Benefits » Other Insurance » Dependent Life Insurance
Notice To All Employees Enrolling in Dependent Life after 01/01/07: The information appearing on the "View Employee Benefits" screen for Dependent Life coverage is currently being updated. Employees with an initial enrollment of a spouse/domestic partner as of 01/01/07 are required to complete a Statement of Health for dependent coverage above $50,000. The spouse/domestic partner coverage amount in Oracle is based on the system default at 50% of the employee's current coverage. This default coverage amount on Oracle is subject to approval of the Statement of Health by Prudential Insurance Company, and not accurate until approval is received. Employees with questions regarding coverage amounts are welcome to contact the LANL Benefits Office at 505-667-1806 or by Email at benefits@lanl.gov.
LANS offers two Dependent Life insurance plans to employees eligible for Full and Mid-level benefits, Basic and Expanded:
Your costs will depend on several factors, including
Eligibility requirements for Dependent Life insurance depend on numerous factors.In general, you can enroll your legal spouse, domestic partner, and unmarried natural or adopted child, stepchild, legal guardian, and same-sex domestic partner's child/grandchild in Dependent Life insurance during your period of initial enrollment (PIE), which starts the day you become eligible and ends approximately 31 days later. (New hires: your PIE will start on your date of hire.)
If you are enrolling a dependent in Dependent Life insurance because of a family status change (e.g., marriage or birth of a child), the beginning of the PIE will be the date of the qualifying event (e.g., date of marriage or date of the child's birth).
If you enroll after your PIE, you must submit a statement of health for an adult member to the insurance company. (It is not required for a child.) A statement of health is an application that informs the insurance company about your medical history. The insurance company may or may not accept your request for coverage based on the statement of health.
If you and your spouse are each enrolled in your own individual Supplemental Life insurance plans and your spouse terminates employment, you may then enroll your spouse as a dependent in your Dependent Life insurance plan when s/he terminates.
Note: LANS's life insurance plans carry no restrictions for preexisting conditions.
You have 31 days from approval of your health statement to submit your enrollment form to Benefits to enroll. If you do not submit an enrollment form within 31 days from approval, you may have to request another health statement and your enrollment could be delayed or denied as a result.
Your options for coverage will depend on the life insurance plans in which you are enrolled.
| If you are enrolled in | then you can enroll your dependents in |
|---|---|
| Basic or Core Life only | Basic Dependent Life |
| Basic or Core Life, plus Supplemental Life | Expanded Dependent Life |
The coverage for your legal spouse or domestic partner will correspond to the amount of your coverage (i.e., 50% of your covered amount).
You may transfer your dependents from the Expanded plan to the Basic plan at any time. However, to transfer from the Basic plan to the Expanded plan, you must submit a statement of health for your legal spouse or domestic partner. (It is not required for a child.)
LANS rules do not allow dual coverage. You may be covered as an employee or as an eligible dependent of a LANS employee, but not both. You may not be covered in more than one category. If both parents are LANS employees, only one parent can cover the children.
This plan is not available to retirees.
Coverage for your dependents stops if you cancel or lose your life insurance coverage. However, you may be able to convert your Dependent Life insurance to an individual policy.
If a dependent covered under your Dependent Life insurance plan dies, you are the beneficiary, which means you will receive benefits (i.e., funds) from that person's insurance policy. Under the Expanded plan, you may designate someone else to receive benefits if a spouse or domestic partner covered under the plan dies.
This is only an overview of the Dependent Life insurance plan. For more guidance on beneficiary issues related to this plan, refer to the "Dependent Life Insurance" section of Life Insurance Benefit Program Summary (pdf) .
Questions? Contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1806.