Registered Domestic Partners

The participant may enroll his or her registered domestic partner and the registered domestic partner's eligible dependent children in participating medical, dental and vision plans in which the participant is enrolled. Dependent life insurance is also available to registered domestic partners and their children.

To qualify for coverage under SAIC's life insurance programs, a registered domestic partner's child must reside with the SAIC participant and be born to or legally adopted by the registered domestic partner.

For purposes of SAIC coverage, a registered domestic partnership is a committed same-sex or opposite-sex relationship, in which registered domestic partners:

• Live together at the same address and have lived together continuously for at least one year;
• Are not legally married to one another or anyone else;
• Do not have another registered domestic partner and have not signed a registered domestic partner declaration with another within the past year;
• Are mentally competent to consent to a contract or affidavit;
• Are not related by blood in such a way as would prohibit legal marriage; and
• Are jointly responsible for each other's common welfare and are financially interdependent.

A Declaration of Domestic Partnership must be completed, notarized and submitted with any other required documents in order to enroll a registered domestic partner. The Declaration must be presented to insurers upon request. Contact your Benefits POC for additional information on enrolling with registered domestic partner coverage. The Declaration of Domestic Partnership form can be found in the ISSAIC Forms Library.

Registered domestic partner coverage is different from spouse coverage. For instance:

• Participant contributions for registered domestic partner coverage and their eligible children must be paid on an after-tax basis;
• The value of benefits provided to a registered domestic partner and/or his or her eligible children is considered taxable income. As a result, the SAIC employee must pay any state, federal, FICA and other applicable tax withholding in the form of imputed income. This amount is based on the value of the coverage SAIC provides to the partner.