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Life Events - Graduate Assistants

Life Events

• Change in marital status
• New child
• Spouse or children entering the United States
• Graduate assistantship ends

Change in Marital Status

Marriage:  You are eligible to enroll your spouse for medical and dental coverage on the first of the month following the date of your wedding.  To add your spouse to coverage, complete a Health Insurance Qualifying Status Change Form for Graduate Assistants and return it to Benefits with a copy of your marriage certificate within 31 days following your marriage. Copies are accepted and can be faxed, scanned and e-mailed, or mailed to Benefits at the address on the form.  If you have questions, please contact Cindy Uccello at cindy.uccello@uconn.edu or (860) 486-0400.

Divorce:  Former spouses are ineligible for medical and dental benefits as of the first of the month following the date of the divorce.  You are required to report the change and cancel the coverage.  To cancel coverage for your spouse, complete a Health Insurance Qualifying Status Change Form for Graduate Assistants and return it to Benefits within 31 days following your divorce.  If you have questions, please contact Vivian Cadenhead at vivian.cadenhead@uconn.edu or (860) 486-2432.

New Child

To add your child to your current medical and/or dental coverage, complete a Health Insurance Qualifying Status Change Form for Graduate Assistants and return it to Benefits with a copy of the child’s birth certificate, adoption certificate, or placement of foster child agreement within 31 days of the event. Copies are accepted and can be faxed, scanned and e-mailed, or mailed to Benefits at the address on the form.  If you have questions, please contact Cindy Uccello at cindy.uccello@uconn.edu or (860) 486-0400.

Spouse or Children Entering the United States

To add your spouse and/or children to your current medical and/or dental coverage, complete a Health Insurance Qualifying Status Change Form for Graduate Assistants and return it to Benefits within 31 days of them entering the United States.  Please include the required proof documents, which include marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption certificate, and passports reflecting entry date.  Copies are accepted and can be faxed, scanned and e-mailed, or mailed to Benefits at the address on the form.  If you have questions, please contact Cindy Uccello at cindy.uccello@uconn.edu or (860) 486-0400.

Graduate Assistants Completing Their Assistantships and/or Who Accept Regular Employment with the University

Graduate Assistants who will be ending their assistantships or accept other regular employment with UConn (e.g. as a full-time lecturer, faculty member, non-teaching professional, etc.) will experience a change in health insurance and may experience an impact on continuity of coverage.

This brief notice is intended to alert you to the impact of this change so that you may better plan for your health care needs.

Specifically:

Graduate Assistantships beginning August 23 and ending in January:

• Your health insurance coverage ends on the last day of the month in which you end your assistantship. Your COBRA* health insurance coverage will be available the first of the month following the end of your assistantship.

Graduate Assistantships beginning August 23 and ending in May:

• Your health insurance coverage continues until August 31. Your COBRA health insurance coverage will be available September.

Graduate Assistantships beginning in January and ending in May:

• Your health insurance coverage continues until August 31. Your COBRA health insurance coverage will be available September.

Graduate Assistants accepting regular employment:

• If you accept regular employment at the University or any other agency with the State of Connecticut, beginning August 23, following the end of your Graduate Assistantship in May; your health insurance coverage as an employee will not begin until October 1. Thus, to maintain health insurance coverage, COBRA health insurance coverage is available for the month of September.
  
  
• If you accept regular employment at the University or any other agency with the State of Connecticut, between May 23 and July 31, your graduate assistant health insurance ends and your employee health insurance coverage will begin the first of the second month after hire. Thus, to maintain health insurance coverage, COBRA health insurance coverage is available for the intervening month.

Graduate Assistants resigning their assistantship mid-semester:

• If you resign during a semester and before the end date of your assistantship, your health insurance coverage will end the last day of the month you resign. COBRA health insurance coverage is available for the following month.

Question should be directed to the Benefits Unit in the Department of Human Resource at 860-486-0400 or benefits@uconn.edu.