View more information on the different types of qualifying dependents and how they are defined. It is especially important to delete any ineligible dependents from your coverage within 30 days of the loss of eligibility to avoid overpaying premiums. The university will not refund payment for coverage of ineligible dependents. In addition, failure to notify the SSC Contact Center or complete and return a COBRA Notice of Qualifying Event form within 60 days of your dependent’s loss of eligibility will result in forfeiture of COBRA continuation rights. Please Note: When completing benefits-related information, the definition for "Gender" is the dependent's gender at birth. This information is used to ensure accurate claims processing.
A person who is legally married to you, and not already covered through the university as an employee. If you and your spouse both work at U-M, you cannot be covered as both an employee and a dependent on the U-M Health, Prescription Drug, Dental, or Vision Plans.
If you do not already cover a spouse in your U-M benefits plans you may enroll one Other Qualified Adult (OQA) for benefit coverage if all of the following eligibility criteria are met:
The following individuals are not eligible for participation in the OQA program if they are your or your spouse's:
*Your children or your OQA's children may be eligible for coverage as dependent children, but not as other qualified adults. Eligible children of an OQA may be enrolled. Eligibility for an OQA’s child(ren) is defined by the eligibility criteria for dependent children.
You have 30 days from the date six months of shared residency have been established to add your OQA to your benefits coverage. If you do not enroll your OQA within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until Open Enrollment to make changes to your enrollments.
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all states must license same-sex marriages and recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The historic decision overturns Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage and allows the university to offer benefits equally to married same- and opposite-sex spouses.
The university has offered, and will continue to offer, benefits coverage for Other Qualified Adults (OQAs) and their children. However, the benefit provided to the OQA is taxable to the employee. With this ruling, legally married same-sex couples receive the same federal and state pre-tax benefits as opposite-sex married couples. This applies to medical, dental and vision benefits, when your covered spouse and/or your spouse’s children are enrolled in these benefits.
If you are legally married, university records must be updated to change the relationship on your employee record from “OQA” or “OQA child” to “spouse” or “step-child” so that the university can correctly address the tax implications of your benefits. This is not a change that you can make online using Self Service Benefits.
Fax or mail a Dependent Information Form which can be obtained by calling the SSC Contact Center at (734) 615-2000 or (866) 647-7657 toll free for off-campus calling within the U.S.
By fax: Fax to (734) 763-0363
By mail: Make a copy for your records and send by Campus Mail or U.S.
Mail to:
SSC Benefits Transactions
3003 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1276
On July 16, 2015, the State of Michigan Department of Treasury issued the notice “Michigan Income Tax Treatment of Employee Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses.” This notice states that if an employee is married to a same-sex spouse at any time during 2015, an employer should not withhold Michigan income tax from the employee’s pay to cover the value of the benefits for the spouse. For married same-sex couples who are legally married and provide documentation to the university as noted above, the university will provide refunds for any additional Michigan taxation that was taken from the employee’s pay retroactive to January 1, 2015.
The notice also states that for tax years before 2015, an employee who was married to a same-sex spouse may seek a refund by filing an amended Michigan income tax return to deduct the value of any same-sex spousal benefits that had been included in Michigan taxable income for that tax year. The amended return must be filed within four years of the date the original return was due. The taxpayer must claim either “married filing jointly” or “married filing separate” status. For more information on filing amended returns, please consult a qualified tax preparer. The Benefits Office and the university Shared Services Center cannot provide tax advice.
If you and your spouse or other qualified adult are both employed by the university, when you enroll in benefits, keep in mind:
You cannot cover under your University of Michigan benefits plans:
A child cannot be covered both as a university employee and as a dependent on another university employee’s coverage.
Your child by birth or adoption, or your spouse/OQA’s child, from birth to the end of the month in which he/she turns 26.
A child under your legal guardianship is eligible from the date the court order is effective or on the date the child moves into your home, whichever is later. Eligibility continues until the end of the year the child turns 18, or until the expiration date stipulated by the court within the Letters of Guardianship, but in no event beyond the end of the month the child turns 26.
A child through the end of the year in which they reach age 19 who:
Coverage will go into effect the first of the month following 90 days after the application is received.
Your unmarried child by birth or adoption, or child of your spouse/OQA who:
Once your disabled child has reached age 26, the child must be continuously covered under a university group health plan in order to maintain eligibility.
Application for extended coverage due to a dependent’s disability must be submitted within 31 days of the date the dependent reaches age 26. A new hire or newly eligible employee with a disabled child over age 26 may also apply for coverage for that child when first enrolling for coverage, provided that the child’s disability began before age 26, the child has had continuous group medical coverage since age 26 and such proof of coverage is provided when the application is made.
Survivors of deceased active benefits-eligible faculty, staff, lecturers, supplemental, research fellows, graduate students (GSIs, GSSAs, and GSRAs), and members of LEO, HOA, IUOE, POAM, MNA, Trades, and AFSCME.
Survivors of deceased retired faculty, staff, lecturers, and members of LEO, POAM, MNA, AFSCME, IUOE, and Trades.
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..
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.