Life Events

Outside of Open Enrollment, certain life events allow you to change your benefits during the calendar year. Detailed information about how your benefits may be impacted and what actions to take following a qualified family status change or other life event (such as a sabbatical, international travel, or military service leave) is available in this section.

Experiencing a Change? Remember to Update Your Beneficiary

It is important to review your beneficiary designations for life insurance and your retirement savings accounts and make updates as necessary whenever your circumstances change. Update your beneficiary when you experience a life event that changes your eligible dependents, or when there is a change affecting your named beneficiary. For example if your named beneficiary dies, or if you get married or divorced, or for the birth or adoption of a child.

What is a Qualified Family Status Change?

A qualified family status change may be related to your marital status, number or status of dependents, employment status or work schedule, residence or work site, Medicare/Medicaid eligibility, or a domestic relations order. These events are defined by Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, based on individual circumstances and plan eligibility. These events may not apply to every benefit plan. You can change your benefits to reflect a qualified family status change if you act within 30 days of the qualifying event.

Change in Legal Marital Status

Marriage, death of spouse, divorce, or annulment.
Change in Number of Dependents

Birth, adoption, placement for adoption, legal guardianship or death of a dependent.
Change in Employment Status for You or Your Dependent

Termination or commencement of employment by the employee, spouse, or dependent that results in a change for benefits eligibility.
Change in Work Schedule

Switch between part-time and full-time work, a strike or lockout, commencement of or return from an unpaid leave of absence, or an increase or decrease in hours of employment by the employee, spouse, or dependent that results in a change for benefits eligibility.
Change in Dependent Status

Either satisfying or ceasing to satisfy the age or other requirements to qualify as a covered dependent under the plan. Examples: Your OQA newly satisfies the six-month residency eligibility requirement for OQAs; you and your spouse divorce.
Change in Residence or Work Site

Change in faculty or staff member's, spouse's, or dependent's residence or work site that result in loss of coverage. Examples: You are enrolled in an HMO and move to a county outside of your plan's service area; your spouse is enrolled in his/her employer's plan and that employer decides to offer all employees only one plan option that does not include your geographic location within the plan's service area.
Domestic Relations Orders

A court order resulting from a divorce, legal separation, annulment, or change in legal custody that requires health plan coverage for the employee's child under the employee's health plan, or can end contributions for the child if the order requests the employee's former spouse to provide the coverage.
Change in Medicare or Medicaid Eligibility

A corresponding change is permitted under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) due to the faculty or staff member's, spouse's, or dependent's gain or loss of Medicare or Medicaid eligibility. Changes under this rule must be reported within sixty (60) days after gaining or losing coverage in Medicaid or the state CHIP program. Your change will be effective as of the event date.

Questions About Your Benefits?

Submit your questions to the SSC Contact Center. You can also call the SSC at 5-2000 from the Ann Arbor campus, (734) 615-2000 locally, or (866) 647-7657 toll free, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m..

Limitations

The University of Michigan in its sole discretion may modify, amend, or terminate the benefits provided with respect to any individual receiving benefits, including active employees, retirees, and their dependents. Although the university has elected to provide these benefits this year, no individual has a vested right to any of the benefits provided. Nothing in these materials gives any individual the right to continued benefits beyond the time the university modifies, amends, or terminates the benefit. Anyone seeking or accepting any of the benefits provided will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the benefits programs and the university's right to modify, amend, or terminate them. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the benefits information in this site. However, if any provision on the benefits plans is unclear or ambiguous, the Benefits Office reserves the right to interpret the plan and resolve the problem. If any inconsistency exists between this site and the written plans or contracts, the actual provisions of each benefit plan will govern.

Life Events

Experiencing a Change? Remember to Update Your Beneficiary

What is a Qualified Family Status Change?

Questions About Your Benefits?

Limitations

Benefits Office

Facing a Change? Counseling Can Help

Counseling and Consultation Services for Michigan Medicine Employees

Keep Your Beneficiary Up to Date

Update Personal Information with TIAA and Fidelity

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