1424 - Dependent Reverification (DRV) (Historical View)

Status: Active

Change Notes

Policy Created.

Category

Benefits and Insurance

Audience List

• Employee Relations Officers
• Personnel Officers
• Personnel Transactions Staff
• Personnel Transactions Supervisors

Synopsis

This policy informs departmental human resource (HR) staff of their role in the dependent reverification (DRV) process

Introduction

The DRV is the process of reverifying 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 22843.1 mandates reverifying the eligibility of these family members.  Government Code section 22959 authorizes extending this review to family members enrolled for dental benefits.

Statement

The DRV will begin in 2018.  The eligibility of family members will be re-verified once every three years.  The reverification period is based on the employee's birth month.  The following chart illustrates the schedule:

Employees enrolling family members within six months of their birth month will reverify their eligibility at the next cycle.  Example:  An employee with the August birth month enrolls a spouse in May 2019.  The eligibility of this spouse will be re-verified in 2022.

* The DRV function in mylCalPERS will activate in February 2018.  Employees with the January birth month will initially reverify their family members in 2021.

Employee Notification Process

Ninety (90) calendar days before the first of the month following the employee’s birth month (reverification due date), CalPERS will send a letter to the employee providing the reverification due date, and listing the enrolled family members for reverification and the acceptable reverification documents.  Employees are to promptly provide re- verification documents to, and complete the Dependent Eligibility Verification Checklist (CalHR Form 781) with, their Personnel Specialists.  Personnel Specialists are to reverify the same family members for dental benefits, if enrolled.

Required Reverification Documents

Employees should provide copies of the following reverification documents and write “Not for Official Use” on them:

In subsequent reverifications, employees need not provide birth certificates for natural-born children or adoption certificates for adopted children again, unless requested by the HR office.  They also need not provide the marriage certificate, domestic partnership registration, and birth certificates for stepchildren or domestic partner children if the marriage or domestic partnership remains current, unless requested.

HR Responsibility

Within 30 calendar days of receiving the reverification documents, HR offices are to review and determine if they support the continued enrollment of the family members.  If they do, HR offices are to key in mylCalPERS that the dependents are re-verified.  If the documents do not support the continued enrollment of the family members, HR offices are to inform the employees in writing, i.e., by email, that the documents are deficient and the employee will need to provide documents that demonstrate a family member relationship still exists.  HR Offices shall monitor employee responses and health event changes in the CalPERS “Dependent Verification Health Event Report.”  If CalPERS removes family members from health benefits, HR offices are to remove the same dependents from dental and premier vision benefits, if enrolled. 

Delay in reverifying the eligibility of family members may result in their loss of health, dental, or vision coverage.

Human resource (HR) 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 mylCalPERS for HR offices to see the employees whose family members require reverification in the current year.  HR offices can inform these employees in advance to gather the reverification documents and submit them when officially notified by CalPERS.

Consequences

Disenrollment from Health and Dental Benefits

If employees do not respond or provide the required documents during their reverification cycle, CalPERS will remove dependents from health benefits effective the first of the month after the employee’s birth month.  HR offices are to monitor health benefit deletions by regularly viewing the CalPERS “Dependent Verification Health Event Report,” and remove the same dependents from dental and vision benefits, if enrolled. 

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.  

HR offices are to inform employees in writing, within 14 days from their dependent deletion, explaining the same family members are removed from dental and/or premier vision benefits, and the effective date(s), if enrolled.  HR offices shall include COBRA information with this letter.

Disenrollment from Dental or Premier Vision Benefits

HR offices are to establish a method to track employees with family members enrolled in dental and/or premier vision benefits only, and reverify their eligibility for continued coverage once every three years, following the DRV schedule.

When removing ineligible family members enrolled for dental or premier vision benefits , HR offices are to inform employees in writing indicating the family members to be disenrolled and the effective date(s).  HR offices shall also provide COBRA information to the family members within 14 days from their loss of coverage.

Employees Providing Reverification Documents Untimely

If employees provide reverification documents for disenrolled, eligible dependents after receiving the final CalPERS notice during their birth month but before the reverification due date, HR offices may rescind the dependent deletion.  EMPLOYEES MAY INCUR AN ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FOR THE PREMIUM FOR THE MONTH AFTER THEIR BIRTH MONTH. 

If employees provide reverification documents for disenrolled, eligible dependents after the reverification due date, HR offices re-enroll the family members prospectively for healthand/or dental benefits using the “Add Dependent—Re-enrollment of Verified Dependent” code.  THIS WILL RESULT IN A GAP OF BENEFIT COVERAGE.

Other Events Coinciding with Reverification Cycle

Children Reaching Age 26

If a child's 26th birthdate coincides with the employee’s reverification cycle, CalPERS will administratively remove the child from health benefits upon the child turning age 26.  The employee should inform the HR office to remove the child from dental and premier vision benefits, if enrolled.  The best practice is for HR staff to view regularly the CalPERS “Dependent Verification Health Event Report” to disenroll ineligible health dependents from dental and premier vision benefits.

Permissive Deletions

Employees should contact their HR 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 reverification process.

Mandatory Deletions

Employees should notify their HR offices immediately of any qualifying event that occurs during their reverification 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 reverification.

PCR Dependent or Disabled Child Age 26 and Over Recertification

The DRV is separate from the annual process to recertify a PCR dependent 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.

Application

Authorities

Resources

Authorized By

Contact Person

Angela Acker
Health Policy Analyst, , Health Policy
Phone: 916-322-9795
Fax: 916-322-3769
Email: angela.acker@calhr.ca.gov

Superseded Policies