Membership and Dependants
The dependant categories have been expanded to include the following:
Spouse, partner or ex-spouse;
Children (biological, adopted, step or foster) under the age of 21. To be registered as a child dependant, a child must be under the age of 21 and not receive an annual income of more than the maximum Government Social Pension;
Children (biological, adopted, step or foster), over the age of 21. Proof must be provided that the child is a student, has a mental/physical disability or is financially dependent;
Children in-law;
Parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and grandparents-in-law;
Grandchildren and great grandchildren;
Siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings and in-law siblings and
Children of siblings.
A dependant may not be a member or a registered dependant on two medical schemes. It can be considered illegal to belong to more than one medical scheme.
For most of the dependant categories outlined above, an affidavit that proves financial dependency is required. Please see below for more information.
HOW TO REGISTER DEPENDANTS
IMPORTANT:
ID documents or birth certificates are required to register all dependants. We also require the dependant section of the application form to be completed in all cases. Various affidavits may be required. The templates for all affidavits are available under Enrolment Forms or they can be requested by calling 0860 00 4367.
We require the following documentation for the different categories of dependants:
Spouse
In the case of a customary marriage, an affidavit from the Principal Member confirming the obligation towards the spouse.
A marriage certificate is required if married and surname differs from Principal Member.
Ex-spouse
A copy of the legal obligation to provide medical support per the divorce settlement.
Partner
Sworn affidavit (completed by Principal Member, partner and witness) confirming that the dependant is the Principal Member's life partner.
Children (biological, adopted, step or foster) under the age of 21
If the child's surname is different from that of the Principal Member, the member must complete a sworn affidavit stating the reason for the difference and confirming the obligation towards the child.
The spouse must be registered to add the stepchild.
Children (biological, adopted, step or foster), over the age of 21 but younger than 28.
Note: The spouse must be registered to add the stepchild.
If the child is a student:
º Proof of full-time registration at a recognised tertiary institution.
º Affidavit from Principal Member confirming financial dependency. If child is totally dependent due to mental or physical disability:
º Proof of disability from a medical practitioner (medical assessment report to be completed by medical practitioner) and
º Affidavit from Principal Member confirming financial dependency and that the child is not in a state institution.
If child is neither a student nor disabled:
º Affidavit from Principal Member confirming financial dependency.
Children in-law
Affidavit from Principal Member confirming financial dependency of the beneficiaries on the member.
The child of the Principal Member or the member's spouse must be registered to add the child in-law.
Parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and grandparents-in-law
Affidavit from Principal Member confirming financial dependency of the beneficiaries.
Parents-in-law and grandparents-in-law may only be registered if the spouse is also registered as a beneficiary.
Grandchildren and great grandchildren
If the member or the spouse has successfully applied for a child support grant, OR
The member or spouse submits a sworn statement that he or she takes primary responsibility for meeting the daily needs of the child.
Sworn affidavit (to be completed by Principal Member and biological parent, where applicable) confirming financial dependency of the grandchild on the Principal Member.
If the parent of the child is also registered as a dependant, an affidavit is only needed for the grandchild or great grandchild.
Siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings and siblings in-law
Sworn affidavit (to be completed by Principal Member) confirming financial dependency of the sibling on Principal Member.
The sibling of a Principal Member or the spouse may be registered as a beneficiary.
The spouse must be registered to add the spouse's siblings as dependants.
Children of the siblings
Sworn affidavit confirming financial dependency of niece/s and/or nephew/s on the Principal Member. The sworn affidavit must be completed by the member and sibling, where applicable.
The children of a sibling of a member or the member's spouse may be registered as a beneficiary.
If the parent of the child is also registered as a dependant, an affidavit is only needed from the Principal Member for the niece/nephew.
DID YOU KNOW?
Registering a newborn in time is very important!
A completed newborn registration form and supporting documentation must be returned to the Scheme within 60 days from the birth of the child/ren. A copy of the birth certificate/s must be included. If the newborn's surname is different from the Principal Member's, the Scheme needs to be provided with a sworn affidavit stating the reason for the difference.
Contributions for child/ren will be due from the first day of the month, following the month in which he/she was born. If the newborn is not registered in time, we are unfortunately not able to register them as dependants on the Scheme from the date of their birth. This means that in-hospital claims associated with the newborn's birth will not be covered and the member will have to pay for these claims.
DEPENDANT ELIGIBILITY REVIEW
Every year, the Scheme reviews the eligibility of dependants to continue receiving benefits. This is done to ensure that ependants still qualify to be registered on the Scheme according to the rules and that ineligible dependants do not access
Scheme benefits.
Adult dependant/s may be subject to the eligibility review. Members must provide annual proof of dependency of all beneficiaries over the age of 21, except for disabled dependants.
The table below will provide you with more clarity on this process:
| STUDENT CATEGORY | ELIGIBILITY | REVIEW PERIOD |
| Turning 21 years old and full-time student. | Eligible for child rates on submission of all required documentation (continue to pay child rates - depending on employer payroll's cut-off dates). | Two months before the birth month of the dependant every year. |
| 21 years and older but under 28 and full-time student. | Eligible for child rates on submission of all required documentation. Proof of study to show that student is studying on a full-time basis. If not a student, but financially dependent on the member, the child may continue as a dependant (at adult rates) provided all required documents are submitted. | Documents must be submitted before end of March every year. The period under review will be April to March of the following year. |
It is also important to note the following in terms of confirming dependant eligibility:
If all the required documents (as specified on the eligibility review letters sent to members) are not received before the end of the birth month, the dependant will be resigned from the Scheme and will no longer receive benefits.
If the documents are submitted late, the dependant will not be covered by the Scheme for the period immediately after the birth month, until the information is received and the dependant's membership is reinstated.
All dependants must earn less than the annual maximum Government Social Pension amount (excluding partner and spouse type relationships). If this is not the case, they will not be eligible to be beneficiaries of the Scheme.
