependents (e.g. spouse, partner, other children, etc.) is also allowable with the birth. Coverage for other dependents begins the first of the month following the date of event.
If you wish to add additional life insurance for yourself, spouse/partner or child, you may add or increase the amount of coverage. Coverage is effective as of date of birth or adoption for the newly added child or as of the first of the month following for other dependents.
Guarantee Issue: You may enroll in coverage up to the guaranteed issue amounts without evidence of insurability when they experience a qualifying event. Employee: $250,000, Spouse/Partner: $50,000, Children: $20,000.
If you request coverage in excess of guaranteed issue amounts, approval amounts, completion of a Personal Health Application (evidence of insurability) and approval by The Hartford is required.
You may also add Accidental Death & Dismemberment in any multiple of $25,000 up to a maximum of $500,000. Evidence of insurability is not required.
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows you to use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible health care and/or dependent care expenses.
You may elect to participate in a health care FSA or change the amount you contribute within 30 days of the event.
A dependent care FSA may be added within 30 days of when the parent/employee returns to work and funds can be used for daycare expenses.
Congratulations on the addition to your family!
Allowable Changes: You may enroll a child in all benefits via Employee Self-Service within 30 days of the birth, adoption, placement for adoption or legal guardianship.
Effective Date: Upon enrollment, the child is covered from the date of birth or adoption.
Social Security Number: Your child’s Social Security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) is required to enroll your child. If you have not yet obtained an SSN for your child, please contact Human Resources and a temporary number can be provided until the child’s SSN is received.
Adding the Child: Use the Personal Information option in Employee-Self Service to add the child to your benefit plans.
Documentation: A photocopy of the official, certified birth certificate will be required to finalize the enrollment.
When your marital status changes, you can add or remove your spouse/partner to benefit plans within 30 days of the event date. Examples include marriage, divorce, change in domestic partnership status, etc.
Instructions:
- Marriage: You can add your spouse to benefits through Employee-Self Service. You will be required to submit a copy of the marriage license and a secondary joint financial document dated within the last 60 days.
- Change in domestic partnership status: You will be required to complete an Affidavit of Domestic Partnership and provide a secondary joint financial document dated with the last 60 days. Please email [email protected] for more details.
- Divorce or dissolution of domestic partnership: You can initiate this change through Employee-Self Service. You will be required to provide a copy of your divorce decree or a dissolution of domestic partnership form to Human Resources.
When you gain or lose group coverage elsewhere, you can modify your current benefit plan enrollment within 30 days of the date your other coverage begins or ends.
Instructions: You will be required to submit official documentation to Human Resources substantiating the change in other coverage. This is typically a document on company letterhead that contains the following information:
- The date coverage begins or ends
- The type of coverage that begins or ends (e.g. medical, dental, etc.)
- The name(s) of all individuals affected by the gain or loss of coverage
If you are adding a dependent for the first time, you will also need to submit official documentation that verifies their dependent status (e.g. birth certificate, marriage license).
When you gain or lose coverage under Medicare or Medicaid you may change your benefits within 60 days of the day coverage ends or begins.
You must provide official documentation to Human Resources that verifies the start or end date of this coverage.
Please contact [email protected] for more information about permissible changes to your benefits during a leave of absence/leave without pay.
For all eligible employees, benefits will terminate on the last day of the month in which you leave employment. For more information about what happens to your benefits and leave when you terminate employment, visit the Separation and Retirement page.
Required Dependent Documentation - Faculty & Admin Pro
You may enroll eligible individuals in certain University benefits plans. When enrolling your eligible individuals you must first determine if they meet the eligibility criteria for CSU plans. Eligible individuals include only the following:
Marriage certificate AND
- A document dated within the last 60 days showing current relationship status, such as a joint household bill or joint bank/credit account, etc.* The documents must be dated and list your spouse’s name at the same mailing address.
- Affidavit of Common Law Marriage AND
- A document dated within the last 60 days showing current relationship status, such as a joint household bill or joint bank/credit account, etc.* The documents must be dated and list your spouse’s name at the same mailing address.
- Affidavit of Domestic Partnership AND
- Certification of Dependency for University Benefits AND
- A document dated within the last 60 days showing current relationship status, such as a joint household bill or joint bank/credit account, etc.* The documents must be dated and list your partner’s name at the same mailing address.
Note: Although individuals may be eligible to enroll as a dependent, they may not meet the definition of a “qualified” dependent for federal income tax purposes. If your dependent is considered a “non-qualified” dependent, there are tax consequences associated with providing coverage to a non-qualified tax dependent under Section 152 of the IRS Code. You are strongly encouraged to consult a tax advisor to determine the status of your dependent.
- Imputed Income for medical, dental and vision
- A copy of the Civil Union Certificate received from the County Clerk/Recorder or a record of the Civil Union received from the State Registrar as presumptive evidence of the Civil Union AND
- A document dated within the last 60 days showing current relationship status, such as a joint household bill or joint bank/credit account, etc.* The documents must be dated and list your partner’s name at the same mailing address.
Note: Although individuals may be eligible to enroll as a dependent, they may not meet the definition of a “qualified” dependent for federal income tax purposes. If your dependent is considered a “non-qualified” dependent, there are tax consequences associated with providing coverage to a non-qualified tax dependent under Section 152 of the IRS Code. You are strongly encouraged to consult a tax advisor to determine the status of your dependent.
- Imputed Income for medical, dental and vision
- A copy of the child’s birth certificate or adoption certificate, naming you or your spouse/ Domestic Partner/Civil Union Partner as the child’s parent OR
- Appropriate custody or allocation of parental responsibility naming you or your spouse/Domestic Partner/Civil Union Partner as the responsible party to provide insurance for the child.
Note: If this is the child of a Common Law Spouse/Domestic Partner/ Civil Union Partner/ stepparent, please know that the relationship between the two adults must be established and verified even if you are not covering them on any benefits.
*Please redact all financial information, account numbers, and social security numbers. The best practice for redaction is to cut out the information before scanning or copying the document. If you have questions about redaction, please email [email protected].
Secondary Documents
To establish a spouse/partner relationship, you must submit a secondary document dated within the last 60 days that demonstrates joint financial responsibilities. This includes, but is not limited to the following items.
- Bank or credit card bill/statement
- Mortgage statement
- Car, homeowners, or renters insurance billing statement
- Utilities or trash bill
The statements can be downloaded from an online portal for your account; we do not require the original. If you are unable to provide one document that meets these requirements, you may submit two separate documents: one that includes the employee name and another that includes the spouse/partner name. The addresses on both documents must match and they must be dated within the past 60 days.
If you have questions about acceptable documentation, please email [email protected].