Human Resources
Double Spouse Credit
When you and your spouse are both employed by the state of Iowa, you may want to take advantage of the double spouse credit. The double spouse credit provides family health and dental insurance coverage with little or no premiums.
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Double Spouse Credit Resource |
| Eligibility | Request for Double Spouse Credit Form |
| Enrollment | |
| Double Spouse Credit | |
| Separation of Employment | |
| Divorce | |
| Retirement | |
| For More Information |
Eligibility
You and your spouse have the option of selecting the double spouse family credit:
- At the time of employment, if married to a state employee.
- If married after becoming a state employee, at the time of your marriage.
- During the annual enrollment and change period.
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Enrollment
To enroll for a double spouse credit, please see your Personnel Assistant for an enrollment form.
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Double Spouse Credit
When spouses are employed by the state, at the option of the couple, one family plan may be elected. The state's contribution to double-spouse family coverage will be the full premium. When spouses are employed by the state and one spouse is a full-time employee and one spouse is a benefits-eligible part-time employee, at the option of the couple, one family plan may be elected. The state's contribution to the above stated double-spouse family coverage will not exceed the full family premium. If both spouses are benefits-eligible part-time employees, the state's share of the premium for each employee will be one-half of the state’s share of the full-time double-spouse family premium. When spouses are employed by the state, and one spouse is a non-Regents employee and the other spouse is a non-merit Regents employee, at the option of the couple, one family plan may be selected. The family plan selected shall come from those plans administered by the Department of Administrative Services.
If both Spouses are Eligible Employees of the State
When spouses are both employed by the state, they must enroll under the same family coverage. Employees cannot be covered as both an employee and a dependent under the state’s health and welfare benefit plans. Employees have four coverage choices under the health plans:
- Each spouse may enroll separately in single coverage.
- One spouse may elect single coverage and the other spouse may enroll themselves and dependent(s) in family coverage. The spouse selecting single coverage may not be listed as a dependent on the family plan.
- One spouse may elect to waive coverage and the other spouse may enroll both spouses and dependent(s) in family coverage.
- Both spouses may elect family coverage for themselves and their dependent(s) under double-spouse family coverage with one spouse being the contract holder and one being the contributing spouse.
The amount of the double spouse credit is different depending upon your and your spouse’s benefit-eligibility status.
If you and your spouse are:
| Both employed full-time (30 or more hours per week) | Health Insurance: The double spouse credit equals the full premium for family coverage. There is no employee cost for family health insurance regardless of the health plan selected. Dental Insurance: The state’s contribution is equal to two single premiums. |
| One of you is full-time and the other one is a benefits-eligible part-time employee (29 – 20 hours per week) | Health Insurance: The double spouse credit equals the full premium for family coverage. There is no employee cost for family health insurance regardless of the health plan selected. Dental Insurance: The state’s contribution is equal to two single premiums. |
| Both part-time benefits-eligible employees (29 – 20 hours per week) | Health Insurance: The state’s share for each employee is ½ the state’s share of the full-time double spouse family premium. Dental Insurance: The state’s share for each employee is ½ the state’s share of the full-time double spouse family premium. |
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Separation from Employment
If either you or your spouse separate from state employment, insurance coverage continues to the end of the month in which the separation takes place. The spouse, who remains employed with the state, has the following options.
- Continue with family coverage. The spouse, who remains employed with the state, would begin to pay the employee premium for family coverage and add the spouse that left state employment.
- Convert to single coverage. Eligible family members would have an opportunity to continue coverage through COBRA.
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Divorce
If you and your spouse divorce, insurance coverage under the double spouse credit will continue to the end of the month in which the divorce takes place. The employees have the following options:
- If no other family members, both convert to single coverage.
- If there are other family members, the one required to cover them by the divorce decree, converts to regular family coverage and begins to pay the regular family employee premium. The other employee could convert to single or family coverage.
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Retirement
If you and your spouse are covered under the double spouse credit and one of you retires, the double spouse credit is no longer available. In the case when you or your spouse retires, you and your spouse have the following options:
- Both of you convert to single coverage. If eligible, the retiring spouse would use his or her Sick Leave Insurance Plan (SLIP) dollars to pay the state’s share of the premium for health insurance. If not eligible for the SLIP program, the spouse who retires can take single coverage as a retiree or become a dependent on the existing employee's plan.
- One of you converts to single coverage and the other spouse remains with family coverage if there are other dependents. If eligible, the retiring spouse would use his or her SLIP dollars to pay the state’s share of the premium for health insurance.
SLIP dollars can only be used by the retiree that accrued the sick leave. SLIP dollars cannot be transferred to another individual or “pooled” together, such as for married state employees that both retire.
If you are an active employee and your spouse is a SLIP participant and exhausts his or her SLIP account or his or her SLIP eligibility ends, you can enroll your spouse as a dependent on your health insurance coverage.
If both spouses are retired, and one of the retiree's SLIP account is exhausted or loses SLIP eligibility, the retiree's can continue to maintain single coverage or convert to family coverage.
If not eligible for SLIP, retirees can continue with the state’s Retired Direct Pay Group by paying the full premium.
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For More Information
For more information about the double spouse credit, contact your Personnel Assistant.
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Created: 05/06/2009