2023 Open Enrollment Employee Announcement

Open Enrollment Starts Sept. 18 and Ends Oct. 13, 2023

The annual Open Enrollment period for health, dental, vision, FlexElect Reimbursement Accounts, legal insurance, cash options, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and long-term disability (LTD) starts Sept. 18 and ends Oct. 13, 2023. This publication provides you information about this year’s Open Enrollment and highlights benefit plan changes for 2024. Please take a moment to read this information carefully.

During Open Enrollment, you may:

• Enroll, cancel or change your benefit elections for health, dental, vision, COBRA and legal insurance. You can also add or delete eligible dependents.
• Enroll in FlexElect Reimbursement Accounts. If you have a reimbursement account and want to participate again next year, you need to re-enroll during Open Enrollment.
• Enroll in a cash option in lieu of health and/or dental benefits if you have qualifying group health and/or dental coverage through another source such as your spouse.

As an Excluded Employee, you may:

• Enroll, cancel or change LTD coverage.
• If you are enrolled in basic group term life insurance, you can purchase or make changes to your supplemental life insurance and purchase supplemental life insurance for your dependents. Changes can be made at any time.

If you are currently enrolled in health, dental, vision, a cash option, group legal, LTD or supplemental life and do not wish to make changes, no action is required.

If you wish to participate in the FlexElect Reimbursement Accounts, you need to re-enroll annually during Open Enrollment.

Permanent-intermittent employees who want to continue receiving the cash option must also re-enroll annually during Open Enrollment.

All Open Enrollment actions will be effective Jan. 1, 2024.

For eligibility information please contact your departmental personnel office.

VIRTUAL BENEFITS FAIR

CalHR is hosting a two-day Open Enrollment Virtual Benefits Fair for state civil service employees on Sept. 13 and 14. During the Virtual Benefits Fair, you can view on-demand webinars to discover your options and get answers you need to prepare for important decisions about your CalPERS health plans and CalHR dental, vision and voluntary benefit plans.

During the fair, you can view webinars, participate in live Q&As and access resources to help you make informed choices during the Open Enrollment period.

The Virtual Benefits Fair has moved to a new platform. To register for the Virtual Benefits Fair, visit the Open Enrollment webpage on the CalHR Benefits Website. Registration is only required for one day as the same information will be shared over both consecutive days.

IN PERSON FAIRS

On Sept. 6 and Sept. 21, 2023, the CalHR Open Enrollment Team is partnering with the Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of State Hospitals to host In-Person Benefit Fairs for state civil service employees. During the in-person fairs, you can communicate directly with benefit vendors to discover your options and get answers you need to prepare for important decisions about your CalPERS health plans and CalHR dental, vision and voluntary benefit plans. Attend the in-person fairs at one of the locations and times listed below[1]:

Date & Time	Location	Region
Sept. 06: 11:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m.	DMV Headquarters 2415 1st Avenue Sacramento, CA 95818	Northern California
Sept. 21: 10:00 a.m.– 2:00 p.m.	DSH – Metropolitan 11401 Bloomfield Avenue Norwalk, CA 90650	Southern California

For more information regarding the in-person fairs and their locations, please visit the Open Enrollment page on the CalHR Benefits website.

WHAT IS CHANGING FOR 2024?

There are premium rate changes for the CalPERS health plans. If you would like to make changes to your health plan, you must do so during Open Enrollment or when you have a qualifying event. Please visit the CalPERS website for the 2024 health plans and premiums. The 2024 CoBen Allowances and Employer Health Benefit Contributions by Bargaining Unit are available on the CalHR Benefits website.

IMPORTANT OPEN ENROLLMENT REMINDERS

Health coverage offered by the state meets the Affordable Care Act’s affordability and minimum value standards. If you are an employee who is eligible for state-sponsored health benefits, then you may not be eligible for a premium tax credit toward the purchase of individual health coverage through Covered California.

If you are eligible for health benefits but are not currently enrolled, or you are receiving cash in lieu of state-sponsored health coverage, you may enroll in health benefits during Open Enrollment.

If you have children, they are eligible for dependent coverage for health, dental, and vision plans up to the age of 26. Please check your health, dental and vision coverage enrollments through your departmental personnel office and ensure that only eligible dependents are enrolled.

2024 PLAN INFORMATION

Dental

The 2024 dental plan premiums are available on the CalHR Benefits website. For information regarding your current benefit plans, please contact your departmental personnel office. For more information about your dental benefits, please visit the CalHR Benefits website.

Vision Plans

The 2024 vision plan premiums and plan information are available on the CalHR Benefits website. For more information about your vision benefits, please visit the CalHR Benefits website.

There are two ways for you to enroll or make changes to your vision plan during Open Enrollment:

1. Visit the VSP website and complete the online enrollment form.
2. Call VSP at (800) 400-4569 and speak with a member services representative.

FlexElect Reimbursement Accounts

Medical Reimbursement Accounts let you set aside part of your monthly wages in a “Reimbursement Account” to pay for out-of-pocket health care services and/or supplies provided to you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents. The maximum amount you may contribute into the Medical Reimbursement Account is $3,050 per year.

Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts let you set aside part of your monthly wages to pay for childcare, elder care, or care for a disabled dependent. Medical care for your dependents is not covered under the Dependent Care Reimbursement Account. Refer to the Medical Reimbursement Account for coverage of medical expenses.

The maximum amount you may contribute into a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account continues to be $5,000 per household per year.

Consolidated Benefits

All excluded employees and employees represented by bargaining units (BUs) 2, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18 and 19, are in Consolidated Benefits (CoBen). The state provides a lump sum benefit allowance to purchase health, dental and vision benefits. If the premium cost of the benefit plans selected is less than your benefit allowance, you receive the difference as taxable income. If the total premium cost of the benefit plans selected is more than your benefit allowance, the difference is deducted on a pre-tax basis from your pay warrant.

The Benefits Calculator can help you determine how much will be deducted from or added to your pay warrant based on the benefit plans you choose. The 2024 CoBen allowances are available on the CalHR Benefits website.

COBRA

COBRA enrollees can make changes to their coverage during Open Enrollment.

CalHR will send specific instructions to all COBRA enrollees in dental coverage prior to the beginning of Open Enrollment. VSP will send specific instructions to all COBRA enrollees in vision coverage prior to the beginning of Open Enrollment. The 2024 COBRA rates are available on the CalHR Benefits website.

Benefits Calculator

The Benefits Calculator on the CalHR Benefits website allows you to compare premiums for health, dental, and vision plans. Simply select a year, your BU, and number of dependents. You will then be able to compare your benefit options, as well as populate a dental plan form.

Legal Services Insurance Plan

Premiums for individual and family coverage will slightly increase for 2024.

All eligible employees, except those listed below, can enroll in or make changes to their group legal services insurance plan by completing an online enrollment form by visiting the ARAG website and selecting “View Plan” and “Enroll Now.”

Permanent-intermittent, limited-term and temporary authorization employees, and employees of California Exposition and State Fairs, California Fairs Services Authority, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office cannot enroll online. Please complete the Group Legal Enrollment Form and submit the form to your departmental personnel office for processing.

Long Term Disability Insurance

Premiums will remain the same for 2024.

All eligible employees, except those listed below, can enroll in long term disability insurance by completing an online enrollment form by visiting the Standard website and selecting the “Enroll Now” tab.

Active military state employees and employees of California Exposition and State Fairs and California Fairs Services Authority must enroll using the Standard enrollment form.

Active military state employees should complete the enrollment form and email or mail the completed enrollment form to Standard Insurance.

Employees of California Exposition and State Fairs and California Fairs Services Authority should complete the enrollment form and return it to their departmental personnel office for processing.

Supplemental Life Insurance Option

Premiums will remain the same for 2024.

Eligible excluded employees enrolled in basic group term life insurance can purchase or make changes to their supplemental life insurance or purchase supplemental life insurance for their dependents at any time. Employees may visit the MetLife website and select the forms tab for completion. Employees will need to complete, print, and mail the enrollment form to the address indicated online.

You may also request an enrollment form by contacting MetLife Insurance at (800) 252-8524.

Open Enrollment Deadlines

The last day to enroll or make changes to health, dental, vision, reimbursement accounts, cash options, group legal and LTD is Oct. 13, 2023.

Enrollments and changes made by mail must be postmarked by Oct. 13, 2023.

If you enroll in a FlexElect Reimbursement Account, your last day to change or cancel your enrollment is Dec. 31, 2023.

If you enroll or are automatically re-enrolled in a cash option, your last day to change or cancel your enrollment is Dec. 31, 2023.

For More Information

Additional benefit plan and program information, handbooks and enrollment/change forms can be found on the CalHR Benefits website. For questions regarding the 2023 Open Enrollment period or eligibility, please contact your departmental personnel office.