The new Rules of the CERN Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) will come into force on 1 January 2021. The changes concern the Scheme’s membership conditions and the contributions of certain Members, following the introduction in the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund of new provisions governing the acquisition of a surviving spouse’s pension. The changes are as follows (the corresponding articles of the Rules are indicated in square brackets):
Changes affecting Subsidiary Members:
In the case of marriages taking place after the new Rules come into force, the spouse will be covered as a Subsidiary Member only if a surviving spouse’s pension has been purchased.
[II 1.02 al. b, i]
Children born to a Main Member after 1 January 2021 and more than one year after the Main Member’s retirement will be covered as Subsidiary Members only if both their parents are Members of the Scheme. [II 1.02 al. b, ii]
Children adopted or officially recognised by a Main Member after 1 January 2021 and after the Main Member’s retirement will be covered as Subsidiary Members only if both their parents are Members of the Scheme. [II 1.02 al. b, iii]
Changes to surviving spouse’s contributions:
The Organization will not pay contributions for beneficiaries of a surviving spouse’s pension acquired after 1 January 2021.The total amount of the contribution will be payable by the surviving spouse. [Art. VII 2.03]
If a partial surviving spouse’s pension is acquired, the deceased Member’s reference salary used to calculate contributions (i.e. reference salary III) is reduced by the same proportion as the full rate surviving spouse’s pension, without taking account of the fact that the acquisition is partial. [Art. XII 1.03]