UC to Verify Family Member Eligibility for Health Coverage

The University of California's Human Resources this week will launch a systemwide project to verify the eligibility of all faculty, staff and retiree family members enrolled in UC health benefits (medical, dental and vision).

This project has been communicated widely through Open Enrollment materials, numerous articles in Our University and local publications and websites, as well as discussions with Chief Human Resources Officers, representatives of the Academic Senate, unions and other stakeholders. UC has selected Secova Inc. to manage this project.
 
Employees who do not provide documentation by May 17 run the risk being de-enrolled from their benefits. 

Packets of information will be mailed to the home address of each employee who has at least one covered family member starting today (Wednesday, March 21.)

All documents and questions should be directed to Secova. Contact information will be listed in the information packet and on the At Your Service website. 

For more information, please see this letter by Dwaine B. Duckett, vice president of Human Resources at the University of California. Copies of this letter are also attached in both English [PDF] and Spanish [PDF].

Dear Colleagues:
As you may be aware through open enrollment notices and internal news features, we are about to begin a family member eligibility verification project to ensure that all family members enrolled in UC-sponsored health plans are eligible for coverage.

All faculty, staff and retirees who have one or more family members enrolled for coverage will need to provide documentation verifying their family members’ eligibility. This project is the first step in a series of undertakings to ensure a more efficient administration of our benefit plans.

UC has selected Secova, Inc. to manage this aspect of the effort. Secova has more than 20 years of experience administering family member eligibility verification projects. Secova is affiliated with Segal/Sibson, one of the University’s long-time vendors and comes highly recommended by other higher education institutions and public and private sector employers.

Why This Project is Important

UC is proud to offer employees and retirees comprehensive, quality health coverage. We do so by managing our health plans responsibly and in the best interest of employees, retirees and the University. We review our plans every year to ensure they are competitive, compliant with state and federal regulations, and cost-effective. Verifying that all enrolled family members are eligible for coverage — a step that hundreds of universities now take routinely — is another way to meet our responsibility.

Through this project, we’ll confirm that family members who are covered meet UC’s family member eligibility rules — and we expect that the majority will. However, those who do not will be removed from coverage. Removing ineligible family members from coverage will help UC ensure our programs cover those we intend to, and better manage the costs of providing quality health coverage.

How Secova Will Help You

We want to make submitting verification documentation as easy as possible. Beginning on March 21, 2012, Secova will mail a verification packet to your home address. It will have instructions on the types of verification documentation to submit and how to submit it. May 17, 2012 is the deadline for submitting documentation.

Secova provides resources — both by phone (representatives will be available 24/7) and online — to help you meet the requirements and answer your questions. Secova’s dedicated call center, staffed with knowledgeable professionals, will offer you confidential support during the verification process.

We also know that keeping your family’s personal information safe and confidential is critical. We chose Secova because they meet the highest standards of data security with state-of-the-art security processes and procedures.

We Appreciate Your Cooperation

Thank you in advance for helping preserve the strength and viability of our benefit plans.
Sincerely,
Dwaine B. Duckett
Vice President of Human Resources
University of California