Human Resources Office Newsletter Special Benefits Edition

Transcription

1 Human Resources Office Newsletter Special Benefits Edition OCTOBER 17, 2012 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND WELLNESS FAIR The Fall 2012 Employee Benefits Fair will be on October 17th in the University Center, Room 125, from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. The Human Resources Office will be partnering with the Employee Wellness Committee to offer a health fair during this time also. The Office of Group Benefits will be holding Health Insurance and Flexible Benefits Plan Annual Enrollment Meetings in Room 133 at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. Blood pressure checks, body fat analysis, and other health screenings will be offered at this event. Annual Enrollment Summary October 1 st 31 st You may make changes by attending the Employee Benefits and Wellness Fair on October 17 th otherwise you y must come by the Benefits Office to make any changes. Annual enrollment is from October 1 st 31 st. Below is a summary of the changes and plan updates. Please visit the Office of Group Benefits website to get the most up to date information: ion: HEALTH PLANS Our current rates will be our rates for the 2013 calendar year. Click the link below to view current rates. Employees can choose from 4 standard health plans: 3 self-insured plans the PPO and HMO health plans and the high-deductible health plan with a health savings account option (HDHP-HSA) all administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, and the medical home HMO plan, fully insured by Vantage Health Plan (only for employees living in regions 5,6,7,8, & 9). Please make note that the PPO plan will be administered by Blue Cross beginning 1/1/13. If you do not want to make any changes, you do not have to do anything. If you are currently enrolled in the High Deductible Health Plan, your HSA bank will be changing from Optum Bank to Bancorp. You will need to enroll in the new bank, Bancorp, and renew your monthly pledge. Failure to enroll in the new bank and renew your contributions will result in you not being able to participate in the HSA portion of the health plan. You will need to either attend the Employee Benefits and Wellness Fair on Oct. 17 th or come to the Benefits Office anytime from 10/1/ /31/2012, complete your 1

2 new bank application, and renew your monthly contribution. Your current balance in Optum Bank can transfer to Bancorp. Prescription Drug benefits for the Blue Cross PPO plan, the Blue Cross HMO plan, and the Medical Home HMO plan administered by Vantage will be administered by Catamaran (formerly Catalyst RX). The prescription drug benefit for the High Deductible plan will be administered by Express Scripts. FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS Current participants who want to continue participation: Premium Conversion option no action necessary Flexible Spending Arrangement options (Medical Reimbursement, Dependent Care) must enroll each year Health Savings Account option (HSA) --must enroll each year Note that the General Purpose FSA maximum will be decreasing from $5, to $2, If you are currently enrolled in the Flexible Benefits Plan, General Purpose FSA or Dependent Care FSA, you will need to renew your annual pledge. Failure to re-enroll in the plan during this time will result in you not being able to participate in the Flexible Benefits Plan. Note that the General Purpose FSA maximum will be decreasing from $5, to $2, The Flexible Benefits Plan gives active employees a way to take home more money in every paycheck! When you sign up for one of the Flexible Benefits options, your eligible expenses are deducted from your gross salary before taxes. Because when you pay less in taxes, your spendable income increases. Employees who currently participate in the Premium Conversion option can: Make changes to eligible insurance coverage, which changes the premium and the payroll deduction amount. Add payroll deductions for eligible insurance coverage; Cancel any or all insurance payroll deductions; and Cancel participation in the Premium Conversion option. Please watch for updates regarding Annual Enrollment. You may also visit the link below for information on the Office of Group Benefits web-site. If you have any questions about your benefits or annual enrollment changes, please call the benefits office at ext

3 TRSL OFFERING ONLINE TRAINING SESSIONS Learn about your TRSL benefits without having to leave your home or office! TRSL is offering an extensive list of online training sessions on several topics in the coming months. You can view the presentation online while listening to it through your computer speakers or over the phone. Sessions begin at 4 p.m. and last about 30 minutes. Below is the schedule: Date Oct. 14 Nov. 15 Dec. 6 Jan. 10 Jan. 17 Feb. 22 Mar. 28 Apr. 1 May 2 May 9 June 20 Aug. 22 Topic Retirement Eligibility Purchases and Transfers Retirement Process Understanding DROP What is TRSL? Retirement Eligibility I've completed DROP. What Next? Return-to-Work Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision TRSL vs. ORP Legislative Wrap-Up Cash Balance Plan Register today! You can register for any of these webinars online through the following link: TRSL Workshop Registration. Enter the required information and select the appropriate workshop from the drop-down menu. You will receive a confirmation message once you submit your registration. TRSL will send a reminder the Friday prior to the workshop with instructions on entering the online session. These instructions will include a link to the workshop website, the toll-free number to use for the audio portion of the workshop, and a special number you will need to key in so you can join the meeting. For additional information, please contact us by at retire.edu@trsl.org or by phone at , ext or ext You can also call us toll free (outside the Baton Rouge area) at , ext or ext

4 HEALTH INSURANCE VESTING In 2001 the Louisiana Legislature enacted a law that determines the state's contribution toward your premium for health care coverage as a retired employee. The amount that will be paid by the state toward your health care premium will be based on your participation in an OGB health plan prior to your retirement. If you have been continuously covered in an OGB health plan since January 1, 2002, you are considered vested and the state subsidy will be 75% of the premium amount. For those beginning participation or rejoining on or after January 1, 2002, the state subsidy of your premium is based on the number of years you have participated in a Group Benefits health plan. This also applies to dependents who begin coverage after July 1, Retiree Participation Schedule Years of Participation Percentage of State Subsidy Less than 10 years 19% 10 years or more, but less than 15 years 38% 15 years or more, but less s than 20 years 56% 20 years or more 75% Should you have any questions regarding vesting, please call the Benefits Office at ext NOTICE ABOUT YOUR ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN 403(b) PLANS Did you know that Southeastern offers several 403(b) tax deferred savings plans for employees? You have the opportunity to save for retirement by participating in one or more 403(b) plans through payroll deduction. You can participate in Southeastern s 403(b) plans by making pre-tax 4

5 contributions and/or Roth 403(b) after-tax contributions to one or more of the 403(b) plans offered. You are eligible to participate in this plan, whether or not you are actively contributing to it. What do I have to do to contribute to one of the 403(b) plans sponsored by Southeastern? S You can contribute to one of the 403(b) plans once you have completed a salary reduction agreement and returned it to the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office and enrolled with one of the investment providers, approved by Southeastern. The salary reduction agreement gives Southeastern the right to take the elected dollar amount or percentage from your paycheck and contribute those amounts to your 403(b) plan. For a complete list of investment providers available to you through the plan, and their contact information, please visit and click on the Benefits link, the Retirement Link and then click on 403B Supplemental Retirement Plans How do I know if I am eligible to participate in my school s 403(b) plan? You are receiving this notice because you are eligible to participate in the 403(b) plans. How much can I contribute? In general, you may contribute up to $17,000 in This amount may be adjusted annually. Also, if you have at least 15 years of service with Southeastern or you are at least 50 years old, you may also be able to make additional catch-up contributions. Contact the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office for additional information on the amount that you can contribute to a 403(b) plan. I am already participating in the 403(b) plan. What other rules about participating should I know? If you are already contributing to one of the approved 403(b) plans, you may change your contribution amount or percentage by completing a new salary reduction agreement and returning it to the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office. If you are increasing your payroll deduction you must have a calculation performed to ensure that you are within the limits to contribute. Your Total Maximum Exclusion Allowance calculation may be obtained by contacting your 403(b) plan provider or contacting the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office for assistance. Please refer to Benefits link for specific plan rules regarding how frequently you are allowed to change your contribution amount or percentage. 5