The Empire Plan is a unique health insurance plan designed especially for public employees in New York State. Empire Plan benefits include inpatient and outpatient hospital coverage, medical/surgical coverage, Centers of Excellence for transplants, infertility and cancer, home care services, equipment and supplies, mental health and substance abuse coverage and prescription drug coverage.
DAVID A. PATERSON
GOVERNOR
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12239
www.cs.ny.gov
NANCY G. GROENWEGEN
COMMISSIONER
NY10-34
PE10-29
SEHP10-09
TO: New York State Agency Employee Health Benefit Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division (EBD)
SUBJECT: Eligibility of Domestic Partners for M/C Life Insurance Eligibility of Domestic Partners' Children Generally
DATE: August 25, 2010
This memo is to advise you that the eligibility rules for the M/C Life Insurance Plan have been modified to allow the enrollment of Domestic Partners under the same rules for Domestic Partner coverage that apply to NYSHIP and to allow the enrollment of the Domestic Partner's children on the same basis as the enrollee's natural, stepchild, and adopted children.
Effective immediately, the Department is modifying the eligibility rules applicable to Domestic Partners and their children for NYSHIP, the New York State Dental Plan, the New York State Vision Plan, and the M/C Life Insurance Plan. A new Policy Memo #141 has been issued outlining this change. As a result of this modification it is no longer required that a PS 457 statement of Dependence form be completed for a for a Domestic partner's child to be enrolled under NYSHIP. The Domestic Partners child's eligibility is supported by the Domestic partners relationship. Therefore; if the Domestic partnership ends, the child's eligibility also will end. In the event of a partner's termination, the child of the partner may still qualify for coverage as an ‘other child. A PS457 statement of Dependence form and proof of support would then be required because the child is other than the enrollee's natural, adopted, stepchild, or domestic partner child.
NYBEAS is not yet programmed to include the new relationship of domestic partner child. The Employee Benefits Division will notify you as soon as the new relationship of domestic partner child is available to use. Until NYBEAS has been programmed to identify the new relationship of domestic partner child, please use the relationship of Son or Daughter when adding a child of a domestic partner on NYBEAS. Please also include a comment in NYBEAS identifying by name each child of a Domestic Partner.
If you have any questions, please contact your processor.