You and Your Family Members’ Eligibility

As a new postdoc, you have 31 days from your date of appointment to enroll yourself and your eligible dependents. Your eligible family members must be enrolled with the same coverage start date as you, which is the date of appointment. Failure to enroll yourself, or enroll your dependents, within this time frame could result in a significant delay in access to coverage, or the inability to enroll yourself and/or your dependents until the next Open Enrollment period. Please see the definition of Open Enrollment below.

Family member eligibility requirements are the same as the family member eligibility requirements for the Vanderbilt University Faculty and Staff plans. The major family member eligibility categories are the following:

• Spouse*
• Natural or adopted child or children* to age 26 for medical plans (unless eligible to continue coverage because of disability). Adult age children are not eligible to enroll if they are eligible for their own employer-sponsored plan.
• Same-sex domestic partner and children, including legally adopted children*: You must meet certain conditions in order to enroll your same sex domestic partner. To complete the certification/enrollment of your eligible Domestic Partner, please contact Dr. Mistie Germek, BRET Psychological Services, 306F Light Hall, (615) 343-0714. Dr. Germek’s designation as a clinical psychologist allows him to provide this certification service while ensuring absolute confidentiality.

Currently Enrolled Postdocs – Qualifying Life Events

If you are currently enrolled and you have a newly eligible family member as a result of marriage or domestic partnership, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption, you may be eligible to enroll your newly eligible family member. You must request enrollment within 31 days after the marriage or partnership, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption by completing an enrollment form with the appropriate information on this website.

Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is an annual period of time designated by your employer, Vanderbilt University, to allow you to make changes to your current enrollment that are otherwise not allowed throughout the rest of the year, unless you experience a qualifying life event. For instance, if you previously waived coverage for yourself and/or any eligible family members, during the designated open enrollment period, you may enroll both yourself and your dependents if you so desire in the available plan choices. For any plans in which you enroll, coverage always begins on October 1st.

The annual open enrollment period is usually communicated during the month of August and normally takes place during August and September.

* To learn if your department allows for payment of their coverage through either the associated grant or departmental funds, please check with your department administrator before enrolling your dependents.

We thank you for the opportunity to be of service to you and your family.

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