employee health benefits equalization

7/29/2019 Employee Health Benefits Equalization

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EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS

EQUALIZATION

Presentation to the Administrative Committee

February 12, 2013



Present at ion Over v iew

Recap of Past Presentations

Today’s Presentation

Three Coverage OptionsCost Associated with Options

Plan Design

Legal ConsiderationsCommittee Action

2



Recap of Past Presentations

Texas Governmental Entities and Transit PropertiesThat Offer Domestic Partner Benefits

Texas Public Policy and Law

DART’s Medical Plan

Procedure Utilized By Other Governmental Entities toOffer Domestic Partner Benefits

Costs

Plan Summaries

DART – A Potential Plan Design

Legal Considerations

3



Three Coverage Options

and the

Cost Associated With Each Option

4



Three Coverage

Options

Same Sex

Domestic

Partners and

their Children

Same and

Opposite Sex

Domestic

Partners and

their Children

Same and Opposite

Sex Domestic

Partners , their

Children Plus One

Relative

Costs per Additional Dependent

Adult Dependants $5,620 $5,620 $5,620

Child Dependants $2,340 $2,340 $2,340

Estimated Additional Dependents

Low High Low High Low High

Adult Dependants 1.0 12.1 11.4 138.1 50.2 235.1

Child Dependants 0.5 5.8 5.4 65.6 31.3 130.2

Total 1.5 17.9 16.8 203.7 81.5 365.3

5



6

Three CoverageOptions

Same Sex Domestic

Partners and TheirChildren

Same Sex and

Opposite SexDomestic Partners

and Their Children

Same Sex and

Opposite Sex DomesticPartners and Their

Children

PLUS

Any Employee may cover up

to one relative in addition to

a spouse, domestic partner,

and/or dependent children.

Said relative would be

limited to those defined in

the bereavement leave

benefit policy in the HEMand AEM

Estimated Annual

Cost Per Option

Low High

$6,742 $81,558

Low High

$76,860 $929,758

Low High

$355,236 $1,625,697

Estimated Annual Cost



Plan Design – Domestic Partnership Defined

An individual who lives in the same household and shares

the common resources of life in a close, personal, intimate

relationship with a DART employee; if under Texas law, the

individual would not be prevented from marrying the

employee because of age, consanguinity, or prior

undissolved marriage to another. A domestic partner may

be of the same or opposite gender as the employee.

7



Plan Design – Who is Eligible

All regular full time employees are eligible for

benefits after meeting the required waiting

period. An employee’s spouse, common law

spouse, domestic partner, natural child, fosterchild, stepchild, domestic partner’s child, legally

adopted child or child under the employee’s

legal guardianship or custodianship (e.g.grandchild).

* Under option three one other relative would be

eligible. 8



Plan Design – Proof Required• In addition to a Domestic Partnership Affidavit, at

least two of the following should be required toprove the existence of a Domestic Partnership:

– Joint Deed or Mortgage Agreement or Joint Lease

Agreement

– Title or Loan documents demonstrating common

ownership of Motor Vehicle(s)

– Joint Bank or Credit Account(s) – Primary Life Insurance Beneficiary

– Assignment of Health Care and/or Property Power of

Attorney 9



Plan Design – Proof Required

Continued

Child Dependent - birth certificate, adoption records, courtordered guardianship or conservatorship or medical

support order.

Adult Dependent – includes parents, grandparents,

brothers, sisters, in-laws, aunts, uncles or other relative

or permanent member of the employees household

provided that there is a Court ordered guardianship oran ongoing total disability for a child over the age of 26.

*Adult dependents would qualify for benefits only if

option three is selected.10



Key Points to be Included in

Domestic Partnership Affidavit• Domestic Partnership relationship must have been in existence a

minimum of one year

• Domestic Partners must have maintained common residence for aminimum of one year

• Domestic Partners are both at least age 18

• Domestic Partnership is the sole relationship of the two domesticpartners

• Neither domestic partner is currently married or legally separated

• Domestic Partners are not blood relatives

• Would not be prevented from marrying if opposite sexes

• Domestic Partner shares common resources in a close, personal,intimate relationship with employee

• Financially and personally interdependent with employee

• Must provide that they are not married

• Must agree to penalty of discharge if the statements within the

affidavit are untrue 11



Proposed Options

• Permit Medical Coverage For:

– Same Sex Domestic Partners and Their Children

– Same Sex and Opposite Sex Domestic Partners andtheir children

– Same Sex and Opposite Sex Domestic Partners and

their children plus one adult as defined by

bereavement benefit policy and whether there isa guardianship or total disability of an adult child

12



QUESTIONS

13

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