Employee Benefits Open Enrollment to Be Held Online October 12–November 6, 2020

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will hold its annual Open Enrollment for employee benefits online from October 12–November 6, 2020. Through Employee Self-Service (ESS), you will have 24/7 access to the online Benefit Enrollment System (BES) to enroll in or make changes to your benefits. You must submit any benefit changes no later than November 6, 2020. Changes made to your benefits will be effective January 1, 2021.

Benefit Plan Highlights for 2021

• There will be no changes to insurance vendors for 2021.
• The tobacco surcharge and attestation have been discontinued.
• CareFirst and Kaiser Permanente will offer MCPS employees and dependents hearing aid coverage of $1,500 per ear every 36 months.

During Open Enrollment, eligible employees can—

1. Enroll in benefits
2. Change health insurance carriers
3. Make changes to coverage levels
4. Add or drop dependents*
5. Enroll in flexible spending account(s) (FSAs) for 2021
6. Designate life insurance beneficiary(ries)**

You may enroll in the full employee benefit plan or choose only the individual components (medical, dental, vision, or prescription drug) that meet your needs. For example, you may select medical and prescription drug coverage but decline vision and dental coverage. However, all family members must have the same coverage.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Open Enrollment also is your time to enroll in an FSA for 2021. If you are participating currently in an FSA and wish to do so again in 2021, you must reenroll. The annual limit on medical FSA accounts for 2021 will increase to $2,750; the limit for dependent care FSA accounts will remain at $5,000. Keep reading for more information about the benefits of enrolling in an FSA for medical and/or dependent care expenses and how to sign up for 2021.

Benefit Rates for 2021

Your 2021 benefit rates will be based on the benefit plan(s) you elect and, as a result of the Wellness Initiatives program, on whether or not—

• you completed a biometric health screening between October 7, 2019, and October 9, 2020; and
• you completed your medical plan’s online health risk assessment between October 7, 2019, and October 9, 2020.

Base rates for the 2021 plan year, which do not include Wellness Initiatives credit(s), are available in the 2021 Employee Benefit Summary. Rate charts for 2021 that do factor in Wellness Initiatives credits or charges are available on the Open Enrollment web page. Find rates for the current plan year on the Employee Benefits web page.

Learn More

Studies show that an educated health-care consumer is best able to navigate the confusing world of health insurance and make better decisions. For details about your benefit options, refer to the 2021 Employee Benefit Summary. It is important to pay close attention to the Open Enrollment materials to ensure that you make the best choices for you and your family.

*Documentation may be required.

**Current designated life insurance beneficiary(ries) will not be displayed on the BES screen. Any changes made to beneficiary(ries) from the BES will replace all previously designated beneficiaries.