Open Enrollment 2016: Frequently Asked Questions

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1 When is Open Enrollment? Open Enrollment (OE) begins Monday, October 17, 2016 and ends at midnight on Friday, November 11, OE 2016 affects the plan year beginning January 1, How do I enroll in benefits? Valley Health System (VHS) has made it easier to enroll right from the comfort of your own home or from a VHS computer. To enroll through the online platform you may visit the website: Alternatively, you can reach the online platform through the VH Intranet and by clicking on BenefitSolver icon at the top of the screen. Additional information and step by step instructions are included on pages 6 &7 of the Well-Being Guide. I would like to meet with an enroller as I have done in the past. How do I set up an appointment? As this year s OE is considered passive we are not utilizing enrollers. If you would like to make changes to your current elections and/or participate in Healthy U, Flexible Spending or PTO cash-in, you may follow the enrollment and login instructions for BenefitSolver found in the Well-Being Guide. If you would like to enroll in or change your voluntary benefit elections with AFLAC or Trustmark you must call or go to to make an appointment with an authorized product representative. I don t know my passwords or username what do I do? On the homepage of the BenefitSolver platform, you will see a forgot password icon above the button for LOGIN. Please click on the icon and follow the prompts to reset your username and password if needed. What is the Company Key? The company key is: valleyhealth *please note the company key is written as one word (no spaces) and is case sensitive. If I make changes or elect new benefits, when will the new plan year begin? The plan year for health and welfare benefits (including Flexible Spending) begins on January 1, The plan year for the Healthy U program begins on October 1, 2016.

2 What does Passive Enrollment mean? Because the changes for the new plan year are limited, VHS is conducting a passive versus active enrollment. This means that if you do not want to make any changes to your existing benefits there is no need to take any action. Your elections for 2016 will automatically carry over into 2017 unless you login to BenefitSolver and make changes. There are, however, a few exceptions. Action is required in order to enroll in Healthy U, Flexible Spending and PTO Cash-in for Your elections for Healthy U, Flexible Spending and PTO Cash-in for the 2016 plan years WILL NOT carry over automatically. OE is also the opportunity members have to add or remove dependents from the benefit plans without the requirement of a qualifying life event. If you would like to add or remove a dependent from the benefit plans and fail to do so within the OE period, you must wait for a qualifying event in order to do so. Finally, while not required OE is also a great time to update your beneficiary information; add the required dependent social security numbers for those covered by the plans; and to review your benefit information to ensure you are getting the most out of your participation. I don t have my Well-Being Guide Where can I get another copy? You may request an additional copy through the Human Resources office located on Cork Street in Winchester, VA. Alternatively, you may obtain an electronic copy of the guide available on the Benefits page of the VHS Employee Intranet site. Where can I find a more in-depth Medical Plan Guide for my Health Insurance? Detailed Summary Plan Descriptions are available for download on the VHS Employee Intranet site. How do I find contact information for our providers? Contact information can be found on page 30 of your well-being guide. Alternatively, you can find helpful phone numbers and provider directory information on the back of your insurance cards. page. 2

3 Flexible Spending Accounts What is the max I can put in my Flexible Spending? The maximum deferral for the Health Care Flexible Spending for 2017 has gone up to $2,550 per plan year. The annual maximum deferral allowed for Dependent Care Flexible Spending remains the same: $2,500/single and $5,000/ joint filers. Additional information regarding the Flexible Spending Account benefit can be found in the Well-Being guide as well as on the VHS Employee Intranet site. Can I use the Health Care Flexible Spending dollars on my family members as well? Yes, you can use the deferred Health Care Flexible Spending dollars on qualified expenses for family members. Additional information regarding the Flexible Spending Guidelines can be found in the Well-Being guide and on the VHS Employee Intranet site. When will the new Flexible Spending deferral deduction start coming out of my paycheck? Payroll deductions will begin January 5, 2017 for the new plan year. AFLAC and Trustmark Products How do I enroll in a coverage plan with AFLAC or Trustmark? If you would like to enroll in or change your voluntary benefit elections with AFLAC or Trustmark during the OE period, you must call or go to to make an appointment with an authorized product representative. How do I cancel my existing coverage through AFLAC? Please call to cancel your coverage. Upon doing so, please contact the VHS Benefits Department at phone number to notify them of the cancellation so that your premium deductions are also stopped. How can I cancel my existing coverage through Trustmark? Please call them to cancel at to cancel your coverage. Upon doing so, please contact the VHS Benefits Department at phone number to notify them of the cancellation so that your premium deductions are also stopped. page. 3

4 Healthy-U How do I participate in Healthy U? During the OE period, you may log in to BenefitSolver and elect to participate in the program. Questions regarding Healthy U may be directed to Wellness Services at PTO Cash-In What is the PTO Cash-in benefit and how does it work? The PTO Cash-In benefit allows eligible employees to cash in up to 40 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO) for full time employees and up to 20 hours of PTO for part time employees. By electing to participate in the PTO Cash-In benefit, these hours will be banked separately as accrued, and will not be available for use. It is important to note that the decision to participate in the PTO Cash-in benefit cannot be reversed outside of the OE period. PTO Cash-In is typically paid out in the 4 th quarter of the plan year (in this case 2017). Hours for the PTO Cash-In benefit begin accruing on January 1, 2017 and continue accruing until you have met the total number of hours elected to be paid. Please refer to VHS policy HR300 for additional information regarding the PTO Cash-In benefit. Surcharges What is the tobacco surcharge? If you or any of your dependents (including spouse) participate in our medical insurance plan and are considered periodic or regular tobacco users you will be required to pay an additional surcharge of $46.15 per paycheck. In order to have a surcharge removed, you must show proof of non-tobacco use by a medical professional for each covered dependent on your plan. What is the spousal surcharge? If your spouse is covered on the VHS medical insurance plan and has access to medical insurance through their own place of employment (outside of VHS) you will be required to pay a surcharge of $80.77 per paycheck. Please note that you may be required to attest to no access to coverage if requested by Human Resources. page. 4

5 Both my spouse and I work for VHS. If I add my spouse to my plan, will I have to pay the surcharge? No. If you and your spouse are both employed by VHS you will not be required to pay an additional surcharge. My spouse is on Medicare do I have to pay the spousal surcharge? No. If your spouse uses Medicare as a secondary insurance provider, the VHS plan would remain primary and you will not be required to pay an additional surcharge. Dependents How long can my dependents stay on the VHS benefit plans? Dependents may remain covered on our applicable benefit plans until the last day of the month in which they turn 26. Dependents will be offered COBRA upon losing coverage. My dependents are married and don t live at home. Can they remain covered on our benefit plans? Yes. Regardless of marital status or geographic location, dependents may be included on our plans through the age of 26. Affordable Care Act (ACA) Coverage I received a notice about ACA eligibility in the mail. What does this mean? If you have received notification of eligibility to participate in benefits under the ACA you will be prompted to enroll when logging in to BenefitSolver. For questions related to ACA eligibility or for assistance in enrolling in ACA related coverage please call the Human Resources Compensation and Benefits department at page. 5