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Domestic Partner Benefits
Guidelines
The Board provides domestic partner benefits to employees and their domestic partners (and eligible children), as defined below. The Board, through the Human Resources (HR) Function of the Management Division, determines, in its sole discretion, who is eligible for domestic partner benefits. Employees may enroll their domestic partners (and eligible children) for the following: (1) dental benefits; (2) vision benefits; (3) life insurance coverage; (4) FR System long term care insurance; (5) health insurance premium reimbursement (HIPR); and (6) relocation benefits. The benefits and eligibility criteria are described in more detail below.
Definitions
Eligible Children -- Eligible children are the unmarried, dependent children of a domestic partner who meet the age and other criteria for participating in the relevant benefit plan or program as determined by the written terms of each benefit plan or program.
Employee -- Employee is an individual, other than a Board member, who is appointed into Board service for a period of more than 365 days and is eligible to participate in the benefit programs listed above, as determined by the written terms of each benefit plan or program.
Domestic Partner and Domestic Partnership -- A domestic partner is a person in a domestic partnership with an employee.
Domestic Partnership -- A domestic partnership is a committed relationship between two adults, of the same or opposite sex, which meets all of the following conditions:
- The domestic partnership has been in effect for at least 6 months;
- Both partners are at least eighteen years of age;
- Both partners are each other's sole domestic partners and intend to remain so indefinitely;
- Neither partner is married (either legally or by common law) to, or legally separated from, anyone else;
- The partners are not related by blood or marriage to a degree of closeness that would prohibit marriage in the state in which they reside;
- Both partners reside together and intend to do so indefinitely;
- Both partners agree they are in a committed relationship and consider each other jointly responsible for each other's common welfare and financial obligations; and
- Both partners agree that they are not in the relationship solely for the purpose of obtaining benefits coverage.
Enrollment
To enroll in domestic partner benefits employees should complete the Declaration of Domestic Partnership form (112 KB PDF), and make an appointment with a Benefits Counselor on 452-2280.
Once enrolled, the employee's domestic partner and his or her eligible children will begin to receive benefits beginning on the date allowed under the written terms of the underlying benefit plan or program.
Enrollment and Commencement of Benefit
To enroll in the HIPR program employees should complete the Declaration of Domestic Partnership form (112 KB PDF) and submit it to Benefits, Mail Stop 146. If an enrollment form is received within the timeframes stated below, benefits under the HIPR program will begin on the first day of the first full pay period that occurs:
- after January 1 of the calendar year beginning after open season, if the employee meets the deadlines announced during open season; or
- 31 days after beginning employment with the Board; or
- 31 days after the birth of a child; or
- 31 days after the date on which a relationship meets all the requirements of a domestic partnership.
Termination of Benefits
Domestic partner benefits other than HIPR benefits terminate on the earliest of: (1) the last day of the pay period in which Board employment terminates (e.g., due to retirement or any other type of separation); or (2) the last day of the pay period in which the Employee ceases to be eligible for domestic partner benefits or benefits in the underlying benefit plan or program; or (3) the last day of the pay period in which the Board terminates the relevant benefit plan or program; or (4) at any time if the Employee fails to comply with the requirements of the Domestic Partner Benefits program. HIPR benefits will be terminated under the same conditions as above but termination will occur on the last day of the quarter in which the terminating event occurs, except for condition 4, which would result in immediate termination of benefits.
Covered Benefits
Domestic partners and eligible children are eligible for: (1) dental benefits; (2) vision benefits; (3) life insurance coverage under the dependent insurance option of the Board Employees Group Life Insurance (BEGLI); (4) Federal Reserve System long term care insurance; (5) HIPR; and (6) relocation benefits.
Dental Benefits
The Board will pay the employer's share of the cost of dental benefits for domestic partners and eligible children. The employee must pay the full cost of the employee's share of dental benefits. The employee's share of the domestic partner's premium cannot be paid on a pre-tax basis, but will be deducted from the employee's salary on an after-tax basis.
Vision Benefits
Vision benefits are fully funded by employees who participate in the plan. However, domestic partners and eligible children may participate in, and receive benefits under, the vision plan if the employee participates in the vision plan and pays the premium associated with family coverage. The employee's share of the domestic partner's premium cannot be paid on a pre-tax basis, but will be deducted from the employee's salary on an after-tax basis.
Life Insurance Coverage
Employees who currently have life insurance under BEGLI may choose to enroll their domestic partner and eligible children as dependents under Dependent Life (Option 3). Except for domestic partners of newly hired employees, MetLife may require proof of insurability of the domestic partner and eligible children prior to providing coverage. As is the case with other dependent coverage under Option 3, the employee is responsible for paying the full share of the dependent coverage.
Federal Reserve System Long Term Care
Long term care benefits are fully funded by employees who participate in the plan. However, domestic partners may participate in, and receive benefits under, the long term care plan if the employee participates in the long term care plan and pays the premium associated with the coverage. The employee's share of the domestic partner's premium cannot be paid on a pre-tax basis, but will be deducted from the employee's salary on an after-tax basis.
Health Insurance Premium Reimbursement (HIPR)
Employees may be reimbursed for a portion of non-subsidized health insurance premiums incurred and paid for their domestic partner, and his or her unmarried dependent children under the age of 22. Reimbursement will only be paid if the domestic partner and/or his or her children are not eligible for subsidized health insurance coverage from any source. The Board will reimburse:
- 72 percent of the monthly premium cost paid for the health insurance coverage; or
- the maximum employer contribution for that year for any insurance option under the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program for an individual or family policy, as appropriate, whichever amount is less.
Reimbursements will be paid on a quarterly basis.
The Domestic Partner Health Insurance Premium Reimbursement Program provides additional information as to the benefits offered.
Health Insurance Reimbursement Form (17 KB PDF)
Relocation Benefits
An employee's domestic partner and eligible children will receive relocation benefits under the same circumstances that an employee's spouse and dependent children would receive such benefits. The Relocation Benefits policy provides additional information as to the benefits offered.
Taxation of Covered Benefits
All domestic partner benefits provided by the Board are treated as taxable income to employees. The fair market value of the benefit, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, will be included in the employee's income as reported to the IRS on the employee's W-2. Thus, the employee will be responsible for paying all applicable taxes, such as federal, state, social security, and medicare taxes on the fair market value of the benefits provided.
Responsibility
The Management Division is responsible for administering domestic partner benefits. The Board reserves the right to terminate or modify domestic partner benefits at any time.
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