Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMSCO) and National Medical Support Notice
Your medical insurance plans honor a valid qualified medical child support orders (QMCSO) in accordance with law. A Qualified Medical Child Support Order is a judgment, decree or order (issued by a court or resulting from a state’s administrative proceeding) that creates or recognizes the rights of a child, also called the “alternate recipient,” to receive benefits under a group health plan, typically the non-custodial parent’s plan. The QMCSO typically requires that the Plan recognize the child as a dependent even though the child may not meet the Plan’s definition of dependent. A QMCSO usually results from a divorce or legal separation and typically:
- Designates one parent to pay for a child’s health plan coverage;
- Indicates the name and last known address of the parent required to pay for the coverage and the name and mailing address of each child covered by the QMCSO;
- Contains a reasonable description of the type of coverage to be provided under the designated parent’s health care plan or the manner in which such type of coverage is to be determined;
- States the period for which the QMCSO applies; and
- Identifies each health care plan to which the QMCSO applies.
A QMCSO should be provided to the EUTF office. EUTF also honors a qualified National Medical Support Notice which is similar to a QMCSO but is issued by a state agency in accordance with a medical child support order. For additional QMCSO information (free of charge) and information regarding the procedures for administration of a QMCSO, contact the EUTF Office at (808) 586-7390 or toll-free at 1-800-295-0089.