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Reminder: Open Enrollment for FY21 Benefits is Underway

Open Enrollment is on for one more week! This is your annual opportunity to change your health plan, add or drop dependents, start a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), add or increase supplemental life insurance or enroll in accidental death and dismemberment insurance (AD&D). Remember, if you want to have an FSA in FY21, you have to re-enroll now. 

We're doing it all online again this year, so there's nothing to send in or fax to HR. You can find the enrollment form and all the details on our Open Enrollment web page, found directly from the benefits web site. Check the Open Enrollment page for the Enrollment Guide, plan comparisons, rate sheets and links to other important information.

How to Enroll
The online enrollment form takes you through the process. Just answer the questions for an easy step-by-step enrollment. It will start by asking if you want to make changes to your health plan. Then it will ask if you want to open or change your Health Savings Account (HSA). If you don’t have an HSA or don’t want to continue it, say No and it will ask if you want a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). When you click “Next” at the bottom of the page, you’ll get your FSA options. 
 
If you’re adding new dependents, you’ll need to upload documentation of their dependent status. If you don’t have a scanner, just take a picture with your phone and e-mail it to yourself, or upload it to your computer directly. Combine them all into a single PDF, and upload where indicated in the form. If you’re just changing plans and keeping the same dependents, just list their names and relationship, you don’t need to fill in the social security number or date of birth fields again.
 
When you’re all done with the health plan, saving or spending accounts, and life insurance options, just click submit and you’re done! You’ll be given a link to the PDF of your enrollment form to keep for your records.
 
Need some help understanding your benefit options? We offer DirectPath, your advocate for navigating the benefit package. Here’s a link to a short (6 minute) video describing their services and how they can help you with not only your benefit choices at open enrollment, but help with claims and billing issues, finding providers, etc.

Health Savings Accounts: If you elected a Health Savings Account (HSA) at the beginning of 2020, you don't need to do it again. The HSA will continue for the full calendar year and keep going into the future until you change it. 

Not sure of the difference between the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and the HSA? Here's a comparison highlighting the differences between these accounts. Remember, you can have the FSA on any of UA's health plans, but you need to be enrolled in the Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP) to contribute to the HSA.

Make sure your life insurance beneficiaries are up to date by completing the Beneficiary Form. You don't need to know who your current beneficiaries are; the new form replaces anything you had on file before.

Questions? Check the web page because it's probably there, but if you still have questions you can call DirectPath, your health care advocate, at (866) 253-2273, or contact the Employee Transitions and Benefits team at ua-benefits@alaska.edu.