Eligible dependents of an employee/pensioner (known as Subscriber here) only includes your:
- Legally recognized spouse in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee, while not divorced or legally separated from the Subscriber;
- Domestic partner and his or her children as outlined in the Domestic Partnership Benefits Policy approved by the Board and where a Declaration of Domestic Partnership has been completed and acknowledged by Metro Human Resources;
- Natural and adopted children of the Subscriber who may or may not reside in the home of the Subscriber the majority of the time on an annual basis;
- “Foster child” means a child placed with an eligible Subscriber by an authorized placement agency or by judgment, decree, or other order of any court of competent jurisdiction;
- A child of Subscriber or Subscriber’s spouse/domestic partner for whom a Qualified Medical Child Support Order has been issued;
- Step-children of the Subscriber; or Children, other than those listed above, who are in the Subscriber’s legal custody by court order;
- dependent child/children over age 26, if coverage under Metro benefits has been continuous and he/she is incapable of self-sustaining employment by reason of intellectual or physical disability (for details contact a Benefits Representative in Human Resources).
Dependent children, as defined above, will be covered from birth until the last day of the month of their twenty-sixth (26th) birthday, married or unmarried.
Domestic Partner Benefits
Metro offers benefits to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners of Metro employees and pensioners. Domestic partners must complete and sign a Declaration of Domestic Partnership stating they have shared the same residence for the last 365 days while not legally married or separated from another individual during that same 365-day period. They must also provide three sources of documentation supporting their financial interdependence on one another.
To enroll your domestic partner and his/her eligible dependent child/children, you must contact Metro Human Resources within 60 days of an eligible change in status event or during Annual Enrollment to schedule an appointment to complete the necessary forms and provide appropriate documentation. You may not enroll your domestic partner through Employee Self Service or at an "Ask and Enroll" meeting.
If you wish to name your domestic partner as a pension beneficiary in the event of your death, you must file a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with Metro Human Resources.
Important note: Pensioners will only be permitted to add their domestic partner and his/her dependent child/children within 60 days of an eligible change in status event.