Employee Benefits Open Enrollment Under Way; Make Changes by Nov. 8
MCPS Bulletin
Posted On October 22, 2013
The MCPS annual Open Enrollment for employee benefits began Monday, Oct. 14 and will end on Friday, Nov. 8. If you wish to make benefit enrollment changes during Open Enrollment, you must submit MCPS Form 455-20: Employee Benefit Plan Enrollment to the Employee and Retiree Service Center (ERSC) no later than Nov. 8. Any changes made to your benefits will be effective on Jan. 1, 2014.
Important Reminder for Current UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Members
Effective Jan. 1, 2014, Cigna will replace UHC as a medical insurance provider offering both point-of-service and health maintenance organization coverage to eligible MCPS employees. If you currently are enrolled in UHC, you automatically will be enrolled in the same plan option with Cigna, unless you select another plan during the fall Open Enrollment. Be sure to review Open Enrollment information for plan details and options.
If you elect to make changes to your benefits, you will receive a confirmation in your MCPS Outlook email account. If you are not making changes to your benefits, no response is required and you will not receive a confirmation.
During Open Enrollment, Eligible Employees Can:
- Enroll in benefits
- Change health insurance carriers
- Make changes to coverage levels
- Add or drop dependents*
- Enroll in a medical and/or dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) for 2014**
*Documentation is required to add dependents.
**Be sure to read the article below for details.
Learn More
Visit the Open Enrollment web page to:
- Learn about your 2014 benefit options
- See how different medical plans compare
- Download forms to make changes to your benefits
- Enroll in your 2014 FSA(s)
Don’t Delay!
The deadline to make changes to your employee benefits is Friday, Nov. 8. This includes signing up for 2014 FSAs.
Save Money: Sign Up for 2014 Flexible Spending Account(s)
MCPS offers a great way to save money on medical and dependent care expenses. Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) allow you to set aside a specified dollar amount from your gross pay—pretax—to pay for qualified out-of-pocket medical and dependent care expenses. You can choose to open a medical FSA, a dependent care FSA or both. You then indicate the amount to set aside by making a yearly election. To pay for qualified medical expenses, you can use your FSA debit card, or you can submit a claim reimbursement form to the FSA plan administrator, ADP (formerly SHPS). You will be reimbursed for qualified expenses from the money you have set aside in your FSA.
As further incentive to encourage this cost-saving option, MCPS will match the first $100 of your medical spending FSA.
Don’t Forget!
When calculating how much to set aside in your medical FSA, remember that over-the-counter drugs are not eligible for reimbursement unless prescribed.
Contribution Limits
The maximum amount you may set aside in a medical FSA in 2014 is $2,500. For a dependent care account, you may set aside up to a combined family maximum of $5,000 per year or $2,500 per year if married filing separately.
Ready to Make Your 2014 Elections? Sign Up Now Through November 8
Even if you currently are participating in an FSA for 2013, you must take action during Open Enrollment to make your 2014 elections. Enrollment in FSAs only is available online. Enroll online now!
Learn More
Visit the Open Enrollment web page for information about FSAs and assistance using online enrollment.
Read the updated Flexible Spending Accounts: Save Money on Healthcare and Dependent Care in 2014! for details about the benefits of an FSA.
Call the ADP toll-free hotline at 1-800-228-5762 for assistance with FSAs.
