Birth of a Child 

Timing and Documentation

Congratulations on your newest addition to your family! To qualify for a Life Event due to the birth of your child, you must provide documentation of the birth.

Submit the Following Documentation Within 60 days from the Date of Birth:

  • For initial enrollment, please provide a copy of the hospital’s birth verification letter - this will allow for continuous coverage and make sure you have no difficulties with your early newborn appointments!
  • For continued enrollment, you are required to turn in a copy of the certified birth certificate and provide the newborn’s social security number, within 60 days of the birth.
  • Your new elections will be effective the first of the month after the newborn’s date of birth, as he or she is generally covered automatically for the first thirty-one days. 
    • The County’s maximum time limit to complete benefit changes following a life event is 60 days to allow for any unexpected hardships.  However, insurance carriers expect you to start that process immediately following birth as they are only required to provide temporary coverage to newborns.  It is a lengthy process for insurance carriers to make benefit changes.  Please always let us know immediately following a life event so we can provide you with instructions and so that you may have time to return any required forms.
  • If there is a need to make coverage effective on the date of birth, please relay this information to Employee Benefits right away for a manual enrollment.

Making Changes

You must contact Employee Benefits directly. Submitting leave paperwork to your department will not result in changes to your health benefits, or the addition of your newborn to your coverage. It is important to speak with us directly so that we can coordinate the coverage changes needed for your family at this time.

If you are on a leave of absence, please complete the Benefit Enrollment Change Form and return with your birth verification letter or birth certificate if you have already obtained it to DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov. Once received, an Employee Benefits representative will process your changes and send you a confirmation.

If you are actively at work, you can complete the  Benefit Enrollment Change Form and return with your birth verification letter or birth certificate if you have already obtained it to DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov or you can initiate a Qualifying Life Event and upload a copy of your birth verification letter/ birth certificate by logging into PeopleSoft Self Service and following this path:

Main Menu> Self Service > Benefits > Life Event > I had a baby

Once your documentation is uploaded, an Employee Benefits representative will send you an email with instructions to make your elections. Receipt of your birth verification letter will begin the Life Event process, but you must return the enrollment form after receiving email notification from Employee Benefits.

Consider Changing Your Tax Withholdings

Adding a child may affect the amount of taxes you pay. You may wish to consult a financial counselor to discuss your situation. If you decide to change your tax withholdings, you can do so via Employee Self Service.