A change in status

(i.e., marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, death, etc.)

With the exception of marriage where you have 60 days to add your spouse, all other status changes must be made with HR within 30 days of the event. It is important to note that if you miss this 30 day period you will need to wait until the next annual Open Enrollment to make these changes.

The State of RI annual open enrollment is usually held between mid-May and mid-June so that changes can be effective with the July 1st fiscal year.

•  To add a newborn or adopted child you must notify HR within 30 days of the birth by providing the child’s name, gender, and date of birth, as well as a copy of either the hospital discharge paper, or the court adoption order.  Then,
  •  A copy of the official state birth certificate is required upon your receipt of it
  • The child’s social security number is required due to the Mandatory Insurer Reporting Law of 2009.
  • Once the birth certificate and social security number are received this finalizes the enrollment.

•  To add a new spouse to your health coverage you must notify Human Resources within 60 days by providing a copy of the marriage certificate signed at the ceremony, or the official State Marriage Certificate if you receive it within the 60 day deadline. The sooner HR is notified, the sooner your spouse can be added to your coverage.

• If a dependent children needs to be added, along with the new spouse, a copy of the child’s birth certificate, as well as their social security number is needed.

Certain qualifying events allow employees to make changes to health coverage outside of the Open Enrollment period.

Proof of the qualifying event must be submitted (i.e., marriage certificate, divorce decree, proof of open enrollment for spouse, lose of coverage letter, etc.) Some of these qualifying events are:

• marital changes due to marriage, divorce, death of spouse
• civil union / dissolution of
• domestic partnership / dissolution of
• birth, adoption, death
• beginning or ending of a spouse’s employment
• change from full-time to part-time employment or vice versa for your or your spouse
• losing other coverage due to you or dependent has exhausted COBRA coverage under another group plan, lost eligibility for the other plan, or if employer contributions under the other plan cease
• when an employed family member changes a health election in a plan sponsored by her/his employer during their open enrollment period
• when compliance with certain family relations order or decrees such as Qualified Medical Child Support Order is legally required
• when there is a change in employment status for you, your spouse, or your covered dependent, including a strike or lockout, or commencement or return from unpaid Family Medical Leave (FMLA) or RI Parental Family medical Leave of Absence (RIPFMLA)
• when you or any of your covered dependents become entitled to, or lose, Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

Contact Dawn Smith in Employee Benefits at 874-9054 with any questions or to make changes.

State of Rhode Island State – Benefit Elections – Status Change Rules

Health Application / Change in Family Status with Supporting Documentation Instructions