Dependent Verification FAQs

The goal is to ensure our plans only cover those who are eligible for coverage, in order to comply with legal requirements.

The verification period is between January 13 and February 28, 2025. Employees will prepare ahead of time by reviewing their current dependents in EBS (OPUS) to ensure eligibility and gathering the necessary documents.You will not be able to submit documents until January 13, 2025.

The verification process includes dependents enrolled on the following Pinellas County benefit plans:

• Medical (includes medical, vision, prescription, and behavioral/mental health)
• Dental
• Dependent life insurance

Impact Interactive is an independent healthcare auditing firm which will handle the verification process. During the verification period from January 13 to February 28, 2025, you will go to Impact Interactive’s website to answer questions about your dependents and submit documents to verify eligibility such as a child’s birth certificate. We will provide detailed instructions later.

• Now to January 2025: Gather the necessary documents for your dependents on the County medical, dental and/or dependent life insurance.
• November 1 – 15, 2024: During Annual Enrollment, make sure that any dependents you cover are eligible.
• January 13 – February 28, 2025: Go to Impact Interactive’s website to answer questions about your dependents and submit documents to verify eligibility. We will provide detailed instructions later.

During Annual Enrollment (November 1 – 15), log into EBS (OPUS) and select Benefits and Annual Enrollment to view your covered dependents for medical, dental and/or dependent life insurance to ensure they are eligible. If they are not eligible, do not select them for 2025 benefits coverage.

Please note: You cannot delete individuals from your EBS (OPUS) records, but you can deselect them from coverage or remove them from your contact list.

No. You do not need to review your dependents covered for Aflac (medical), ARAG (legal), or AIP (identity protection) benefits.

• Review your dependent eligibility if you purchased supplemental life insurance to pay you a benefit if your spouse or children die.
• For this process, there is no need to review your beneficiaries who will receive the proceeds of your group term life insurance.

• Dependents are those who you are covering on your medical/dental/dependent life insurance plan. These are the only names you need to review for this verification.
• Beneficiaries are those who will receive the proceeds of your life insurance should you pass away. There are no rules regarding eligibility of beneficiaries; you can select anyone you choose.  
• Contacts are people you would want Human Resources to contact in the event of an emergency. Contacts can also be a dependent and/or beneficiary.

Dependents who are eligible to be covered on your medical, dental, or dependent life insurance plan include your:

• Husband or wife (including those who are not living together)
• Domestic partner (see the Affidavit definition) – eligible for medical or dental coverage, not eligible for dependent life insurance
• Children (biological, adopted, stepchildren, foster, grandchild, brother/sister, niece/nephew, etc.) for whom you are financially responsible and have court-ordered custody, or are the legal guardian, up to end of the calendar year in which they turn 26 for medical, 25 for dental, and the day before their 26th birthday for dependent life.
• Over-age dependent (medical coverage): After the end of the calendar year in which your dependent turns age 26, through the end of the calendar year in which they turn 30, if they are unmarried, have no dependents, are a resident of Florida or a student, and have no other medical coverage.
• Adult child with a disability

Those who are not eligible to be your dependents include:

• Parents
• Child for whom you are not financially responsible and do not have court-ordered custody or legal guardianship
• Child over the age of 30 who does not have a disability
• Girlfriend/boyfriend who is not your domestic partner
• Ex-spouse
• Another County employee

• Example 1: Your divorce was final last month, and you forgot to remove your ex-spouse from your dental plan. They are not eligible as you are no longer legally married.
• Example 2: Your roommate is on your dental plan. They are not eligible as they are not your spouse or domestic partner.
• Example 3: Your sister lost her health insurance, so you’ve been covering your niece and nephew on your medical plan. They are not eligible as they are not your legal dependents.

You will receive a link to the secure Impact Interactive website and detailed instructions before the verification period begins. Basically, you will go to Impact Interactive’s website to answer questions about your dependents and submit documents to verify eligibility such as a child’s birth certificate, or the first page of your 2023 tax return for a spouse.

If you don’t have access to a computer, call Impact Interactive at (866) 691-6551 to provide your information to a representative from Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 7 pm, and Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

See Dependent Verification Documents for a list of required documents and tips on where to find them.

No. You only need to provide the first page with name and address information. First, make a copy of the document and remove all financial information, account numbers, and Social Security numbers. You can use a thick marker or white out pen to remove the information.

No. Documents must be submitted to Impact Interactive during the verification period of January 13 to February 28, 2025.

Yes. The verification is a separate process handled by an independent auditing firm so all documents must be submitted to Impact Interactive.

If you do not verify your dependents’ eligibility for coverage by submitting the necessary documents, you will be notified that your dependents will be removed from the medical, dental, and/or dependent life insurance plan and will no longer have coverage.

• Pre-verification (Nov. 1 – 15, 2024): If you realize that your dependent is not eligible during the Annual Enrollment period, do not select them as a covered dependent on your 2025 medical, dental, or dependent life insurance plans in EBS (OPUS).
• Verification (Jan. 13 – Feb. 28, 2025): If it is determined during the verification that you have an ineligible dependent, you will be notified in writing that your dependent will be removed from the medical, dental, and/or dependent life insurance plan and will no longer have coverage.

As of November 1, 2024, all new hires plus current employees who change coverage due to a qualifying event (such as marriage, birth, divorce) will be required to provide verification documents for dependents.

Call Impact Interactive at (866) 691-6551 Monday – Thursday 8 am to 7 pm and Friday 8 am to 5 pm.