Eligibility, Enrolling & Making Changes

Benefits Eligibility

Eligible employees include:

• Full-time regular employees
• Full-time regular faculty
• Employees who are not full-time and/or who are not in regular positions may be eligible for certain benefits according to the Affordable Care Act, the rules governing USD’s Defined Contribution Retirement Plan, and other USD policies (contact the Benefits team for details)

Dependents

You may enroll your eligible dependents in many of the same plans you choose for yourself. Proof of dependent status (like marriage or birth certificates) will be required to enroll. Eligible dependents include:

• Your legal spouse or registered domestic partner^*
• Your children up to age 26
• Your mentally or physically disabled dependent children of any age (contact the Benefits team for details)

*If you enroll your legally registered domestic partner in your benefit plans, the portion of the premium USD pays for your domestic partner’s coverage is considered taxable by the IRS and will be added to your paychecks as taxable income. Your domestic partner’s portion of your employee premium will also be deducted from your paychecks on a post-tax basis. Contact the Benefits team for details.

Enrolling & Making Changes

Benefits you elect when you are first eligible will be effective on your date of eligibility. Elections made during the annual Open Enrollment period will be effective January 1 through December 31.

You have three opportunities to enroll in or make changes to your benefits:

1. Within 31 days of your initial eligibility date
2. During the annual Open Enrollment period (held in the fall)
3. Within 31 days of a qualifying life event

Examples of a qualifying life event can include:

• Marriage, divorce, or legal separation
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Gain or loss of other health coverage
• Change in employment status
• Change in Medicaid/Medicare eligibility
• Receipt of a Qualified Medical Child Support Order

Note: Any updates you make to your benefits must be consistent with your qualifying life event. For example, if you have a baby, you can enroll in or increase your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contribution, but you cannot decrease your FSA since you are adding a dependent to your benefits.