Getting Divorced

A divorce or legal separation qualifies as a life-changing event and allows you to make changes to some of your benefits, provided you make the changes within 31 days of the divorce or legal separation. Below are the steps you must follow to adjust your benefits for this new chapter in your life.

On this page:

• Address Change
• Health Insurance
• Coordination of Benefits
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• LifeManagement Program
• Tax Exemption
• Beneficiary Changes
• Qualified Domestic Relations Order

Read	about benefits changes below.
Decide	which eligible changes you would like to make and learn about changes you are required to make.
Enroll	by following the enrollment process.

Address Change
If you or your former spouse move to a new address, be sure to notify your HR department. If you have a new last name, don't forget to change your voice-mail message and order new business cards.

Health Insurance
A divorce, annulment, or legal separation will allow you to make changes to your Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug and Vision coverage. Follow the enrollment process to make these changes:

1. Drop coverage for your ex-spouse effective on the date of the divorce or annulment (required)
2. Drop coverage for your spouse due to legal separation effective at the end of the benefit coverage period in which you contact HR to complete the notification process;
3. Drop coverage for your dependent children (if a court order requires your ex-spouse to provide coverage for the children and other coverage has actually been provided);
4. Add yourself to the Enterprise plan if you were previously covered under your ex-spouse's plan.

If you carry the health insurance for you and your spouse through Enterprise and go through a divorce, annulment, or legal separation, your ex-spouse may elect COBRA coverage for up to 36 months. Be sure to notify your local HR department within 31 days of the date the divorce, annulment or legal separation is finalized.

Employees are responsible for paying premiums between the date of the event and the last day of the benefit coverage period in which the employee contacts their local HR department to complete the notification process. Paid premiums will not be refunded for the days between the date of the event and the last day of the benefit coverage period.

If you are adding yourself to the Enterprise plan, coverage goes into effect on the first day of the next full benefit coverage period after the employee contacts their local HR department to complete the notification process. Health care premium deductions begin on the first full paycheck after your coverage effective date.

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Coordination of Benefits
(Applicable to Medical and Dental Coverage)
When families affected by divorce, annulment, or legal separation have more than one health plan involved, it is important that benefits of both plans are coordinated to ensure that claims are not paid twice. In the case of divorce, annulment, or legal separation, typically the plan that covers the child as a dependent of the parent with custody pays benefits for the child first. If the person with custody remarries, the stepparent's plan pays second and the plan of the parent without custody pays third. However, if a court decree places financial responsibility for the dependent child's health care on one parent, that parent's plan always pays first. See the Coordination of Benefits section of the Employee Handbook for more information.

Flexible Spending Accounts
Divorce, annulment, or legal separation qualifies as a life-changing event and allows you to make changes to your Flexible Spending Accounts.

Follow the enrollment process to make the following changes:

• For Health Care: you may decrease your pretax election amount.
• For Dependent Care: you may increase/decrease your election amount if the divorce, annulment, or legal separation affects dependent care expenses and the change is consistent with the event.

Changes to your Flexible Spending Accounts begin the first day of the next full benefit coverage period after the employee contacts their local HR department to complete the notification process. If waiving FSA, coverage terminates on the date of the divorce, annulment, or legal separation and the final premium will be deducted from the paycheck after the employee contacts their local HR department to complete the notification process.

If you neglect to follow the enrollment process and make changes within the time allowed, you will have to wait until the next Open Enrollment to make changes for the next Plan Year.

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Life Insurance
You must drop dependent life insurance for your ex-spouse within 31 days of the divorce or annulment by following the enrollment process. You may also want to change your life insurance beneficiary designations.

LifeManagement Program
LifeManagement professionals provide confidential consultation 24 hours a day, whether you are dealing with a change in the workplace, preparing for the arrival of a new child, or struggling with an emotional concern. One call or web site login to the LifeManagement team allows you access to both work/life specialists and licensed program consultants who can provide specialized resource and referral assistance, in person counseling, and more. Call 1-800-980-2273.

Tax Exemptions
You may also want to change your tax exemption status.

1. Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate (W-4) (Federal Tax)
2. Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate (State Tax)

You can also use the Payroll WorkCenter to update your Federal W-4 online.

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Beneficiary Changes
You may want to change your life insurance and Retirement Savings Plan beneficiary designations as a result of your divorce, annulment, or legal separation. You must designate the same beneficiary for Basic Life/Optional Life/AD&D Insurance.
   Basic Life/Optional Life/AD&D Insurance Beneficiary Designation Form (PDF)

To update beneficiaries for your Retirement Savings Plan, visit the online beneficiaries service available through Fidelity NetBenefits® at www.401k.com.

(Always check with your tax advisor regarding adding minor children as beneficiaries)

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