Frequently Asked Questions Open Enrollment Health, Dental, Vision Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care/Dependent Care) Basic Life Insurance, Supplemental Life Insurance, Dependent Life Insurance, Long Term Disability Voluntary Benefits (Auto/Home, Long-Term Care, Group Legal, Pet, Identity Theft) Retirement Open Enrollment What is Open Enrollment? When is Open Enrollment? What changes can I make during Open Enrollment? Why do I need to make elections for my health, dental and vision plans? How do I make Open Enrollment elections or changes? Where do I go on the Open Enrollment website to view employee deductions? Where do I go to view my current elections? When do I use my SecurID? How do I use my SecurID to access My Information? Health, Dental, Vision Where do I go on the Open Enrollment website to view specific plan changes? Are there any changes in the Health Plans for 2016? Are there any changes in the Dental Plan for 2016? Are there any changes in the Vision Plan for 2016? If I need to change health plans, and I am in the middle of medical treatment, is there anything I need to do? Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care/Dependent Care) What are Flexible Spending Accounts? What is the Health Care Expense Account Plan? Can I make health care contributions if I am enrolled in the PPO High Deductible Plan w/hsa? Are there any other changes to how I can get reimbursed for expenses under the Health Care Flexible Spending Account Plan? What is the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account? Must I re-enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care/Dependent Care) if I am currently in the Plan? How do I enroll/re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts? What else do I need to know about Flexible Spending Accounts? Basic Life Insurance, Supplemental Life Insurance, Dependent Life Insurance, Long Term Disability Are there any changes to Basic Life, Supplemental Life or Dependent Life Insurance plans? Can I increase my Supplemental Life Insurance during Open Enrollment? Can I enroll in or waive coverage in the Dependent Life plan during Open Enrollment? Are there any changes to the Long Term Disability Plan? Can I enroll in or waive coverage in Long Term Disability during Open Enrollment?
Voluntary Benefits What are Voluntary Benefits? Are there any changes to the Voluntary Benefits for 2016? When can I enroll in any of the Voluntary Benefits? How do I enroll in the Group Legal Plan? How do I disenroll in the Group Legal Plan? Retirement Are there any changes in the contribution limits to the Retirement Plan? What is Open Enrollment? Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review and make changes to your benefit elections. Since these elections will be in effect for the full calendar year, you are encouraged to carefully review all the information and access the tools available to you. Any action you take during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2016. When is Open Enrollment? Open Enrollment is held the entire month of November. All benefit changes for 2016 need to be made no later than November 30, 2015. What changes can I make during Open Enrollment? The changes you can make during Open Enrollment are any of the following: You can enroll in or waive health/dental (Basic or Plus option)/or vision plan coverage You can change your health plan You can add/drop a dependent(s) to your health/dental/vision plan coverage You can choose between two Basic Life insurance options - 1x annual base salary or flat $50,000 You can enroll/re-enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care/Dependent Care) You can enroll/dis-enroll in Group Legal Plan coverage If you are currently enrolled in Supplemental Life insurance coverage, you have the option to increase your coverage by one times your annual salary, up to plan limits, without proof of good health. Why do I need to make elections for my health, dental and vision plans? All employees are encouraged to view and evaluate their benefit options each year and determine the coverage that best meets their needs. It is also important yearly to verify any dependents you wish to cover.
How do I make Open Enrollment elections or changes? You can make Open Enrollment elections or changes via the Employee Benefits Portal. There you will be able to enroll in, waive, or make changes to health, dental, and vision plans; Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care/Dependent Care); Life and AD&D Insurance; Group Legal Plan and elect a PTOB cashout. Where do I go on the Open Enrollment website to view employee deductions? Employee deductions can be found under Step 2 - Understand Your Options heading. Where do I go to view my current elections? On the Open Enrollment website, go to Step 1 - Review your Current Benefits to review your current elections. You will need your SecurID. When do I use my SecurID? You can access most of the HR or Payroll collections without using a SecurID, but you'll need it to verify your identity before you can view or change any of your personal, benefits, or payroll information. SecurID provides the highest level of privacy protection. To get a SecurID, go to FastJump: SecurID and complete the online form. How do I use my SecurID to access My Information? When accessing any of your personal information, you will be prompted to enter your SecurID logon information. Enter your SUI (email username) and your password (four-digit SecurID PIN plus the number on your SecurID token). Where do I go on the Open Enrollment website to view specific plan changes? To view specific plan changes on the Open Enrollment website, select Review Changes by Plan for 2016. Are there any changes in the Health Plans for 2016? Yes, some plans provision changes have been made for 2016. For more information, select Review Changes by Plan for 2016.
Are there any changes in the Dental Plan for 2016? Yes. There are two new dental plan options for 2016. Dental Basic and Dental Plus. If you are currently enrolled and don't elect a dental option, you will be defaulted into the Dental Plus Option. FastJump: OE Dental for more information. Are there any changes in the Vision Plan for 2016? Yes, there are some provision changes and plan name change. FastJump: OE Vision for more information. If I need to change health plans, and I am in the middle of medical treatment, is there anything I need to do? Most health plans have "transition of care" programs that provide resources to help you if you're undergoing medical treatment for a particular condition and are concerned about the continuity of your care. Contact your prospective plan prior to January 1, 2016. For more information, visit Help/Contacts on the health care website (FastJump: healthcare). What are Flexible Spending Accounts? A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows you to save tax dollars by making pre-tax contributions from your pay into an FSA account, thus reducing your taxable income. This account allows employees to pay for eligible medical expenses on a pre-tax basis as well as pay for dependent and child-care expenses on a pre-tax basis. For the 2016 plan year, you may contribute up to $2,550 to the Health Care FSA (standard or compatible (limited)) and $5,000 to the Dependent Care FSA. What is the Health Care Expense Account Plan? For non-high Deductible Plan participants, the Health Care Expense Account Plan allows you to set aside a portion of your pay ($100 minimum to $2,550 maximum) on a pre-tax basis for reimbursement of eligible health care expenses. In accordance with federal law, the maximum contribution limit for 2016 will be $2,550. This money may be used for certain uninsured health, dental and vision expenses incurred during the calendar year. Because this money goes into your account before taxes are withheld, you pay less in current income taxes. To learn more about the Health Care Expense Account Plan, refer to the Consider a Flexible Spending Account section on the Open Enrollment website. Can I make health care contributions if I am enrolled in the PPO High Deductible Plan w/hsa? Yes, PPO High Deductible Plan participants can make health care contributions, but can only be reimbursed for certain dental, vision and other preventive care not covered under your health plan
until you reach the PPO High Deductible Plan annual deductible. After that, it will be converted to a standard Health Care Flexible Spending Account. Are there any other changes to how I can get reimbursed for expenses under the Health Care Flexible Spending Account? Yes, you must have a prescription to be reimbursed for certain over-the-counter medications. For more information, refer to the Consider a Flexible Spending Account section on the Open Enrollment website. What is the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account? The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account allows you to set aside a portion of your pay ($100 minimum to $5,000 maximum) on a pre-tax basis to help with day care costs associated with the care of your children or elderly dependents while you work. Because this money goes into your account before taxes are withheld, you pay less in current income taxes. To learn more about the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, refer to the Consider a Flexible Spending Account section on the Open Enrollment website or in the MITRE Benefits Handbook. Must I re-enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care/Dependent Care) if I am currently in the Plan? Yes, IRS regulations require that you must re-enroll in the plan every year if you want to continue Flexible Spending Account (Health Care/Dependent Care) elections. How do I enroll/re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts? Enrollment/re-enrollment for Flexible Spending Accounts can be done electronically via the Employee Benefits Portal only during Open Enrollment. What else do I need to know about Flexible Spending Accounts? Expenses must be incurred during the plan year January 1 to December 31 and must be submitted for reimbursement by March 31 of the following year. For Health Care FSA, regulations allow a carryover of up to $500 in a Health Care FSA from one plan year to the next plan year. For Dependent Care, the IRS requires that you forfeit any money in your Dependent Care FSA account that is not used to pay for eligible expenses incurred during the year or claimed by the reimbursement deadline. Are there any changes to the Basic Life, Supplemental Life or Dependent Life insurance plans?
Yes, there are changes to the Basic Life insurance plan. There are now two Basic Life insurance options that you can choose from - 1x annual base salary or flat $50,000. If you are currently enrolled and do not elect a Basic Life option, you will be defaulted into the 1x your annual base salary option. For more information, FastJump: OE Life. Can I increase my Supplemental Life Insurance during Open Enrollment? If you are currently enrolled in Supplemental Life Insurance, you may have the option to increase coverage. Please see Think About Life Insurance on the Open Enrollment website for answers and additional information relating to Supplemental Life Insurance. Can I enroll in or waive coverage in the Dependent Life plan during Open Enrollment? You can enroll or waive Dependent Life coverage at any time during the year. However, if you apply for coverage for your dependents more than 31 days after their initial eligibility, your dependents will be required to provide proof of good health to the insurance carrier before coverage can become effective. For more information, please refer to the MITRE Benefits Handbook, Dependent Life Insurance section. Are there any changes to the Long Term Disability Plan? No, there are no changes to the Long Term Disability Plan. Can I enroll in or waive coverage in Long Term Disability during Open Enrollment? You can enroll or waive LTD coverage at any time during the year. However, if you would like to enroll in the plan more than 31 days after your initial eligibility, you must provide the insurance carrier with proof of good health. If your application for coverage is due to a life event change (such as marriage, birth or specific change in employment status), proof of good health will not be required provided you apply within 31 days of such life event. For more information, please refer to the MITRE Benefits Handbook, Long Term Disability section. What are Voluntary Benefits? Voluntary Benefits are benefits that are offered to employees at a discount but are not subsidized by MITRE. The voluntary benefits that are offered include: Auto & Homeowner's insurance Long Term Care insurance Group Legal Plan insurance Pet insurance Identity Theft insurance
All voluntary benefit plans are administered by Mercer Voluntary Benefits. To learn more about each of the voluntary benefits, click on the individual links above. You may also visit the MITRE Voluntary Benefits website for additional information. If you prefer to speak to a Mercer Voluntary Benefits representative, call toll-free 1-866-228-3553 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Eastern Time. Are there any changes to the Voluntary Benefits for 2016? No, there are no changes to the Voluntary Benefits for 2016. When can I enroll in any of the Voluntary Benefits? You can enroll in the Group Legal Plan only during Open Enrollment. For the Auto/Home, Long Term Care, Pet and Identity Theft insurance plans, you can enroll anytime during the year. How do I enroll in the Group Legal Plan? To enroll in the Group Legal Plan for calendar year 2016, you must enroll via the Employee Benefits Portal. Note: Group Legal Plan coverage will automatically renew at the start of each plan year (January 1st) unless you change your enrollment status during Open Enrollment. How do I disenroll in the Group Legal Plan? If you are currently participating in the Group Legal Plan and wish to waive participation in 2016, you must disenroll via the Employee Benefits Portal. Enrollments/disenrollments (except for new hires) are limited to the Open Enrollment period. Are there any changes in the contribution limits to the Retirement Plan? Voluntary contribution limits (A2/A4 combined) will remain the same $18,000 for employees under age 50 during calendar year 2016 and $24,000 for employees who will reach age 50 or older by December 31, 2016. Please note that the Part A2/A4 limits (combined with your Part A1 Basic contribution), determine your maximum contribution amount. If you currently elect the maximum, the voluntary contribution limit will automatically be withheld from your pay in equal installments over the year. Thus, you do not need to elect any changes. Please visit the Retirement Program section of the Open Enrollment website to access your Current and Projected Maximum Contribution Percentages.