Law.com - Federal Judge Orders Wal-Mart to Offer Health Insurance to Workers’ Stepchildren
August 30, 2007 — lennyesq
The stepchildren of working parents in New York state are dependent children for the purposes of qualifying for coverage under federally regulated group health insurance plans, a federal judge has ruled. … William Lamica, now 13, is the son of William L. Vradenburg, husband of Wal-Mart employee Aime Vradenburg. The boy does not live with the Vradenburgs and Aime Vradenburg has not adopted him. Nor does she claim him as a dependent on federal taxes. William L. Vradenburg receives health insurance coverage through his wife’s Wal-Mart policy. In O’Neil v. Wal-Mart, 8:05-cv-1572, Northern District of New York Judge Lawrence E. Kahn said the Wal-Mart plan provisions run counter to New York Insurance Law §2608-a, which expressly prohibits the denial of coverage to a parent’s child based on the fact the child was born out of wedlock, is not claimed as a dependent on federal tax returns or does not reside with the parent. …
