Gender Affirmation Benefits overview
Gender Affirmation Benefits are essential for supporting employees during their transition and affirmation process. These benefits can provide financial assistance for a variety of needs through either a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) or a Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA), depending on the employer’s specific plan.
Coverage
The gender affirmation benefits commonly cover the following services:
- Social affirmation: This includes support for wardrobe changes and hair removal services.
- Medical support: Benefits may extend to gender-affirming surgeries and hormone therapy.
- Legal support: Assistance with legal name changes and updates to identification documents.
- Travel assistance: Coverage for travel and lodging expenses incurred for out-of-area services.
Eligibility criteria
Eligibility for gender affirmation benefits is defined by the employer. In some cases, enrollment in a health plan may be required for access to HRA options. Eligibility for this type of benefit should be based on the company’s benefit policy.
Auto-enrollment
Automatically enrolls members based on plan enrollment criteria (e.g. employee type, status, location) without a required election by the employee.
This enrollment type is most popular for Gender Affirmation Benefits accounts.
Termination
Upon an employee’s departure from the company, the treatment of any remaining funds or benefits related to gender affirmation will depend on the employer's policy. The specific treatment may vary, so it’s essential to confirm the company’s stance and communicate it to departing employees if needed. All terminated employees will continue to have access to their Level account only to review past transactions and expenses.