May 01, 2014

Benefit Choice Fair is Tuesday

The State Employees’ Group Insurance Program Benefit Choice open enrollment period is Thursday, May 1, through June 2 for all benefits eligible employees. 

Selections made during this period will become effective July 1.  This is your opportunity to make changes to your benefit elections without a qualifying change in family status.  

The Department of Human Resources will host a Benefit Choice Fair on Tuesday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center Mississippi Room. 

All state employees and retirees are welcome and encouraged to attend.  You do not need to do anything if you do not wish to make any changes to your current plan.  Your benefit choices will remain the same. 

Two benefit choice information sessions will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and will include discussion of all changes and new information for the new plan. Topics covered will include premiums, deductibles and co-pays for the next year. 

Representatives from plan providers and SIU’s Human Resources will present be available outside the Mississippi Room to answer questions and provide new plan materials.  The plan providers attending are: 

  • Blue Cross/Blue Shield
  • Cigna (Quality Care Health Plan)
  • CMS --Deferred Compensation
  • Coventry (OAP & HMO)
  • Delta Dental of Illinois
  • Health Alliance HMO
  • HealthLink OAP
  • Magellan
  • Minnesota Life 

Everyone is reminded that flexible spending accounts under the Medical Care Assistance Plan (MCAP) and Dependent Care Assistance Plan (DCAP) do not automatically carry over each year.  New forms must be completed each year.  The forms, including those mailed to current participants, must be received by June 2. 

Prudential is offering an open enrollment from May 15 to June 2 for long-term disability (LTD) plans. Employees may sign up for coverage without any medical underwriting, unless you have been denied coverage in the past.  LTD is a supplemental disability plan that pays up to 66.67 percent of your salary (less payments from SURS) tax free, if approved. 

The benefit choice period is also a great time to review all beneficiary designations and make appropriate updates. There may be death benefits through various program, each having a separate benefit form, including: 

  • State of Illinois life insurance (Minnesota Life)
  • SIUC Supplemental life insurance (ING)
  • Retirement benefits (SURS)
  • CMS Deferred Compensation and/or SIU’s 403(b) program 

Please call Human Resource’s Benefits Office at 618/453-6668 with any questions about benefit choice options.  Additional information and links are also available on the Human Resource’s website.  Employees are encouraged to review the benefit options booklet, which is available on the Benefits Choice website at www.benefitschoice.il.gov.  There is important information in this booklet concerning your insurance and plan coverage.  Watch for the eight-page flier being mailed to your home address.