Eligibility for Enrollment in the Health Plans

If the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs approved your appointment, you are considered a Stanford-appointed postdoc. In that case, you are eligible to enroll in our health plans regardless of your funding source or visa status.

Which Family Members Qualify to Enroll in Our Health Plans

• Your spouse (unless legally separated) or registered domestic partner
• Your married and unmarried children under 26 years, regardless of student status.
  • In addition to your natural child, the term "child" also includes a stepchild, a legally adopted child, a child who has been placed with you in anticipation of adoption, a child for whom you are the legal guardian, and a child of your registered domestic partner. The child must be your tax dependent if they are a child of your registered domestic partner.

Stanford University also provides health coverage to certain children if the university is directed to do so by a qualified medical child support order (QMCSO) issued by a court or state agency of competent jurisdiction.

Under this law, courts may require a postdoc to provide medical, dental, and vision coverage to a child who might not otherwise have coverage in certain events, such as divorce. Contact the Postdoc Benefits Office at (650) 724-9490 or postdocbenefits@stanford.edu to obtain a copy of the QMCSO procedure.

If you enroll a dependent in your health plans, the Postdoc Benefits Office requires proof of dependent eligibility for each dependent you add to your health plans. The Dependent Eligibility Documentation table details acceptable proof of dependent eligibility.

For the medical, dental, and vision plans, you may choose from one of the following enrollment categories:

• Postdoc Only
• Postdoc + Spouse/Registered Domestic Partner
• Postdoc + Child(ren)
• Postdoc + Family (includes Spouse/Registered Domestic Partner and Children)

You may select different enrollment categories for your medical, dental, and vision plans. For example, you may enroll your entire family for medical coverage, but only yourself for dental; or you, your spouse, and child for medical and you and your spouse for dental.

You also have the option to waive postdoc medical, dental, and vision benefits.

*As of this writing, the IRS tax code does not recognize registered domestic partners as tax dependents. Thus, the IRS requires us to report the value of the medical coverage paid on behalf of a registered domestic partner (less any post-tax contributions) as taxable income to you.