Legal Custody

You may be adding a person to your household through any one of the methods mentioned above. If you are adding a child to your household because of legal guardianship, legal custody or foster care, that child may be eligible for coverage under a number of benefit plans provided by the university. The Work/Life Program (IMPACT) can assist you in locating childcare, community resources for special needs care, and assistance in preparing for this important life change.

The addition of a child to your household may create a need to adjust your participation in several available benefit programs and provide the university with updated personal information. You may also wish to review your federal, state and, if applicable, city tax withholding elections. The following is a checklist of issues for you to consider:

• Personal Information Update - You will need to complete and return a Change of Employee Personal Information Form in order to add a dependent or change any of these items: name, address, phone, title, marital status, emergency contact. You will also be required to provide documentation for the status of any child you wish to add as a dependent. You will need to submit the Change of Employee Personal Information Form and supporting documents within 31 days of the change of event.  You can also change your mailing address and/or emergency contact information by logging into FlashLine, clicking on the MyHR tab and selecting Personal Information under Employment Details.
• Medical/Dental/Vision Enrollment Changes  - You will need to complete and return a Group Insurance Enrollment Form (found in the HR Forms Library) to change your enrollment in the medical/dental/vision plans. This includes changes for single/family coverage or opt-out of the coverage, adding a dependent and designation of a primary care physician for any covered family members. Under Internal Revenue Service regulations, you must submit this form to the Benefits Office within 31 days of the placement of the child in your home if you wish to make any changes.
• Flexible Spending Accounts - If you wish to enroll in a Dependent Care and/or Health Care Reimbursement Account or if you wish to change your level of participation in one of these accounts, you must complete a newFlexible Spending Account Enrollment Form (found in the HR Forms Library). Under Internal Revenue Service regulations, you must submit this form to the Benefits Office within 31 days of the placement of the child in your home if you wish to make any changes.
• Payroll Tax Withholding- If you need to change your federal, state or local income tax withholding you should contact the Payroll Department at 330-672-2637 or you can obtain most forms from the Payroll Department web site. All completed forms must be returned to the Payroll Department.
• Life Insurance Beneficiary - If you need to change the beneficiary for the group term life insurance provided to you by Kent State University, you must complete and return a Change of Beneficiary Form (found in the HR Forms Library).  Completed forms should be sent to the Benefits Office, Wright Hall, 1st Floor.
  
• Tuition Benefits - If your new dependent plans on attending Kent State or is currently enrolled, it is important to read the eligibility requirements for tuition waiver benefits.
  

If you are adding an adult to your household because of legal guardianship, that person is not eligible for coverage under the benefit plans sponsored by the university. The Work/Life Program (IMPACT) can assist those employees assuming custody or guardianship of a child or elder parent by providing information on legal and community resources. Information may be provided on elder law, recognizing signs of Alzheimer's, blended families and other related concerns. Workshops are occasionally offered on such topics as elder law and assisting your aging relative.