1424 - Dependent Re-verification (DRV) (Historical View)
** Effective: 1/27/2022 1:05:27 PM - 8/26/2022 3:12:15 PM **Status: Active
Change Notes
Added updated GOV and CCR codes.
Category
Benefits and Insurance
Audience List
- Employee Relations Officers
- Personnel Officers
- Personnel Transactions Staff
- Personnel Transactions Supervisors
Synopsis
This policy
informs departmental personnel staff of their role in the dependent re-verification (DRV) process
Introduction
The DRV is the process of re-verifying the eligibility of spouses, domestic partners, children, stepchildren, and domestic partner children (family members) for their continued enrollment for state health and dental benefits. Government Code section 19815.9 mandates re-verifying the eligibility of these family members. Government Code section 22959 authorizes extending this review to family members enrolled in dental benefits.
Statement
The DRV began in 2018. The eligibility of family members will be re-verified once every three years. The re-verification period is based on the employee's birth month. The following chart illustrates the current schedule:
Year of Re-verification
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employee Birth Month | April July October | February May August November | March June September December | January April July October | February May August November | March June September December |
Employees enrolling family members within six months of their birth month will re-verify their eligibility at the next cycle. Example: An employee with the October birth month enrolls a spouse in July 2021. The eligibility of this spouse will be re-verified in 2024.
Employee Notification Process
Ninety (90) calendar days before the employee’s birth month, CalPERS will send a letter to the employee informing them of the re-verification requirement. The letter will provide the re-verification due date, and a listing of the family members enrolled in health benefits, and the acceptable re-verification documents. Two additional reminder letters will be sent to employees 60 and 30 days prior to the re-verification due date. Employees are to promptly provide re-verification documents and a completed Dependent Eligibility Verification Checklist (CalHR Form 781) to their departmental personnel office.
Additionally, departmental personnel offices are to send a letter to employees informing them of the re-verification requirement of family members enrolled in dental benefits. The letter should include the re-verification due date, a listing of family members enrolled in dental benefits, and the acceptable re-verification documents. Notification to employees in dental benefits should follow the same three-month schedule as the health notices provided by CalPERS (Refer to CalPERS Circular Letter #600-040-18). Employees are to promptly provide re-verification documents and a completed Dependent Eligibility Verification Checklist (CalHR Form 781) to their departmental personnel office. Departmental personnel staff may use the notification templates provided in the Dependent Re-Verification Toolkit.
Employees are only required to submit one completed Dependent Eligibility Verification Checklist (CalHR Form 781) to their departmental personnel Office to verify eligibility of their family members enrolled in health and dental benefits.
Required Re-verification Documents
Employees should provide copies of the following re-verification documents and write “Not for Official Use” on them:
| Dependent Type | Required Re-verification Documents |
|---|---|
| Spouse or Domestic Partner | A copy of the government issued marriage certificate or domestic partnership registration filed with the California Secretary of State or a comparable agency in another jurisdiction listing the family member as the domestic partner. AND A copy of the first page of the subscriber’s federal or state income tax return from the previous tax year listing the subscriber and the spouse or domestic partner. OR A combination of other documentation, including but not limited to, a household bill, account statement, or insurance policy listing the name and address of the subscriber and the spouse or domestic partner, or other documents that substantiate the exsistence of a current marriage or domestic partnership. Household bills and account statements older than 60 calendar days are unacceptable. |
| Natural-born Children | A copy of the birth certificate naming the employee as the parent. |
| Adopted Children | A copy of the adoption certificate naming the employee as the parent. |
| Stepchildren | A copy of the birth certificate naming the employee’s current spouse as the parent. |
| Domestic Partner Children | A copy of the birth certificate naming the employee’s current domestic partner as the parent. |
In subsequent re-verifications, employees need not provide birth certificates for natural-born children or adoption certificates for adopted children again. They also need not provide the government issued marriage certificate, domestic partnership registration, and birth certificates for stepchildren or domestic partner children if the marriage or domestic partnership remains current, unless requested.
Employees are responsible for redacting sensitive information, not necessary for dependent re-verification purposes, from any applicable documents (such as tax returns).
HR Responsibility
Within 30 calendar days of receiving the re-verification documents from employees, departmental personnel offices are to review and determine if the documents support the continued enrollment of their family members in health and dental benefits. If they do, departmental personnel offices are to key in mylCalPERS that the dependents are re-verified to continue enrollment in health benefits. No further action is required for re-verified dependents enrolled in dental benefits.
If the documents do not support the continued enrollment of the family members, departmental personnel offices are to inform the employees in writing, (i.e., first class mail, email) that the documents are deficient and the employee will need to provide documents that demonstrate a family member relationship still exists. CalPERS will automatically administratively disenroll ineligible dependents from health benefits. The departmental personnel office shall administratively disenroll them from dental benefits, if enrolled.
Delay in re-verifying the eligibility of family members may result in their loss of health and/or dental benefits.
Departmental personnel offices are to keep all documents used in the DRV process in the employee’s Official Personnel Files (OPF) without a purge date.
The “Dependent Verification End Date Report” will be available in myCalPERS for departmental personnel offices to see the employees whose family members require re-verification for health benefits in the current year. Departmental personnel offices can inform these employees in advance to gather the re-verification documents and submit them when officially notified by CalPERS.
The Dependent Re-Verification Toolkit provides an enrollment tracking sheet to assist departments in tracking enrollment of dependents enrolled in dental benefits.
Consequences
Disenrollment from Health Benefits
If employees do not respond or provide the required documents during their re-verification cycle, CalPERS will remove dependents from health benefits effective the first of the month after the employee’s birth month. Departmental personnel offices are to monitor health benefit deletions by regularly viewing the CalPERS “Dependent Verification Health Event Report.”
CalPERS will inform employees during their birth month in writing if administratively removing their family members from health benefits. CalPERS will include Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) continuation of coverage information with this letter.
Disenrollment from Dental Benefits
If employees do not provide the required documents during their re-verification cycle, departmental personnel offices are to administratively disenroll their dependents from dental benefits effective the first of the month after the employee’s birth month. When removing ineligible family members from dental benefits, departmental personnel offices are to inform employees, in writing, indicating the family members to be disenrolled and the effective date(s). The departmental personnel offices shall also provide COBRA information to the family members within 14 days from their loss of coverage. Permitting event codes:
Dental Permitting Event Code – 13D
Employees Providing Re-verification Documents Untimely
If employees provide re-verification documents for disenrolled, eligible dependents after receiving the final CalPERS notice but before the re-verification due date, HR offices may rescind the dependent deletion from health benefits. EMPLOYEES MAY INCUR AN ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FOR THE PREMIUM FOR THE MONTH AFTER THEIR BIRTH MONTH.
If employees provide re-verification documents for disenrolled, eligible dependents after the re-verification due date, HR offices must re-enroll the family members prospectively for health and dental benefits. THIS MAY RESULT IN A GAP OF BENEFIT COVERAGE. Permitting event codes:
myCalPERS – “Add Dependent—Re-enrollment of Verified Dependent” code.
Dental Permitting Event Code – 13A
Other Events Coinciding with Re-verification Cycle
Children Reaching Age 26
If a child's 26th birthdate coincides with the employee’s re-verification cycle, CalPERS will administratively remove the child from health benefits upon the child turning age 26. The employee should inform their departmental personnel office to remove the child from dental benefits, if enrolled. The best practice is for departmental personnel staff to view regularly the CalPERS “Dependent Verification Health Event Report” to disenroll ineligible health dependents from dental benefits, if enrolled.
Permissive Deletions
Employees should contact their departmental personnel offices immediately if they wish to remove a dependent due to a “permissive qualifying event” (e.g., family member obtains non-state sponsored health benefits, family member enters military, custody change for child under age 18, or child reaches age 18). The dependent should be removed due to a qualifying permissive event rather than ineligibility found during the re-verification process.
Mandatory Deletions
Employees should notify their departmental personnel offices immediately of any qualifying event that occurs during their re-verification period, such as divorce or termination of domestic partnership. In these situations, the dependent should be removed due to the qualifying event rather than ineligibility found during the re-verification.
Parent-Child Relationship (PCR) Dependent or Disabled Child Age 26 and Over Recertification
The DRV is separate from the process to recertify a PCR dependent annually or a disabled child age 26 and over. If employees receive notices to recertify PCR dependents during their DRV cycle, they should follow the instructions on these notices to recertify PCR dependents.
Employee Contact
Employees should contact their departmental personnel offices with questions regarding the DRV. If the employee disagrees with their departmental personnel office's decision on the re-verification of their family members, they must submit their reasoning for disagreement, in writing, to the departmental contact. If the departmental contact cannot resolve the issue, they may submit a copy of the employee's written disagreement, a departmental summary of events, the Dependent Eligibility Verification Checklist and all supporting documents to CalHR at DRV@calhr.ca.gov for review.
Application
Not Applicable.Authorities
- Government Code section 22959
- California Code of Regulations, title 2 Section 599.855
- Government Code 19815.9
Resources
FAQs
- DRV FAQs for Departmental Personnel Offices: Frequently Asked Questions
- DRV FAQs for Departmental Personnel Offices during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) State of Emergency: Frequently Asked Questions
- DRV FAQs for Employees during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) State of Emergency: Frequently Asked Questions
- DRV FAQs for Employees Re-verifying Family Members: Frequently Asked Questions
Forms
- CalHR 781 : Dependent Eligibility Verification Checklist
Related Policies
- 1401: Health Benefits
- 1403: Dental
- 1408: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
- CalPERS Circular Letter #600-040-18: CalPERS Circular Letter #600-040-18
Web Pages
- Dental Program: Dental Program
- DRV Toolkit: DRV Toolkit
- State Health Benefits Guide: State Health Benefits Guide
Authorized By
Benefits Division
CalHR,
Benefits Division
Contact Person
Dependent Re-Verification Program
CalHR,
Phone: 916-322-0300
Email: DRV@calhr.ca.gov