A Spouse or Dependent Passes Away
A Qualified Life Event
Losing a loved one is never easy, and it can be difficult to settle your loved one’s estate while you are still grieving. The following resources, and HRS Benefits Staff are here to help you.
Contact Information
HRS Benefits Team
319-273-2422
hrs-benefits@uni.edu
Required Documentation
All documentation must be submitted by the life event deadline.
Supporting Documentation Required for Benefits Enrollment and Changes
When adding or removing family members from your benefit plans, you must provide supporting documentation to verify the qualifying life event.
Visit the Supporting Documentation Required for Benefits Enrollment and Changes webpage for examples of acceptable documentation.
Verifying Dependents
Adding new dependents to your health and/or dental plan?
You can verify your dependents by Uploading Dependent Verification Document(s) in UNI Works. Once the required documentation has been uploaded, click Submit to complete and clear the task.
Do not send personal documents by email. Email is not a secure method for submitting dependent verification documentation.
Examples of Acceptable Documentation
- Spouse – Marriage certificate or common law spouse affidavit
- Domestic Partner – Notarized domestic partner affidavit
- Child – Birth certificate that includes the parents' names, adoption paperwork, court order, or guardianship paperwork
Previously Verified Dependents
Once a dependent has been verified, you do not need to verify that dependent again unless there has been a change that affects their eligibility or the documentation previously provided.
Examples of changes that may require updated documentation include:
- Spouse – A change in marital status, such as divorce.
- Child – A change to a court order or guardianship arrangement.
If there have been no changes affecting your dependent's eligibility, no additional verification documentation is required.
Leave Options
Funeral Leave
Staff members may use up to three days of earned sick leave per occurrence when death occurs in their *immediate family.
Pallbearer Leave
Staff members may use up to one day of earned sick leave per occurrence when serving as a pallbearer or funeral attendant for someone who is not a member of their *immediate family.
*Immediate family is defined, and limited to, the staff member’s spouse, children, grandchildren, foster children, stepchildren, legal wards, parents, grandparents, foster parents, stepparents, brothers, foster brothers, stepbrothers, sons-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters, foster sisters, stepsisters, daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, first cousins, corresponding relatives of the faculty or staff member's spouse, and other persons who are members of the staff member's household.
Grief Support Services
Crisis Response for Supervisors, Managers, Directors, Department Heads, & Deans
If an employee death occurs, Employee and Family Resources has a crisis response program ready to provide assistance. If you feel crisis response is something you need for your department, or you have questions, please call Human Resource Services at 319-273-2423 to discuss options.
Stress, Mental Health, and Grief Services
There are many services available for those who are grieving. Please visit the Stress, Mental Health, and Grief Services webpage for all resources available.
EAP
University of Northern Iowa benefits eligible employees, and their dependents, have access to an employee assistance program (EAP) through Employee and Family Resources. EAP offers short-term counseling for those experiencing difficult life challenges.
Principal Financial
Principal provides free grief support services and access to counselors through Magellan Healthcare. Services include, but are not limited to, grief counseling, depression screenings, and local and community legal resources. To receive a consultation call 800-274-4529.
Health, Dental, Vision, and Voluntary Term Life (VTL) Insurance
Health, dental, and vision insurance will end for the spouse/dependent on the last day of the month in which they passed. After being notified of the death, UNI will work to notify all applicable vendors to end the active coverage.
Voluntary term life (VTL) insurance ends as of the date of death. If the spouse/dependent was covered under a VTL policy human resource services will need to be notified so that they can file the claim with Principal Financial. The UNI employee is automatically the beneficiary of these policies.
The death of a dependent allows you to make any necessary changes to your benefits, which also includes changing health plans if needed. Please utilize UNI Works to make any changes.
Documentation
In order to change your benefits, or have a life insurance claim processed, documentation of the passing must be provided to the UNI Human Resources Office. This can either be done in person, or uploaded through the UNI Works system when making a change to benefits. Acceptable documentation includes:
- Death Certificate, or
- Certified copy of the public record of death, or
- Certified copy of a coroner's certificate
Additional Updates to Consider
- Emergency Contacts
- Tax forms
- Wills and Living Wills
- Power of attorney
Beneficiaries
If you need to update your life insurance beneficiaries due to a qualifying life event, please use the UNI Works System and this Job Aid to assist you.
For IPERS beneficiaries, please log into the IPERS website to update.
To update your TIAA beneficiaries, please log onto the TIAA website to update.
When You Can Make Changes to Your Benefits
Annual Open Enrollment
If you do not make any changes during open enrollment your coverage selection will remain the same.
Qualifying Life Event
You may also enroll, waive, or change your coverage selection based on a qualifying life event.
How to Make Changes to Your Benefits
UNI Works
UNI Works is designed to help you enroll, make changes, and view your current benefit elections, dependents and beneficiaries all in one location. When logging into UNI Works, select Benefits and Pay from the Main Menu.
Wherever conflicts occur between the contents of this site and the contracts, rules, regulations, or laws governing the administration of the various programs, the terms set forth in the various program contracts, rules, regulations, or laws shall prevail. Space does not permit listing all limitations and exclusions that apply to each plan. Before using your benefits, review the plan's coverage manual. Benefits provided can be changed at any time without the consent of participants.