As An Active Employee
Faculty and staff of Stanford University and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) as well as certain family members are eligible for benefits coverage if the following criteria are met:
Your Eligibility
You are eligible for Stanford's benefits program if you work in a benefits-eligible position for six months or more (four months or more for bargaining unit employees) and you are a:
- Part-time employee working between 50% and 74% time (FTE), or
- Full-time employee working between 75% and 100% time (FTE)
Your Family Members
Eligible family members include:
- Spouse, unless legally separated
- Registered Domestic Partner
- Unmarried children to age 19
- Unmarried children to age 23 if full-time students in an accredited school or college (12 units per quarter)
- Unmarried children over the age limit if:
- They are dependent on you for primary financial support and maintenance due to a physical or mental disability
- They are incapable of self-support, and
- The disability existed before reaching age 19
Eligible children include:
- Natural children
- Stepchildren
- Legally adopted children
- Foster children
- Children for whom you are the legal guardian
- Children placed with you for adoption
- Children of your Registered Domestic Partner who depend on you for support and who live with you in a regular parent/child relationship
- Child for whom the court has issued a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO)
As An Official Retiree
Your Eligibility
Official retirees from Stanford University and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center are eligible for Stanford retiree medical benefits. You may be an Official Retiree if:
- Your age plus 10 or more years of benefits-eligible service equal at least 75, or
- You were hired into a benefits-eligible position before January 1, 1992 and you are at least age 55 and have 10 years of benefits-eligible service
To find out if you qualify as an official retiree, contact Stanford Benefits and to talk to a representative. Plan well in advance: you should allow at least 8 weeks after your call for us to research your employment history and determine your eligibility. Family member eligibility is the same as noted above. Learn more in our brochure, When Employment Ends.
Returning Employees
Welcome back to Stanford. As a returning employee you must satisfy a different eligibility requirement in order to become an official retiree. Read about this different requirement.
Registered Domestic Partners
You can cover your domestic partner if your partnership is registered with the State of California. The State of California registers same-sex domestic partners, as well as opposite-sex partners when one is age 62 or older and qualified for Social Security benefits. You may register your partnership in California even if you're not a California resident. For more information visit the State of California Domestic Partners Registry Web page.
Generally, you can register your domestic partner if you share a common residence and your domestic partner is:
- Age 18 or older
- A member of your household for the coverage period
- Not related to you in any way that would prohibit legal marriage
- Not legally married to anyone else or in a registered domestic partnership with anyone else