Birth or Adoption

The addition of a new child to your household is a qualified family status change that allows you to make changes to and enroll in benefits mid-year. The benefits affected by the birth or adoption of a child are listed below.

Important Deadline

You have 30 days from the birth of the child to add your new dependent to your benefits coverage. For adoptive children, you have 30 days from the date the child is placed in your home in anticipation of formal adoption proceedings or as of the date of adoption, whichever date is earlier.

If you do not enroll your new dependent within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until the next available Open Enrollment period to make changes to your benefits enrollments and the change will be effective January 1.

Enrolling Your New Dependent

Follow these steps to enroll online using Benefits Self-Service:

1.  Go to Wolverine Access
2.  Enter `Benefits' in the search bar
3.  Click Search
4.  Enter your uniqname and UMICH password; Two-factor (Duo) for Weblogin is required
5.  Click the Benefits Self-Service tile
6.  Click the Initiate Life Event Elections tile and follow the instructions 
7.  Click the enroll box on the Enroll Your Dependents section on the plan page for this dependent to add them to your benefit plan

Health, Dental and Vision Plans

You will be allowed to add your new dependent to each of these benefits in which you are enrolled:

  • Health Plan (includes enrollment in the U-M Prescription Drug Plan)
  • Dental Plan
  • Vision Plan

 Enrollment is not automatic; you must make changes in Wolverine Access within 30 days.  

Dependent Life Insurance

If not previously enrolled, the birth or adoption of a baby allows you to newly enroll in Dependent Child Life Insurance. Once enrolled, all eligible children in the household are covered from age 15 days up to the end of the month they turn age 26.

Flexible Spending Accounts

The birth or adoption of a child will allow you to enroll in or make adjustments to your Flexible Spending Accounts. To request a change to your FSA, complete and submit the Health Care FSA Request for Change in Status form and/or the Dependent Care FSA Request for Change in Status form within 30 days of the birth of your child. 

Review and Update Your Beneficiary

Remember to review your beneficiary designations for life insurance and your retirement savings accounts and make updates as necessary. 

Other Resources

  • For more information about paid leave benefits for parents following birth or placement for adoption, visit Maternity (Childbirth) and Parental Leave.
  • The Work/Life Resource Center assists families at the university in locating suitable child care. For more information, contact the WLRC at (734) 936-8677, or by email at [email protected].
  • The Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO) hosts a support group for new moms returning to work. This is a drop-in style group for women returning to work following the birth and/or adoption of a child through the time that their child is 2 years old. Women in their third trimester of pregnancy anticipating returning to work following maternity leave are welcome to attend as well. The group will address various topics, including work/life balance, separation anxiety, familial adjustments, lactation support, baby blues, sleep hygiene, child care, and building a post-partum support system. This offering will emphasize group discussion of participant experiences as well as educational components. There is no charge to attend.
    Meetings are on the first Thursday of every month. 12 noon to 1:15 p.m. at the Michigan Union - Pond Room. Although regular attendance is not required, participants must pre-register. Contact Tina at (734) 936-8660 to register for group.
  • See Saving for College to learn how to make an investment in your child's future with Michigan's 529 college saving plans.

Questions?

If you have any questions about adding your child to your benefits, call the SSC Contact Center 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 5 p.m.