Change in Family Status

Go to Change in Family Status form

“Change in family status” is the Internal Revenue Service rule that allows you to adjust your benefit selections when unforeseen circumstances occur between open enrollments. Only specific events qualify as a change in family status.

Qualifying events include:

• Marriage
• Divorce/legal separation/annulment
• Death of spouse/child
• Birth of a child
• Legal adoption/placement of child
• Reduction in hours of employment
• Beginning of spouse’s employment/benefits
• Dependent not eligible
• Commencement of/return from unpaid leave of absence
• Significant change in cost/coverage
• Involuntary loss of outside coverage
• Eligible/ineligible for Medicare/Medicaid
• Loss of spouse’s employment/benefits *
• Open enrollment at spouse’s employment
• Arrival of family in United States
• Judgment/decree/order for coverage of children
• Beginning/end of Same Sex Domestic Partner Relationship

* If you are covered by a Federal Health Plan, voluntary loss of your spouse’s employment does not qualify as a change in family status.

If a qualifying event occurs, you must report it within 31 days, and the family change must relate to the benefit change you are requesting. As an example, adding or dropping medical plan dependents is common in the case of birth, marriage, or divorce. 

If you don’t request a change in benefits within the 31-day period following your family change, you cannot make changes until the next open enrollment period.

Two special notes: 1) The change in family status provision doesn’t apply to the health care flexible spending account program. A health care FSA cannot be modified, even if you have a change in family status. 2) You are only allowed to switch to a different medical plan as a result of a change in family status that either drops or adds dependents.