You are eligible for the benefits described in this SPD if you are a full- or part-time employee on the Microsoft U.S. payroll, and are not an intern, visiting researcher, or employee of a Microsoft retail store. For additional details, review the full definition of eligible employee and the explanation of workers who are not eligible for coverage. You are eligible to participate in the Health Connect Plan if you are a benefit-eligible corporate employee on the Microsoft US payroll and reside in King or Snohomish county in Washington state.

Eligible dependents

When you sign up for medical coverage, you can also enroll eligible dependents including your:

Spouse:

• You must be lawfully married (whether the same or opposite sex of the employee) and not legally separated. You will be considered lawfully married if either of the following is true:
• You were married in a state, possession, or territory of the U.S. and you are recognized as lawfully married by that state, possession, or territory of the U.S.; or
• You were married in a foreign jurisdiction and the laws of at least one state, possession, or territory of the U.S. would recognize you as lawfully married. In no event will the Plan recognize more than one spouse at any time.

Domestic partner:

• You and your domestic partner (either of the same or opposite sex) must meet all of the following requirements:
• You are each other's sole domestic partner and intend to remain so indefinitely
• Neither of you is legally married
• You are both at least 18 years of age and are mentally competent to consent to contract
• You are not related by blood to a degree of closeness that would prohibit legal marriage in the state in which you legally reside
• You reside together in the same residence and intend to do so indefinitely (excepting a temporary residence change of not more than 90 days during which you and your domestic partner reside in separate homes)
• You are mutually responsible (financially and legally) for each other's common welfare

Dependent children under age 26 Includes your:

• Biological child and/or your spouse’s/domestic partner’s biological child
• Child for whom you or your spouse/domestic partner has been named legal guardian as appointed by the courts (or recognized as guardian by the state of residence)
• Legally adopted child, or child who has been placed with you for adoption, but not a foster child
• A child’s eligibility as a dependent child under age 26 does not rely on the child’s financial dependency (on you or any other person), residency with you or with any other person, student status, employment, eligibility for other health plan coverage, or any combination of these factors.

Incapacitated dependent children age 26 or over:

• An incapacitated dependent resides with the employee for more than half of the year, and is unable to sustain employment due to a developmental or physical disability that existed before the child reached age 26. The individual is chiefly dependent on the employee (or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner) for support.
• Proof of incapacity must be submitted to the plan administrator:
• Within 90 days of the latest of the child's 26th birthday, your date of hire, or the date that you enroll the child in coverage if the child is already over age 26, and then annually thereafter.

Workers who are not eligible for coverage

The following persons are not eligible to participate as employees in the plan under this SPD even if they meet the definition of an eligible employee:

• Interns and visiting researchers
• Cooperatives
• Apprentices
• Nonresident aliens receiving no U.S. source income from Microsoft
• Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement resulting from negotiations with Microsoft in which retirement benefits were the subject of good faith bargaining and participation in this plan was not provided for
• Persons providing services to Microsoft pursuant to an agreement between Microsoft and any other individual or entity, such as a staff leasing organization (leased employees)
• Temporary workers engaged through or employed by temporary or leasing agencies
• Workers who hold themselves out to Microsoft as being independent contractors or as being employed by or engaged through another company while providing services to Microsoft
• Project-based employees. For purposes of the plan, a project-based employee is one who is hired to work on a project or series of projects, is employed for a limited term, and has signed a Project-Based Employment Agreement.
• All other workers who Microsoft does not classify as being either a full-time or part-time employee on the Microsoft U.S. payroll, even if that classification is later determined to be incorrect or is retroactively revised.

No duplicate coverage

If both you and your spouse or domestic partner are employed by Microsoft and are eligible for benefit coverage, you are only allowed to be covered under one plan. You can either enroll as a dependent under your spouse or eligible domestic partner's plan or enroll in your own separate coverage, but not both. Your eligible children must be enrolled under only one employee's coverage.

Important Note: If you have other coverage, learn how Coordination of Benefits (COB)  applies to you and your enrolled dependents.