2012 UF Fall Open Enrollment Period and Benefits Fair

Paula Varnes Fussell, Vice President for Human Resource Services

This year’s benefits Open Enrollment period runs October 8 through November 2. The deadline to enroll is Friday, November 2, 2012, at 6 p.m. EST. During Open Enrollment, all state and the new UFSelect plans will be available for elections and changes. Any changes made during this time will become effective January 1, 2013.

Over the last year, significant work has gone into developing GatorCare, a self-insured health plan that will be offered to specific UF&Shands employee groups. While the majority of faculty, TEAMS and USPS employees are currently covered by the state’s health plan, and therefore not eligible for GatorCare, faculty and staff currently enrolled in AvMed’s Domestic Partner plan may transition to the new GatorCare plan during this Open Enrollment period. Beginning next spring, other employee groups not currently part of the state’s health plan—such as graduate assistants on appointment, pre- and postdoctoral fellows, postdoctoral associates, clinical faculty and housestaff—will be eligible to enroll in the new GatorCare plans over the next year. Additional information about GatorCare is available via http://www.healthplan.ufl.edu/.

In addition to the launch of GatorCare, one of the outcomes of UF’s recent self-insurance project is the introduction of a new voluntary benefits program, UFSelect, administered by FBMC Benefits Management. UFSelect is a new set of post- tax voluntary plans providing employees more choice to round out their university benefits package, and will include dental, vision, accident, critical illness, supplemental hospital, life events, pet and legal insurance. Existing UF plans that will continue under FBMC’s management will include the term life and disability plans; no action is needed on the part of employees who already participate in these two plans. UFSelect will also provide benefit opportunities to employee groups who currently do not have voluntary plans, such as postdocs and housestaff. To learn more about UFSelect, please visit http://www.fbmclearningcenter.com/uf.

FBMC enrollment counselors will be available on campus to provide information and to help employees enroll in voluntary benefits. Employees are encouraged to schedule a meeting with an FBMC enrollment counselor online at http://www.myenrollmentschedule.com/uf or by calling (866) 998-2915.

Each year, in conjunction with Open Enrollment, the Office of Human Resource Services hosts the annual Benefits Fair. This year’s fair is scheduled for October 23rd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Touchdown Terrace. Vendors will be available to answer questions about a variety of benefit and retirement plans. Free flu shots will also be available for employees who bring their UF ID card. Employees can also meet some of UF’s Gator Perks employee discount program vendors, and there will be food and opportunities to win prizes!

For employees covered by People First state benefits, there are relatively few changes occurring. Some notable changes include:
* FSA annual contribution maximum amounts decrease from $5,000 to $2,500 annually
* Name change – BlueCross and BlueShield of Florida to Florida Blue
* Name change – Medco has changed to Express Scripts
* Name change – CompBenefits has changed to Humana
* Some dental rates and copays are changing
* New Address Updates and Verification Process
* New Dependent Eligibility Certification Process
* New Enrollment Screens/Process

In addition to this communication and the Open Enrollment website, we will be communicating to employees via the following venues:
* HRS monthly InfoGator newsletter
* All-employee e-mail in early October
* UF paycheck e-mail notifications
* Posters distributed throughout key areas of campus
* myUFL portal splash page the week of October 8
* Inside UF and the UF home page
* Staff News pagelet on the myUFL portal
* UF HRS website
* Open Enrollment information sessions
* UF marquees
* WUFT-FM
* HR Forum
* Letter sent to employees’ homes introducing UFSelect

Employees may visit http://www.hr.ufl.edu/benefits/openenrollment for more details on how to enroll, information sessions, important mailings and dates, and more. Employees may also stop by the University Benefits office at 903 W. University Avenue or a Human Resource Services satellite office, or contact University Benefits at benefits@ufl.edu or (352) 392-2477 with any additional questions.