The Human Resources benefits division will conduct an audit later this year to verify the eligibility of each dependent covered by the city ‘s health plans. The city’s dental, basic life insurance, voluntary life insurance and AFLAC supplemental plans also will be audited.

If you have dependents enrolled in a city health plan, you should have received a letter from the benefits division asking you to verify either the eligibility of your covered dependents or to stop coverage on your ineligible dependents.

Who may be covered:

• Your legal spouse from a formal or informal marriage, or your former spouse entitled to support under a court order. Only one spouse or ex-spouse may be covered at a time.

• Your natural or adopted children under 25.

• Your stepchildren and grandchildren under 25 who are primarily dependent on you for federal income tax purposes and are living with you.

• Your child for whom your spouse or you are a court-appointed guardian.

• Your child of any age who is incapable of self-sustaining employment because of mental retardation or physical handicap.

If your benefits file does not contain documents that support the eligibility of the people listed on your health plan, you may be required to submit those documents. They include a birth certificate, birth fact for a newborn, marriage license, declaration and certification of an informal marriage for a common-law marriage, legal documents for children for whom you are guardian or children placed in your home pending adoption, and a divorce decree or death certificate.

During the audit, benefits employees will be looking for unusual relationships, such as children and parents too close in age, listed children who are older than the parents, more than one spouse, or a large gap in the children’s ages.

If you are covering someone who is ineligible for city health benefits, you should immediately complete the required forms to drop ineligible dependents. Consult your human resources liaison for the forms. You may drop ineligible dependents by April 30 without penalty. After May 1, a penalty, including a possible fine, will be assessed for ineligible dependents.