A divorce or the end of a domestic partnership can be a difficult time, so it's easy to overlook the impact this transition can have on many of your MIT benefits. This page will help you to keep track of areas that might require action.
Remember that if you do not meet the timeline described below for modifying your benefits, you will have to wait until the next annual Open Enrollment period to do so.
Health, dental, and vision plans
- If you find yourself suddenly without health insurance because you were covered by the health plan of your spouse or domestic partner, review your health, dental, and vision plan options, and enroll in the plans that meet your needs.
- Make necessary changes to your MIT health plans within 31 days of the official date of your divorce. Submit the change form below.
- If divorce changes your financial situation and your eligibility for Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program, you have 60 days to make corresponding changes to health-related benefits. Learn more about Medicaid and SCHIP.
- If your divorce decree requires you to continue MIT health coverage for your former spouse, MIT Benefits will help you set up a separate individual membership for your former spouse. There is no MIT subsidy on this individual membership; you and/or your former spouse are responsible for paying the full unsubsidized group cost for this coverage. Contact MIT Benefits for details on how to make the necessary changes.
- Review the Health Plan Coverage for Former Spouses of Employees policy below.
Life insurance
- Visit Atlas to evaluate your participation in the MIT Optional Life Insurance Plan.
- Cancel your spouse or partner life insurance coverage using the form below.
- Review your life insurance beneficiaries to make sure they are current. Update your beneficiaries by submitting the form below.
Retirement plans
- Review and update your beneficiaries to make sure they are current.
- MIT Benefits does not provide consultation, guidance or information about Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDROs). As part of a marital property settlement, a QDRO or other court order might require the transfer of all or part of the balances from your MIT Basic Retirement Plan or MIT 401(k) Plan to your former spouse. Consult each of the Plan Documents for in-depth information on how a QDRO might have an impact on those benefits.
For all questions, inquiries and requests for information about obtaining a QDRO, please contact QDRO consultants directly at (800) 527-8481 ext. 135 and identify yourself as an MIT current or former employee or spouse of a current or former MIT employee.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
- Enroll in an MIT Dependent Care FSA or MIT Health Care FSA.
- Change the amount of your annual contribution to your FSA below.
Why the Period for Making Changes is Limited
Most of the benefit plans offered through MIT are paid with pre-tax dollars. In exchange for that tax advantage, you legally cannot enroll in, cancel, or make changes to your health, dental, or reimbursement account plans outside of the annual Open Enrollment period, unless you experience a qualifying change in your life like the one described above.
MIT's policy for allowing changes outside Open Enrollment in the case of certain qualifying life events is consistent with the federal Department of Labor guidelines under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).