Online Employee Benefits Open Enrollment is Under Way

The MCPS annual Employee Benefits Open Enrollment began Monday, Oct. 8 and will end on Friday, Nov. 2. Enroll in or make changes to your benefits, sign up for your medical and/or dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) for 2019,* add or delete dependents,** attest to you and your spouse’s 2018 tobacco use, and designate your life insurance beneficiary(ries) online at the Benefits Enrollment System (BES).

Benefits Information for 2019

MetLife will be the life insurance vendor for MCPS employees, effective January 1, 2019. There are no changes to MCPS-offered medical, prescription, dental or vision plans for 2019.

Tobacco-Use Attestation

If you will be covered in 2019 by an MCPS-provided medical insurance plan with CareFirst or Kaiser Permanente, during Open Enrollment you MUST attest to whether or not you and your spouse (if you are married) will be tobacco-free throughout 2018. You must attest even if you are not making any changes to your employee benefits. For those who ARE NOT making benefit changes, a stand-alone attestation form is available by clicking on the Tobacco attestation link found under the blue My Benefits banner on the Employee Self-Service (ESS) web page. For those who ARE making changes to their benefits, the attestation form is included as part of the BES.

Remember: Tobacco-users who complete the Quit for Good tobacco cessation program can have the surcharge waived and, depending on when the program is completed, refunded. Learn more.

Don’t Delay!

To enroll in or make changes to your benefits for 2019, visit the Employee Self-Service (ESS) web page, and click on the Open Enrollment link to access the BES. Log in using your Outlook username and password. Read the welcome message and follow the onscreen instructions as you navigate the system. Any changes you make to your benefits will be effective on January 1, 2019.

You will be able to view and print confirmation of your benefit changes from the BES. You also will receive confirmation in your MCPS Outlook email account.

Remember: The deadline to make your tobacco-use attestation(s), make changes to your employee benefits, and sign up for your 2019 FSA(s) is November 2, 2018.

* Submit your 2019 FSA election(s) from the BES. Remember, you must submit new FSA elections every year if you wish to continue an FSA.

**Documentation is required to add dependents.