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General Q&A

Source: SkyNet (United's Intranet)

How can I find out if my domestic partner is eligible for benefits?

Domestic partner eligibility requirements are contained in the Affidavit of Domestic Partnership available on the SkyNet site. You and your domestic partner must meet the following requirements:

  • Be at least 18 years old and considered of legal age
  • Share joint responsibility for financial and personal welfare, and can prove this by providing documents as indicated in Question 3 below
  • Formally reside in the same principal household
  • Share a committed, intimate relationship and intend to continue that indefinitely, and have no similar relationship with any other person
  • Not related by blood to a degree of kinship that prevents marriage between you under the laws of your state of residence
  • Not married to any other person
  • The state where you reside does not recognize and would not recognize as valid a marriage between you and your partner (does not apply if domestic partners are of opposite-sex)

For what benefits is my domestic partner eligible?

Same-sex domestic partners who meet the above criteria are eligible for benefits under United's health, welfare, and travel programs. Opposite-sex domestic partners who meet these criteria are eligible for travel and bereavement benefits only. If in the future, the state where you reside allows you and your same-sex partner to enter into a legally recognized domestic partner union affording your domestic partner the same legal rights as a spouse, you and your domestic partner will need to present evidence of that union. In addition, that recognition will not transfer or apply in a state where the same recognition is not legally afforded should you decide to change your state of residence.

How do I enroll my domestic partner?

To enroll a domestic partner, you must submit a completed Family Status Change at www.ualbenefits.com. If you are submitting an Affidavit of Domestic Partnership, you will need to provide additional documentation to your supervisor or WHQIN demonstrating the relationship. You will need to submit an original affidavit and a certified copy of at least two of the following as documentation:

  • a jointly held mortgage or lease on your primary residenc
  • a joint checking account to which your employee paycheck is directly deposited and a jointly held credit account
  • your domestic partner designated as substantial beneficiary of your life insurance and retirement plans in which you participate, to the extent permitted by law
  • your domestic partner designated in employee's will as substantial beneficiary of employee's net worth, to the extent permitted by law
  • durable power of attorney naming your domestic partner over at least 50% of your assets
  • durable power of attorney naming your domestic partner over health care
Note: United will maintain the confidentiality of this document, except as required to administer the benefits provided to eligible domestic partners, and except as required by law or in connection with legal process.

When can I enroll my domestic partner for benefits?

You will be able to add a domestic partner during the annual benefits open enrollment period in the fall of each year. You may also add a domestic partner within 30 days of the date you register your domestic partnership, or formally declare your relationship by signing the Affidavit. If the United Benefits Service Center doesn't receive your form within the 30 day period, you may not enroll your domestic partner until the next annual enrollment period.

Can my partner's children receive benefits?

If your domestic partner has dependents who can also satisfy employee dependent eligibility requirements (see your Summary Plan Description or Series 10 of Company Regulations), then your domestic partner's dependents will be eligible to receive the same benefits that are available to employees' dependents.

What happens if we decide to end our relationship?

You must notify the company within 30 days of the date you end your relationship by submitting an Affidavit of Termination of Domestic Partnership and a completed Family Status Change on www.ualbenefits.com. (The Affidavit of Termination is included with the Affidavit of Domestic partnership, and is available through the PAL line at 1- 888-725-5463, or you may print it from SkyNet.) As is the case with married employees, you are responsible for notifying the company of any changes in dependent status, and are liable for any use of United Airlines benefits by an ineligible dependent.

I am committed to a new relationship and want to enroll my domestic partner. May I enroll him/her even though I enrolled a former partner?

If you notified the company that your former relationship ended by submitting a Family Status Change and at least six (6) months have passed, you may enroll your new domestic partner. If your previous relationship ended due to death, you may enroll your partner without waiting.

I am not legally divorced but want to enroll my domestic partner. How can I do that?

An employee may not be legally married and have a domestic partner who is eligible under the United Airlines benefit plans.

Why is my domestic partner, who is opposite gender to me, eligible for fewer benefits than a same-gender domestic partner?

United, along with other leading corporations such as American Express, Disney, IBM, and Microsoft, has decided to make the full benefit package available to same-sex partners, because those partners are not able to legally marry. Employees with partners of the opposite sex have the ability to provide access to the full benefit program by getting married. If same sex marriages become legal in the future, United may decide to discontinue benefits for domestic partners.

My completed forms have been submitted to the United Benefits Service Center. How can I verify that my domestic partner is enrolled?

Generally it takes about two or three weeks to enroll your domestic partner after the United Benefits Service Center receives the information. You can check the *FNZ travel screen in Apollo to see if your domestic partner has been enrolled for travel benefits. Your domestic partner is eligible to travel after his/her name appears on this screen. You will receive a Benefits Confirmation statement verifying enrollment for medical and dental benefits.

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