Other Child and NYSHIP Coverage
If you have a child in your care that isn’t your natural-born child, your adopted child, a child in an adoption waiting period, your stepchild or the child of your domestic partner, you may be able to add them to your NYSHIP coverage as an other child.
Eligibility
To be added to your NYSHIP plan, an other child must be both:
- Permanently residing with you since before age 19
- Receiving more than half their financial support from you since before age 19
You can still enroll an other child after age 19 if they have met the above criteria since before age 19.
After enrollment (and if still eligible), your other child must be recertified every two years to maintain NYSHIP coverage.
All dependent children can usually be covered through age 26. However, if they are disabled or a full-time student with military service, they may be able to continue coverage for longer.
Enrollment and Recertification
To enroll or recertify an other child, submit the following forms to your health benefits administrator (HBA):
- Enrollment or Recertification of an “Other” Child as a NYSHIP Dependent Form (PS-457)
- NYSHIP Health Insurance Transaction Form
When enrolling an other child of any age or recertifying an other child under age 19, you must also provide:
- Birth certificate
- Proof of financial support (50% or more)
- Social Security Number
- Medicare Member Identification Number (MBI), if applicable
When recertifying an other child over age 19, you must instead provide:
- Birth certificate
- Proof of permanent legal residence (issued within six months of the application date)
- Social Security Number
- Medicare MBI, if applicable
Proof Examples
Acceptable proofs of financial support include:
- Signed and completed copy of your federal tax return for the current tax year claiming the other child as a dependent
- Letter from a licensed CPA (certified public accountant) or an attorney confirming that you can claim the other child on your current federal tax return*
- Court order proving legal guardianship
* Letters from general tax preparers or tax preparation services are not acceptable.
Acceptable proofs of permanent legal residence include:
- Bank statement
- Paycheck stub
- Driver’s license or automobile registration
- Tax return (current year)
- Telephone or utility bill
- Student billing statement from an educational institution
Questions?
If you have questions about other children or are unsure about which version of the NYSHIP Health Insurance Transaction Form or General Information Book applies to you, contact your HBA (EBD if retired).
