This November, UT will implement its Dependent Eligibility Verification Assessment initiative for employees who currently participate in UT’s health-care plans.
The Dependent Eligibility Verification Assessment initiative will help ensure that health benefit programs meet the needs of UT’s employees and their eligible dependents. UT’s assessment will be conducted by HMS Employer Solutions, an independent organization used by many Ohio universities conducting similar assessments.
To provide more information about the assessment to employees, UT and HMS Employer Solutions will hold two employee open forums Tuesday, April 26:
• Main Campus — 11:15 a.m. to noon in Student Union Room 2582, and
• Health Science Campus — 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. in the Center for Creative Education Building Room 0111.
“This assessment ensures that employees are getting what they need for themselves and their eligible dependents and taking full advantage of their benefits,” said Jovita Thomas-Williams, vice president and chief human resources officer. “We want to make sure we answer questions our employees have about this process and help them make the most of HMS Employer Solutions’ assistance.”
UT officials also noted that the assessment, a best practice implemented by universities across Ohio, addresses an ongoing mandate from Ohio elected officials and Gov. John Kasich for universities to increase their accountability and efficiency in an effort to keep costs for students low.
To make the process go as smoothly as possible, employees are strongly encouraged to begin collecting the documentation needed for the eligible dependents they wish to cover. Employees will be asked to provide only copies because the documents will not be returned.
Acceptable documentation for verification purposes includes birth certificate (displaying parent names); marriage certificate (showing date of marriage); divorce decree, or other court documents with parents’ names for dependent children; or legal guardianship and other forms of supportive documentation to verify current state of relationships, including joint bills or bank statements with spouse’s name or shared address, or redacted prior-year 1040 tax returns.
UT will only receive aggregate data from the assessment initiative and will not have access to the documentation employees provide to HMS Employer Solutions. At the end of the assessment initiative, documents submitted by UT employees will be securely destroyed.
In early September, employees will receive direct communication from HMS Employer Solutions detailing the Dependent Eligibility Verification Assessment process. Notification letters will be sent to employees’ home addresses, so it is important to maintain updated contact information in the myUT portal. Address information can be updated on the employee tab in the portal.
If you are unable to attend either of these forums and have questions about the dependent eligibility verification assessment, contact the University’s Human Resources and Talent Development benefits office at 419.530.4747 or benefits@utoledo.edu.
