UF Fall 2014 Open Enrollment Period and Benefits Fair

Paula Varnes Fussell, Vice President for Human Resource Services

This year’s benefits Open Enrollment period runs Oct. 20 through Nov. 7. The deadline to enroll or make changes is Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, at 6 p.m. EST. During Open Enrollment, employees may choose new elections and/or make changes to all state, UFSelect and GatorCare plans for which they are eligible.

Employees are encouraged to begin making any needed changes early during the Open Enrollment period in case assistance is required. All benefit elections must be completed online using the People First website (for state plans) at https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com/ or the myUFL portal (UFSelect & GatorCare plans) at https://my.ufl.edu. Changes from a state plan to a UF plan or vice-versa will require two separate transactions. Prior to finalizing elections, plans should be carefully reviewed to avoid duplicate coverage. For example, participation in both a state health plan and a GatorCare health plan simultaneously is not permitted. All changes made during Open Enrollment will take effect Jan. 1, 2015.

To learn more about individual plans, employees should plan to attend the annual Benefits Fair scheduled for Oct. 29, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Touchdown Terrace in the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, the state will continue to offer OPS/temporary employees an opportunity to enroll in the state’s plans provided certain eligibility requirements are met. Individuals determined eligible should receive a packet prior to Open Enrollment. This year, the state will begin to consider time worked in all positions, current and previous, when evaluating eligibility. A prior job separation and subsequent rehire, regardless of the type of appointment (TEAMS, Faculty, USPS, & OPS), could factor into an employee’s eligibility to participate in state plans.

Other notable changes for 2015 include the following:

• UFSelect’s Met Law/Hyatt legal plan will not be offered after Dec. 31, 2014. Current participants may enroll in the Preferred Legal plan under UFSelect during Open Enrollment if they wish to continue coverage for 2015.
• State pharmacy change to CVS/Caremark
• State’s Humana Vision plan will eliminate the Materials only option #3006. The Exam + Materials plan #3004 will continue with some coverage enhancements as well as a minimal premium increase. Employees in option #3006 must make a selection during Open Enrollment if they wish to continue vision coverage for 2015. This change does not affect employees participating in the UFSelect vision plan that is also offered through Humana.
• Premium increases for some of the state dental plans

All plan changes or additions must be completed by 6 p.m. EST on Nov. 7.
Employees may visit http://hr.ufl.edu/benefits/making-changes/open-enrollment/ for additional information. For general questions, employees may also contact University Benefits at benefits@ufl.edu or (352) 392-2477.