Open enrollment is your annual opportunity to change your benefit elections for the upcoming plan year. You have until May 15 to

• change your health plan option,
• add or remove dependents,
• sign up for a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for health care or dependent daycare expenses,
• start or increase supplemental life insurance or accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)
• sign up for payroll deduction for the Health Savings Account (HSA)

This year we are also asking employees to provide their dependents’ social security numbers which is required for health care reform reporting that we’ll do early next year.

If you aren’t making any changes and don’t want the FSA or HSA, you don’t need to turn in a form. But if you have dependents in the plan, please turn in a dependent enrollment form to provide their social security numbers. Just check the box “currently enrolled” on the form so we know you’re not making changes.

If you’ve previously opted out of the UA Choice health plan, you don’t need to do that again. Just remember that you are required to enroll in a UA Choice health plan within 30 days if you happen to lose your other coverage for whatever reason.

All the information, including a benefit movie to describe all the plan changes and features, is out on the benefits web site. Just go to http://www.alaska.edu/benefits/ to find the link to the open enrollment site. All the forms you need are right there in one spot.

This is also a good time to review your beneficiary designations for life insurance and retirement programs.

The life insurance and AD&D beneficiary form is on the benefits forms page at http://www.alaska.edu/hr/forms/hr_benefits/ �If you are electing either of these coverages now you should complete the appropriate section of this form, and turn it in to HR with your election form.

PERS and TRS beneficiary forms are on their site:
http://doa.alaska.gov/drb/forms/index.html#.VTanYpNvn9U (send these forms directly to the Division of Retirement at the address on the form)

ORP and UA Pension companies have their own beneficiary forms and process, many you can update online from your secure portal. Log in to your account to find out more.