Domestic Partner

New Employee: If you are a new employee, you must complete and return the enclosed Affidavit of Domestic Partnership. Insurance enrollment forms are available from your Personnel Assistant (PA). Return the completed Affidavit and the insurance enrollment forms to your PA. For new hires that claim domestic partnership, the effective date will be when the employee is eligible for coverage (first of the month following 30 days of employment).

Active Employee: If you are currently enrolled in a health and/or dental plan and have a domestic partner who meets the criteria midyear, you must request enrollment forms from your PA. Return the completed Affidavit and enrollment forms to your PA. For current employees, the effective date for coverage will be the first of the month following the employee’s signature on the insurance applications.

The Affidavit and the insurance applications must be signed within 30 days of each other.

The member handbook provided by your selected carrier, The State of Iowa Employee Handbook, The Employee Benefits Handbook, the DAS Domestic Partner Web site, the DAS-HRE administrative rules and the Iowa Code govern eligibility and enrollment procedures for all employees, retirees, spouses and dependents. Where legally possible, eligibility and enrollment procedures for a domestic partner and his/her dependents, if any, will be on the same basis as for spouses or dependents of any other covered employee.

Children of a domestic partner are eligible if they meet the definition of an eligible dependent. These requirements are outlined in the insurance carrier plan certificates.

An eligible, dependent child can be your, or your domestic partner’s natural child; a legally adopted child or a child placed with you for adoption; a child you have legal guardianship, a stepchild or a foster child; or a child for whom you have a legal obligation to provide medical insurance. Dependent children must meet the following requirements:

1. The child is not married and either under 26 years of age or a full-time student; or
2. The child is age 19 to 25, not a full-time student, is unmarried and living in the state of Iowa (A state of Iowa Group Insurance Plan Certification of Non Full-Time Student Dependent Age 19 to 25 needs to be submitted); or
3. The child is totally and permanently disabled, either physically or mentally. If this is the case, the disability must have existed before the child was age 25, and the dependent must have had continuous health care coverage with the carrier of choice since, on, or before that birthday.

A summary of health insurance benefits and an Employee Benefits Handbook is available from your personnel assistant, or on the DAS Benefits Web site.

You will receive a member handbook and ID card from your insurance company once you become enrolled. This handbook describes the benefits and rules of the insurance plan you selected. The member handbook is the governing document describing the insurance company’s benefits and rules.

The member handbook provided by your selected carrier may not specifically refer to domestic partners. Where legally possible, eligibility and enrollment procedures for a domestic partner and his/her dependents, if any, will be on the same basis as for spouses or dependents of any other covered employee.

Your PA will forward your completed affidavit and enrollment forms to the Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise for final approval and processing. Your materials will then be sent to the insurance carrier(s) you selected. New ID cards may be issued. You may contact your insurance company to verify who is covered under your plan.

• If you are currently enrolled in a health and/or dental plan and have a domestic partner who meets the criteria midyear, the effective date for coverage will be the first of the month following the your signature on the insurance applications.
• If you are a new employee claiming domestic partnership, the effective date will be when you are eligible for coverage (first of the month following 30 days of employment).

Employees choosing to enroll their domestic partner in their benefits plan will not be eligible for the Premium Conversion Program.

The state contribution will be no different than any other family contract and will be dependent on the plan you select and the contribution level set for your bargaining status and bargaining unit.

While single coverage is free to employees, because you may be moving from single to family coverage to insure your domestic partner, you will have to contribute the employee contribution for the family plan you select.

If both the “employee” and “domestic partner” are state employees eligible for health and dental insurance, then selection of family coverage under the domestic partner provision effectively waives any right of either party to single coverage benefits or contributions during the time the partnership is in effect. Further, a double spouse contract is unavailable to those in a domestic partner relationship.

When you enroll in health insurance and/or dental insurance your benefit elections will remain in effect to the end of the calendar year and you cannot make any changes until the next enrollment and change period.

You cannot make any changes until the next enrollment and change period unless you experience a qualified life event and the benefit change you request is consistent with the event.

Qualified events are defined by Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, based on individual circumstances and plan eligibility.

If there is a qualified event than a domestic partner can be terminated provided you complete an Affidavit of Termination of Domestic Partnership and the necessary signed insurance application/change forms.

You will need to submit the appropriate application forms to your personnel assistant to update your coverage and tax status.

No. This will not be allowed.