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| MEDICAL |
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Eligibility, Enrollment & Cost
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Eligibility
You may participate in Valassis medical plans on the first of the month
immediately following your date of hire if you are a full-time or an
active part-time associate scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week.
Contribution level varies based on part-time
or full-time status.
When you enroll for medical coverage, you may elect to cover your
eligible dependents. You may enroll your:
- Spouse, Civil Union, your Domestic Partner and
- Children, including
- Unmarried children under age 19,
- Unmarried children from age 19 to age 25 if they are full-time
students and depend on you for primary support. Each year, the
health insurance carriers will request proof of your child’s
full-time student status.
- Children who became mentally or physically disabled before
reaching the maximum age of eligibility, if they depend on you
for support and maintenance. From time to time, you may be asked
to provide proof of the continuation of your child’s disability.
Children include your natural children as well as legally adopted children,
stepchildren and children you support who live with you in a parent-child
relationship (must be supported by legal guardianship)
If you do not have a dependent when you enroll, but you later gain
one—through marriage or the birth of a child, for example—you
may enroll your eligible dependent for coverage. You must do so within
31 days of your marriage, the birth of your child or the day you adopt
or receive legal custody of your child. If you do not enroll your eligible
dependent within this 31-day period, you will not have the opportunity
again until the next open enrollment period.
When your dependent child ceases to be a full-time student or reaches
age 25, whichever occurs first, he or she may continue coverage under
the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA).
See Continuation of Coverage.
Dependent Status
As of 2009, associates will be required to provide documentation
for dependents. Valassis will handle this directly with associates on
an audit basis for new hires and for the current associate population
as well. Documentation will not be required to enroll in the system,
but quarterly audits for dependents will be conducted on all new hires
- including domestic partners.
Associates will be able to remove ineligible dependents for 1/1/2009
during the open enrollment period. If they do not de-enroll ineligible
dependents during open enrollment and one is discovered during an audit,
Valassis will seek reimbursement for claims paid since 1/1/2009 and
the associate in question will be subject to disciplinary action, up
to and including termination.
Enrollment
You should enroll for coverage within 31 days of the date you are eligible.
If you do not enroll within this 31-day period, you will not have the
opportunity again until the next open enrollment period. Other than
during open enrollment, held each fall, you may enroll for medical coverage
only if you have a qualified change in status (see Making
Changes).
You may elect coverage for:
- Yourself only,
- Yourself and one dependent, or
- Yourself and two or more dependents.
When Coverage Begins
If you are an active full-time or eligible part-time associate
scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week, coverage for you and your
eligible dependents begins on the first of the month immediately following
your date of hire, as long as you have enrolled in your benefits within
31 calendar days of your date of eligibility.
Medical Plan ID Card
If you are enrolled in one of the Blue Cross medical plans, you
will receive an ID card that also indicates your coverage in the prescription
program. If you are enrolled in the Cigna CT HMO, you will receive a
separate prescription ID card to use along with your HMO ID card.
If you have a problem with coverage or you need information about the
appeals process, you may call Member Services at the toll-free number
on your ID card.
If You Lose Other Medical Coverage
Under the terms of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA), you may enroll yourself and your eligible dependents for
Valassis medical coverage during the year if:
- You or your dependent(s) had other coverage under another health
plan or health insurance (for example, through your spouse's employer)
at the time medical coverage through Valassis was previously offered
to you,
- You did not enroll in the Valassis medical plan, and
- You or your dependent(s) lose other coverage and are otherwise eligible
for medical coverage through Valassis.
In addition, if you have a new dependent as a result of marriage, civil
union, eligible domestic partnership, birth, adoption or placement for
adoption, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents, provided
that you request enrollment within 31 days after the marriage, civil
union, eligibility for domestic partnership, birth, adoption or placement
for adoption.
If you need to enroll for coverage in a Valassis-sponsored medical
plan as a result of one of these events, you must enroll within 31 calendar
days of the event. Otherwise, you must wait until the next open enrollment
period.
Cost
You and Valassis share the cost of your medical plan coverage.
The amount you pay for coverage depends on the plan you choose and who
is covered (you, you and one dependent, or you and two or more dependents),
as well as your full or part-time status.
Information about your share of the cost, which you make through payroll
deductions, is available during open enrollment or from your Human Resources
representative. See 2010 Benefit Cost Sheet.
Before-tax Contributions
Valassis offers certain tax-savings opportunities available under
current federal law. As a result, in accordance with Section 125 of
the Internal Revenue Code, contributions to your medical plans (and
health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts) are made
with before-tax dollars, except for non-IRS qualified domestic partners.
This means that you make your contributions before federal income, Social
Security and, in most cases, state income taxes are withheld. As a result,
your taxable income is lower, so you pay less in taxes.
Because of these tax advantages, you may change your elections only
during open enrollment each fall, unless you have a qualified change
in status.
Effect of Before-tax Contributions on Other Benefits
Your Valassis pay-related benefits, such as life insurance and
disability income, will be based on your salary before your before-tax
contributions are deducted. Because you are paying less toward Social
Security, however, your Social Security benefits may be reduced slightly.
For most people, the current tax savings resulting from before-tax contributions
more than compensates for any reduction in Social Security benefits.
Post-tax Contributions on Benefits
All benefits extended to a taxpayer's domestic partner are taxable,
unless the domestic partner is an IRS-qualified dependent. Because of
the tax laws, non-IRS qualified domestic partner benefits cannot be
paid on a pretax basis and the value of the benefit must be included
in the associate's income. 
 
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Summary Plan Description
The legal summary of this benefit will be included in the
2011 Benefits Handbook.
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