RIT
Human Resources

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

RIT is introducing a new family member eligibility verification process in 2009. Below are some questions and their answers to help you. We will update this page as new questions are raised so that everyone will have the same information. For your convenience, each question shows the date the question was added.

If you have a question that is not listed here, simply

Q1: Why is RIT making this change?

(2/27/09)

A1: We believe it is a sound business practice to ensure that only those people who are eligible are covered and the taxability status is applied correctly. It is important that RIT and employees are spending money as intended and that required taxes are paid.

Q2: Has there been a problem that led to this change?

(2/27/09)

A2: No, and we do not anticipate finding many problems with employees covering ineligible family members. This is simply a process improvement that is sound business practice.

Q3: What employees does this process impact?

(2/27/09)

A3: This current process is for regular full-time and extended part-time employees hired before January 1, 2009. Employees hired on and after January 1, 2009 provide the verification documents as part of the initial benefits enrollment process.

Q4: What benefits does this process impact?

(2/27/09)

A4: This current process is for medical, dental, vision, spouse life and AD&D, and child life and AD&D. Verification for educational benefits will be a separate process for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Q5: I do not cover any family members at this time. Do I need to do anything

(2/27/09)

A5: No, you do not need to take any action now. If you add a family member to one or more of your benefits in the future, you will need to provide the documentation at that time. Refer to the chart at http://fintest.rit.edu/humanresources/benefits/docs/verificationdocs.pdf for a listing of the verification documents.

Q6: Will I need to submit eligibility documents every year?

(2/27/09)

A6: No, copies of the verification documents only need to be provided once regardless of future benefit plan enrollments. We will have a "flag" in the Oracle HR system to indicate that you submitted the necessary documentation. For example, if you cover your spouse only under the dental plan today and you add your spouse to your medical plan during the next open enrollment period, you will not need to provide another copy of the marriage certificate.

Q7: What do I need to do if my child is attending RIT using the RIT Tuition Waiver?

(2/27/09)

A7: You do not need to do anything at this time. You will need to include additional documentation when you complete the annual Tuition Waiver form for the 2009-2010 academic year. If you did not submit a copy of your child's birth certificate under the current process (because you do not cover your child under any other RIT benefits), you will need to submit it with your Tuition Waiver form. In addition, if your child is an undergraduate student, you will need to submit a photocopy of the top half only (above the Income section) of your 2008 federal income tax form (which shows the child as a tax dependent) with your Tuition Waiver form.

Q8: What is the annual process to verify tax-free status for RIT's Educational Benefits for my child?

(2/27/09)

A8: Tuition Exchange, Tuition Scholarship and Tuition Waiver benefits for undergraduate courses can be provided tax-free for eligible children whom you claim on your tax return. Proof is required each year to receive this tax-free status. Simply submit a photocopy of the top half only (above the Income section) of your prior year's federal income tax form (which shows the child as a tax dependent) with your Tuition Waiver form.

Q9: My ex-spouse claims my child on his tax return. Do I need to provide a copy of his tax return?

(2/27/09)

A9: No. Contact RIT Human Resources and we can provide you with a form on which you can indicate the tax reporting situation.

Q10: What do I need to provide?

(2/27/09)

A10: If you provide coverage for any family members, you need to provide proof of their eligibility for coverage. Refer to the chart at http://fintest.rit.edu/humanresources/benefits/docs/verificationdocs.pdf for a listing of the acceptable documents. Please note that we will accept photocopies. You should submit your photocopies along with the completed and signed form that was included in the mailing you received from RIT Human Resources.

Q11: don't have the documents and don't know where to obtain them.

(2/27/09)

A11: An official certificate of every birth and marriage should be on file in the locality where the event occurred. To obtain a certified copy of a certificate, write or go to the vital statistics office in the State or area where the event occurred. You can find out where to write or call in the U.S. by going to the website for the National Center for Health Statistics at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm.

Q12: My child was born in Monroe County. Is there any easier way to get the document since it is local?

(2/27/09)

A12: There are several ways to obtain a birth certificate for someone who was born in Monroe County. Click http://fintest.rit.edu/humanresources/benefits/docs/obtainingdocs.pdf for more details.

Q13: When do I need to submit my documents?

(2/27/09)

A13: You should return the completed and signed form that was included in the mailing along with photocopies of the verification documents to RIT Human Resources no later than June 30, 2009. You should note that there will be a raffle for FREE benefits for anyone who provides their form and documents by April 30, 2009.

Q14: What can I win in the raffle?

(2/27/09)

A14: You will be entered in a raffle for a "Premium Holiday." The winner(s) of the raffle will have two paychecks with NO premium deductions for medical, dental, vision, spouse life and AD&D, and child life and AD&D. The number of winners will be determined by the number of people who submit their copies by the April 30 deadline - the more people who submit, the more winners there will be - up to 5 winners!

Q15: What is the Human Resources Department address?

(2/27/09)

A15: Interoffice: 5th floor, Eastman Building

U.S. Mail: 8 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5604

Q16: I am confused about the child eligibility rules. The rules seem different for different plans.

(2/27/09)

A16: The rules are different; there are three groupings for child eligibility

  1. Medical, Dental, Vision
  2. Child Life and Child Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)
  3. Tuition Exchange, Tuition Scholarship, Tuition Waiver
We have posted a chart on our website for each of these groupings. You can also refer to the following questions for the details.

Q17: What are the child eligibility rules for Medical, Dental, and Vision?

(2/27/09)

A17: You, the employee must be eligible for the benefit. In order to be covered under your medical, dental, and/or vision care plan, a child must be

Q18: What are the child eligibility rules for Child Life and Child AD&D?

(2/27/09)

A18: You, the employee must be eligible for the benefit. In order to be covered under a Child Life and/or Child AD&D policy, a child must be

Q19: What are the child eligibility rules for Tuition Exchange, Tuition Scholarship, and Tuition Waiver?

(2/27/09)

A19: You, the employee must be eligible for the benefit. In order to provide the benefit for a child, the child must be

Q20: Both my spouse and I work here at RIT and I provide some of the benefits and my spouse provides some of the benefits. Do we each need to send copies?

(2/27/09)

A20: No, but you should both complete, sign, and return the personalized form you received. Once of you can submit the photocopies and the other spouse can make a note of that on his/her personalized form.

Q21: I am legally separated from my spouse. What are the coverage rules in this situation?

(2/27/09)

A21: You can continue to cover your legal spouse, even if you are legally separated. Simply provide the requested verification document. If you want to remove your spouse from whom you are legally separated, you must do so within 31 days of the legal separation. Otherwise, you must wait until you are divorced or the next open enrollment period.

Q22: I am very concerned that documents with all of our Social Security Numbers and other identifying information would be held by RIT.

(2/27/09)

A22: We certainly understand the concern about the Social Security Number. However, birth certificates and marriage certificates do not always have Social Security Numbers on them. If the documents you need to submit do have the Social Security Number on them, feel free to cross out the Social Security Number on the photocopy. In addition, we will not be keeping the copies once we have processed them. Refer to question #35 for more details.

Q23: I feel more vulnerable to identity theft now that HR is keeping this information in Oracle.

(2/27/09)

A23: The copies will not be stored electronically. We will only have a flag in Oracle identifying that the employee has submitted the necessary copies. This is important so we do not ask an employee to re-submit documents they have already submitted.

Q24: How will I know my documents are secure?

(2/27/09)

A24: The copies will be stored in a locked cabinet in a locked office temporarily. Human Resources is responsible for storing a lot of confidential information and we do not take that responsibility lightly. We have determined that we will destroy (shred) the documents after we have processed them. Refer to question #35 for more details

Q25: I understand that I must claim my child on my tax return in order to cover the child under my medical plan. What year do you mean?

(2/27/09)

A25: The answer to this may vary based on your particular circumstances. Generally, if you claimed the child as a tax dependent for 2008 and expect to claim the child as a tax dependent for 2009, the child would meet this obligation.

Q26: I did not claim my child on my tax return in 2008 because he was in the military. He is home now and will be going to college full-time and I will claim in on my tax return in 2009. Can I cover him under my medical coverage?

(2/27/09)

A26: Yes, based on these circumstances you would be eligible to cover him under your medical plan in 2009.

Q27: I am confused. I only have Child Life and Child AD&D coverage but no one is listed on the form. What do I need to do?

(2/27/09)

A27: Please write each child’s name, date of birth, and gender. Please remember, you can cover only your natural-born or legally adopted children (see question #18 above). Sign and date the form and return to RIT Human Resources along with photocopies of their birth certificates.

Q28: I do not have any of the life or AD&D coverages on family members; each box says “None” but I do cover them for medical coverage. Do I need to check any of the boxes in the life and AD&D sections?

(2/27/09)

A28: No. Those only need to be checked for people who have those coverages.

Q29: I am divorced and my ex-husband claims our children on his tax return. Can I still cover my children under my various RIT benefits?

(2/27/09)

A29: Yes, there is a special rule in the case of a divorce. You can cover your eligible children under your medical, dental, vision, child life, and child AD&D coverages.

Q30: Will you notify me after you receive my documents?

(2/27/09)

A30: Yes, after we have received, reviewed and processed your documents, we will send you a confirming e-mail. Due the large number of documents being submitted, you may not receive an immediate response.

Q31: My son still lives with me and has a job, but his employer does not provide medical coverage. I do not claim him on my tax return. Can I still cover him under my medical plan?

(2/27/09)

A31: No. However, during this special verification period, you can continue to cover him until January 1, 2010. This time allows you to determine what other options are available to your son. Effective January 1, 2010, he will be removed from your policy. We will offer continuation under the Federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). When a child becomes ineligible, he/she has COBRA available for up to 36 months. In this case, we would count this 36 months from the date your son became ineligible for coverage under your plan. For example, if he should have come off 1/1/08, then as of 1/1/2010, he would have one year left of the 36-months of COBRA period. The COBRA coverage would be under the same plan you have (e.g., if you have POS A, he would have POS A under COBRA). The cost of the COBRA coverage is the full cost plus a 2% administrative charge as allowed under current law. Based on the 2009 rates, the individual COBRA rate, per month, is as follows:

Q32: The COBRA rates are very high. Are there any other options?

(2/27/09)

A32:We have contacted both Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and MVP Health Plan/Preferred Care about options they may have on an individual, direct bill basis. Because of the legally required items, the options will not be significantly cheaper than the COBRA coverage through RIT. However, there are a couple of program available through New York State:

We also suggest you check out the New York State program called Family Health Plus at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/index.htm. Family Health Plus is a public health insurance program for adults who are aged 19 to 64 who have income or resources too high to qualify for Medicaid. Family Health Plus is available to single adults, couples without children, and parents with limited income who are residents of New York State and are United States citizens or fall under one of many immigration categories. Family Health Plus provides comprehensive coverage, including prevention, primary care, hospitalization, prescriptions and other services. There are minimal co-payments for some Family Health Plus services. Health care is provided through participating managed care plans in the Rochester area.

You can learn more about Healthy NY by calling Excellus BlueCross BlueShield at (585) 325 3630 or Healthy NY directly at (866) 432 5849. You can also check out their website at http://www.healthyny.com. The monthly cost for the coverage is as follows:

Q33: I cover my husband and his two children (my step-children) under my RIT medical coverage. Based on the divorce decree, my husband claims one child on our tax return and his ex-spouse claims the other child on her tax return. Can I still cover both children under my medical coverage even though the second child is not claimed on our tax return?

(2/27/09)

A33: Yes you can. The Internal Revenue Service defines an eligible child as a step-child. In addition, there is a special rule in the event of a divorce that states that a child of divorced parents is a dependent for both parents. Therefore, you can continue to cover both children under your RIT medical coverage.

Q34: I don’t have the original birth certificate for my daughter; I have a Certification of Birth and it does not list the parent’s names. Will that form be sufficient?

(2/27/09)

A34: No, but submit that photocopy along with a photocopy of the top portion of your tax return (above the earnings section) that lists her as your tax dependent and you will be all set.

Q35: While I trust Human Resources with confidential information, I am still very worried about their storage, even if they are locked up.

(2/27/09)

A35:We are pleased to say that we have made a change in our original plan for storage of these documents. After consultation with Institute Audit, Compliance & Advisement, we have determined that after we review the photocopies and determine that they provide the appropriate verification, we will destroy them (using a cross-cut shredder).