Benefits Open Enrollment Kickoff

The annual benefits open enrollment kickoff meeting for USU employees is Monday, April 23, at 11 a.m. in the Stevenson Ballroom at the Taggart Student Center.

All Utah State University faculty and staff and their spouses are encouraged to attend to learn about changes in the benefit package for fiscal year 2007-08. The topics to be discussed include changes to the medical plan, Flex Spending changes and retirement changes. Question and answer sessions are planned with representatives from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Flex Spending, USU’s Human Resources and the Employee Benefits Advisory Board.

The benefits open enrollment kickoff meeting heralds the beginning of Open Enrollment, which continues through June 15, 2007. Note the end of Open Enrollment is June 15th and NOT June 30.

Open Enrollment allows employees to add or make changes to:

Blue or White Plan medical plan
Short-Term Disability (with proof of insurability)
Life Insurance (with proof of insurability)
Re-enroll in Flex Spending (this program requires enrollment every year)

All current policies automatically remain the same if employees do not take any action, with the exception of Flex Spending. Employees must re-enroll in Flex Spending each year.

Beginning July 1, 2007, USU will have a new Flex Spending vendor, ASI Flex. It is strongly suggested that those with Flex Spending accounts use the flex spending dollars by June 30 to simplify the process of working with two vendors to recoup flex dollars. The grace period of incurring expenses until Sept. 15 is still in effect, but if dollars are not used by June 30, individuals will need to keep track of which flex dollars go with which Flex Spending vendor.

HR benefits specialists will again conduct House Calls this year, presenting plan changes in detail and answering questions. Watch the HR Web site for the House Calls meetings schedule.

For more information call, Human Resources at 797-1814.