Getting married is considered a qualifying change in status and that allows you to adjust your participation in some of the Corporation's benefits when the change occurs. (Normally, you can change certain benefits coverage only once a year, during the annual enrollment period.)

Bear in mind that you have only 30 days following the date of your marriage(the qualifying event) to submit changes for the medical, dental, vision, and flexible spending account coverage you have through the Corporation. If you miss this 30-day deadline, you must wait for the next annual enrollment period to change your coverage. To make changes, visit Employee Self-Service on The McGraw-Hill Companies intranet.

To make change, please use the Benefits Enrollment/Change Form, which can be downloaded from the Forms section of this site. In the Forms section, you will also find additional information about the Dependent Verification Process and the beneficiary designation form for your life insurance.

Note: Changes you make to your medical, dental, vision, and flexible spending account coverages because of your marriage will become effective on the first of the month following receipt of the notification of the event. "Receipt of notification" means receipt of your enrollment form in the Human Resources Service Center. No retroactive enrollment to the date of the event is permitted.

In addition, you will be required to provide proof to verify your new spouse's eligibility. Please review the Dependent Verification Process guide for instructions for submitting your documentation. After you enroll, you will receive a letter from HRAdvance, the dependent verification vendor, with a request to submit your documentation. You have 45 days from the date of the letter to submit and have HRAdvance verify your documentation.

Coverage for your spouse is contingent upon timely submission and verification of your documents. If your dependents' coverage is terminated due to lack of or insufficient documentation, they will not be eligible for COBRA coverage, and you may be required to reimburse the Plans for any claims paid on behalf of the ineligible dependent.

For certain other elective benefits for which you may be eligible—supplemental long-term disability, supplemental life insurance, and the 401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing Plan—you can change your coverage or participation at any time. Please be aware that some changes may require you to provide evidence of insurability before coverage can begin.

Note that, as with all qualifying changes, getting married allows you to make only changes that are consistent with your status change. For instance, you may cover your new spouse by switching from the "self only" to the "self plus one" coverage level. You may not, however, switch from one option to another—for example, from the Account-based Option to the Traditional Option. You also may not add coverage you did not have before the qualifying event—for example, you cannot add dental or vision coverage when you enroll your new spouse if you did not have these benefits before your marriage. To add additional benefits, you must wait until the next annual enrollment period.

If you are unsure of the changes you may make, the How This Event Affects…chart that follows should help.

After you've considered your options, if you decide to or need to change your benefits, you can complete the Benefits Enrollment/Change Form (available in the Forms section of this site) and update your life insurance beneficiaries if required.

If the change you are making is to your 401(k) savings participation or to the investment of your 401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing Plan investments, visit Your Benefits Resources or call 1-866-477-6820. Be sure to have your Personal Identification Number (PIN) handy.