UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2016 benefits open enrollment period has begun, and the Office of Human Resources is offering faculty and staff an array of comprehensive and interactive tools and resources to assist with making important benefits decisions.
Benefits open enrollment, which runs Nov. 2-20, provides Penn State employees the opportunity to make or change benefits selections by logging into ESSIC – Employee Self-Service Information Center – with all changes and updates taking effect on Jan. 1, 2016.
The benefits open enrollment period is the only opportunity for Penn State faculty and staff to make benefits changes for 2016, unless an employee has an eligible change-in-status event, such as the birth of a child or a marriage.
Gregory D. Stoner, senior director of compensation and benefits for the Office of Human Resources, said there is another important reason why every Penn State faculty and staff member must log in to ESSIC between now and Nov. 20.
“The Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law requires employers to have an employee’s written consent to take deductions from that employee’s pay for voluntary benefits, and that written consent must be obtained prior to deductions being applied,” Stoner said. “Therefore, all Penn State employees electing health care, dental, vision, optional life insurance, long-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, flexible spending accounts or long-term care must log into ESSIC during 2016 benefits open enrollment to provide consent, even if they have no changes to their benefits, or risk the discontinuation of benefits.”
Those who do wish to make benefits changes or explore benefits options and offerings will find the 2016 Benefits Open Enrollment microsite at http://openenrollment.psu.edu, an essential digital resource loaded with useful information, interactive tools and helpful links that make the selection of benefits easier than ever before.
Along with explanations of the PPO Savings Plan and PPO Blue Plan, and side-by-side coverage comparisons, the most useful resource on the microsite may be the basic and comprehensive decision tools that assist employees on the health plan decision making process.
The decision tools allow employees to input data, such as how much they spent last year or how much they wish to spend in the future, and calculate the cost for the coverage they need. While some individuals are comfortable with estimates, others want more reliable data to use in the comparisons, which is why Highmark has developed new resources to help make more exact calculations.
“Penn State employees can call Highmark and request two secure and personalized documents that will help provide more precise data for use in the decision tools,” Stoner said. “Employees can request their Claims Calculation Report and their Pharmacy Claims History Report from Highmark by calling 1-800-914-4384.”
Another valuable tool in the microsite’s resources section is a link to the benefits open enrollment webinars, which provide faculty and staff a convenient, interactive resource for benefits information.
“The webinars minimize the lost time and productivity that faculty and staff would experience attending and traveling to traditional seminars,” said Stoner. “Most importantly, the webinars are interactive, so attendees can ask questions or get direction to the benefits information that is important to them.”
While the webinars began last month, there are eight more webinars scheduled for 9:30-11 a.m. on Nov. 2, 10, 16 and 18, and 2- 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, 12, 17 and 19. A link to a recorded version has been posted on the website’s webinar page.
Another of microsite’s more prominent features is the benefits e-magazine, which satisfies the dual-requirement of informing employees of benefits options while saving money through the reduction of paper, printing and mailing costs. Unlike years past, employees will not receive a hard copy benefits guide in the mail.
“In keeping with our sustainability efforts, an electronic version of the benefits guide has been created and posted on the microsite, eliminating the need for paper and mailing costs,” Stoner said. “This online interactive e-magazine will provide employees 24/7 benefits information and support from any computer or tablet and conveniently links directly to ESSIC, where employees must confirm or change 2016 benefit elections.”
The microsite is continually being updated with new information, including an explanation of lower deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums under the PPO Savings Plan as required by IRS regulations, the modest increase to the rates for the optional long-term disability benefit, and the $50,000 life insurance benefit for faculty and staff.
For additional information, refer to the Penn State Today “Understanding your benefits” series:
- May 18 – Understanding your benefits: How does health care work?
- June 1 – Understanding your benefits: Some key terms to help with plan selection
- June 21 – Understanding your benefits: Penn State’s PPO Blue and PPO Savings Plans
- July 23 – Understanding your benefits: More details of Penn State’s health plans
- Aug. 17 – Understanding your benefits: Special health management programs available
- Sept. 18 – Understanding your benefits: Ways to put pre-tax dollars aside for medical care
- Oct. 5 – Understanding your benefits: Is a PPO Savings Plan right for you?
- Oct. 19 – Understanding your benefits: Using the Highmark website to your advantage