OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT VICE CHANCELLOR -
HUMAN RESOURCES
November 3, 1998
ALL AT UCSD
SUBJECT: Benefits Health and Welfare Day (ANNUAL BENEFITS FAIR)
All UCSD faculty and staff are invited to attend the Benefits Health
and Welfare Day (Benefits Fair) scheduled to be held Tuesday,
November 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the UCSD Price Center,
Ballroom B. This annual event provides an excellent opportunity for
faculty and staff to confer directly with benefit plan carrier
representatives, UCSD Health Care Network providers, and Benefits
Representatives from Human Resources. Limited supplies of health/welfare
directories and brochures will also be available. Health related
activities will include free blood pressure checks and free back massages.
Light refreshments will be served.
Note - As a matter of convenience, Kaiser Permanente has in the past few
years offered flu shots at no cost during annual benefit fairs. This year
due to business reasons Kaiser Permanente has decided not to provide flu
shots at the fair. Faculty and staff enrolled in UC-sponsored health plans
are encouraged to contact their individual health insurance carriers for
instructions on obtaining flu shots under health plan provisions.
IT'S TIME FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT
Open Enrollment provides an opportunity for UC faculty and staff to enroll
in or de-enroll from UC-sponsored medical, dental, and vision plans, as well
as change your participation in the Dependent Care Assistance (DepCare) and
the Tax Savings on Insurance Premiums (TIP) programs. It also provides an
opportunity to transfer to a different medical or dental plan or add
eligible
family members to current plan coverages.
This year, Open Enrollment begins on Monday, November 2, and ends on Monday,
November 23. Career and Limited Career faculty and staff members may make
plan changes through the Open Enrollment Action Line. Transactions must be
completed by midnight, November 23 (PST). Members with Core coverage must
use (UPAY 850) forms for making plan changes, which must be received in the
Benefits or Payroll Office by 5:00 p.m. on November 23. Open Enrollment
changes may not be made to UC-sponsored plans after these times. All Open
Enrollment changes will be effective January 1, 1999.
BENEFITS INFORMATION
By early November, eligible faculty and staff will receive a 1998
Open Enrollment Statement and booklet. The statement shows current plan
selections and eligible family member enrollments. The 1998 Open Enrollment
booklet includes an overview of 1999 benefit changes and pertinent benefits
information, as well as complete instructions for using the Open Enrollment
Action Line. Additional benefits information will be available through UC's
automated telephone service bencom.fone, the World Wide Web, and at the
Benefits Health and Welfare Day event.
1999 HEALTH PLAN AND INSURANCE HIGHLIGHTS
All UC-sponsored medical and dental plans will be open for enrollment or
transfer.
Faculty and staff members may enroll in or transfer to any medical or dental
plan for which they are eligible and that best meets their needs.
For 1999, at least one HMO plan at every major UC California location is
provided at no cost to members.
The Prudential High Option Plan member monthly cost will increase again
in 1999.
For 1999, UC will continue to pay the entire cost of the dental and vision
plans.
The Legal Expense Plan will not be open to new members during this Open
Enrollment period. For current enrollees, 1999 rates will decrease
slightly.
There are no rate or plan changes to Employee-Paid Life, Basic Dependent
Life, Expanded Dependent Life, Employee-Paid Disability, and Accidental
Death and Dismemberment (AD&D).
Members may call bencom.fone at 1-800-888-8267. By pressing 1 and entering
their Benefits Personal Identification Number (PIN), members can hear
current
health and insurance plan information, review retirement and investment
account balances, and hear the most recent investment performance for the
Defined Contribution Plan and Tax-Deferred 403(b) Plan. Members can also
review individual enrollments and request a printed personal statement via
fax. Bencom may be accessed any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
UC Human Resources and Benefits maintains UC benefits information on the
World Wide Web. The UCbencom home page may be reached at:
www.ucop.edu/bencom.
The UC bencom website has general benefits information, telephone numbers
for health and insurance plans, summary plan descriptions, and forms. UC
bencom also provides links to other useful web sites including insurance
carriers, Primary Care Physician (PCP) directories, prescription drug
formularies, and
government agencies.
SALARY REDUCTION PROGRAMS
Outside of certain "changes in status" governed by strict Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) rules, Open Enrollment is the only time that you may change
your participation in two of UC's salary reduction programs, the Dependent
Care Assistance program (DepCare) and the Tax Savings on Insurance Premiums
(TIP) program.
DepCare allows the payment of eligible dependent care expenses on a pretax,
salary reduction basis. During Open Enrollment faculty and staff may enroll
in DepCare, or change or cancel DepCare salary reduction amounts. If
members
are currently enrolled and do not make changes during Open Enrollment, their
1998 salary reduction amount will continue at the same rate in 1999.
Children who turned 13 this year, and are capable of self-care as defined
by the IRS, should be de-enrolled from DepCare participation during Open
Enrollment. Otherwise, unless a member has other eligible dependents, they
will forfeit all DepCare contributions for 1999. For more information, see
the DepCare Summary Plan Description available from the Benefits Office.
TIP allows payment of health plan premiums, if any, on a pretax, salary
reduction basis. Participation in TIP is automatic. During Open Enrollment
members may re-enroll in or opt out of TIP. See the TIP Summary Plan
Description for details.
The employee-paid life, basic and expanded dependent life and employee-paid
disability plans are not available during open enrollment. However,
eligible
faculty and staff may apply for these coverages at any time by completing a
statement of health, with coverage subject to carrier approval. The
accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) program is open all year around.
NEW TAX-DEFERRED 403(B) PLAN LOAN FUNDING PROCESS
Participants in the Tax-Deferred 403(b) Plan who want to borrow their
money in the Plan will be pleased to learn that they now have one less
step to take in getting a loan. As of September 1, 1998, the Loan Office
now sends loan documents--a combined promissory note, truth-in-lending
disclosure, and a payroll deduction authorization for repayment--directly
to the borrower's home address, rather than to the local Benefits Office.
Likewise, once the borrower signs and returns the documents to the Loan
Office, the check for the loan proceeds will be mailed directly to the
borrower's home.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Tuyet A. Le is a Certified Financial Planner and member of the Human
Resources Benefits Division who is available for individual financial
planning and tax planning appointments. In addition to conducting
individual counseling and group workshop sessions, Ms. Le is available
for weekly scheduled appointments from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Her
office is located in suite 360 (room 142), Torrey Pines Center South.
She can be reached by calling 822-2568 or at her e-mail address,
tule@ucsd.edu.
CAMPUS BENEFITS OFFICE PERSONNEL
Jacqueline Edwards, Manager, joedwards@ucsd.edu........................45634
Linda Jacobson, Senior Benefits Analyst, lmjacobson@ucsd.edu...........49686
Academic Affairs
Joanne Johnson, Senior Benefits Analyst, jgjohnson@ucsd.edu............41623
Student Affairs, Resource Management & Planning, Chancellor's Office
Ruth E. McDaniel, Senior Benefits Analyst, rmcdaniel@ucsd.edu..........40987
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Business Affairs
Jim Redhead, Senior Benefits Analyst, jredhead@ucsd.edu................42154
School of Medicine, Development & University Relations
Tuyet Le, Certified Financial Planner, tule@ucsd.edu...................22568
Jo Morales, Disability Coordinator, jmorales@ucsd.edu..................45244
Wilma Westmoreland, Insurance Carrier Liaison, wwestmoreland@ucsd.edu..42817
Corinne Castro-Sandack, Administrative Assistant, ccastro@ucsd.edu.....42816
Rogers Davis
Assistant Vice Chancellor -
Human Resources