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Separation and Divorce

DIVORCE, LEGAL SEPARATION OR DISSOLUTION 

Notify Benefits within 31 days of a divorce, legal separation, or dissolution of a same-sex domestic partnership as it affects your benefits coverage.  You may drop or add coverage for dependents, as well as make changes to other benefits.  Contact your departmental administrator to change your name, if applicable.

Beneficiaries 

Beneficiary designations should be reviewed periodically. Especially if you experience a major life event such as a birth, marriage, dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership, or death in the family. It is recommended to keep up-to-date copies of your beneficiary designation forms.

Medical, Dental, and/or Vision

If you are a medical plan, dental, and/or vision plan participant, you must provide legal documentation and drop coverage for your former spouse/domestic partner within 31 days of the divorce, legal separation, or termination of the domestic partnership. You must contact benefits@uchicago.edu with a specific request and a copy of your divorce decree/dissolution agreement.

Ending Your Same-Sex Domestic Partnership

You must complete the Statement of Termination of Domestic Partnership form and submit it to benefits@uchicago.edu within 31 days. After the termination of a same-sex domestic partnership, you will be unable to register another domestic partner for one year from the date of termination. 

Please Note:

  • If you do not terminate your spouse's coverage, you may be held liable for any medical, dental, and/or vision claims they may have incurred.

  • Should you need to add a dependent to your medical, dental, and/or vision coverage, verification of relationship is required. Documentation for a new dependent child may include a birth certificate or adoption papers, or other appropriate legal documents. 

Group Life Insurance, and/or Personal Accident Insurance

You may change your beneficiary designation(s) and decrease the level of your coverage anytime during the year through Workday.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

  • If you anticipate changes to your health care expenses in the upcoming months due to your change in marital status, you may want to begin participating in, increase, or decrease your current contributions to the the Health Care or Limited Purpose FSA.

  • If you have children who will become your dependents as a result of a change in marital status and you anticipate daycare expenses, you may want to begin participating in the Dependent Care FSA , or increase or decrease your current contributions to the Dependent Care FSA. Changes may be made within 31 days of your legal separation or divorce.

  • These changes can only be made in the case of legal separation or divorce, not in the case of same-sex domestic partnership.

Retirement Benefits

Change your beneficiary(ies) under the defined contribution portion of the Retirement Income Plan for Employees (ERIP), the Contributory Retirement Plan (CRP), and the Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) (collectively, these are the "defined contribution" plans) through TIAA.

  • Contact TIAA 800.842.2252 directly to obtain the requisite paperwork. The TIAA representatives also can identify for you the persons currently designated as your beneficiary(ies).

Change your beneficiary(ies) under the defined benefit portion of ERIP and SEPP (ERIP participants only).

  • For the defined benefit portion of ERIP and SEPP (current and former ERIP participants only), please contact the Benefits Office at 773.702.9634.