Open Enrollment Help

Open Enrollment PeopleSoft Navigation help will be available in person and virtually.

• Attend an in-person or virtual group session for assistance navigating through the Open Enrollment system

• In-person sessions are located at the COC, 5530 Overland Ave, San Diego, CA 92123, 2nd Floor Julian Room

Flex Credits

• Flex Credits are increasing by 5%

Plan Rates

• Click here to view 2024 plan rates.

Medical Plans

• You will see an increase in premiums for medical coverage. However, the increase in Flex Credits offsets some of the increase to medical plan contributions for 2024.

• UHC is introducing Smart90®, a new program that offers savings, convenience and flexibility. You can obtain a 90-day supply of your long-term medication through home delivery from Express Scripts® Pharmacy or through a participating retail pharmacy.

• Fertility benefit included in VEBA plans through Kindbody.

• The IRS has increased the minimum deductibles for HDHPs and you’ll see following changes to the Kaiser HDHP with HSA:
                                              

For more information on medical plans, visit the Open Enrollment Website.

Dental Plans

Delta Dental PPO/Premier Plan:

• The cost of coverage in the Delta PPO/Premier is decreasing by 5% for 2024.

DeltaCare DHMO Plan:

• The cost of coverage in the DeltaCare DHMO is increasing by 2% for 2024.

Vision Plan

• The cost of coverage for the VSP plan is increasing 2%

Spending Accounts

• The maximum amounts you can contribute to the HSA and HCFSA are increasing in 2024:

• • Health Savings Account (HSA) — Individual coverage: $4,150; family coverage: $8,300.

• • Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) – $3,050

• The rollover amount is increasing from $570 to $610 (combined amount from your 2023 HCFSA and Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) balances into 2024).

• • There will be no rollover for balances remaining in a Dependent Care FSA going into 2024.

• You will have until March 31, 2024 to submit claims for eligible expenses incurred in 2023.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Anthem’s EAP offers Talkspace as a confidential and secure online option for personal and professional individual and couples therapy. For added convenience, patients age 13 and above can send text, audio, and video messages to a dedicated licensed therapist anytime, anywhere. Live sessions via chat, audio and video are also available.

All Employees should review their benefit elections annually.

Check out the Open Enrollment Guide and/or visit the Open Enrollment Website to help you choose the right benefits for you.

Reminders:

If you are planning to waive your Medical coverage for the 2024 plan year, you must select the waiver option that applies to you during open enrollment.

Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts must be re-elected annually.  2023 elections will not carry over into the new plan year.

You must complete Open Enrollment by electing your waiver reason and submitting your elections.  The County requires that you indicate your reason for waiving medical coverage every year so that the system will apply your excess Flex Credits to the appropriate spending account. The IRS has specific guidelines related to which type of spending account you are eligible for, based on your medical coverage.

• When waiving medical coverage, you are eligible for up to the employee-only level of flex credits.

• Flex credits cannot be paid as cash, so any unused flex credits will be forfeited.

• Proof of other coverage is not required.

Click here to read more about waiving medical coverage.

Access the MetLife website anytime of the year to designate your life insurance beneficiaries at www.metlife.com/mybenefits. The group name is County of San Diego.

If you have not previously registered your account with MetLife, you will be prompted to create a username and password.

The County of San Diego’s flexible benefit program provides you with a pay period allowance known as your Flex Credit amount.  These are credits that you can use toward your benefit premiums. Flex Credits can be applied toward the cost of your health care plans, various supplemental insurances, and Spending Accounts.

How many Benefit Flex Credits do I get?

To see your Flex Credits and benefit plans, visit the Benefit Plan Summaries by Union Code page.

What should I know about Flex Credits?

• They carry no cash value.
• Benefit Flex Credit amounts are based on your medical selection.  If you choose Waive Medical or elect Employee Only Medical, your Flex Credits will be based on the Employee Only Flex Credits amount
• Flex Credits are applied to your premiums in the order of the elections listed in PeopleSoft.
• Remaining premiums/cost that exceed your Flex Credits is your out-of-pocket expense.

Where Do Excess Flex Credits Go If I Waive Medical Coverage?

• Remaining Flex Credits will be directed to the respective reimbursement account based on your waive reason up to the IRS plan maximums.
• Excess flex credits automatically applied to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) have a $500 annual limit.
• Remaining Flex Credits less than $5 per pay period and $120 per calendar year will be forfeited.

Things to note:

• If you would like to apply Flex Credits to a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA), you must make an election during open enrollment.

Visit the Open Enrollment Website and click on the Waiving County Medical Coverage for more information about Flex Credits.

During Open Enrollment re-enrollment is always required for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Account (HSAs).

When you enroll in an FSA or HSA, you decide how much you want to contribute annually, up to the IRS plan limits the money you contribute is deducted from your paycheck, on a pre-tax basis, over 24 pay periods.  By using pre-taxed dollars to pay for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and some other expenses, you may be able to lower your overall health care costs.

Here’s how they work:

• Estimate your expenses for the upcoming year.
• Sign up for a Spending Account during open enrollment.
• Use the funds directly on eligible expenses during the covered period, or pay out of pocket and request reimbursement.

Reminders:

• If you elect a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) during open enrollment, and currently have a Health Care FSA, rollover funds will be directed into a Limited Purpose FSA (dental and vision purposes only).
• If you have an HRA and elect an HDHP plan during open enrollment, you will not be eligible for HRA rollover.
• Be sure to save your receipts.

Can I contribute to a Health Reimbursement Account?

• HRAs are funded by County Excess Flex Credit contributions.  If you have excess Flex Credits, they will automatically be allocated to the appropriate reimbursement account, based on your medical election.

Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

• HSAs are available if you enroll in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) or waive the County’s medical plan because you are enrolled in an HDHP elsewhere.
• HSA funds roll over from year to year and you own the account.
• HSA contributions can be changed at any time.
• If your spouse also contributes to an HSA, you will need to make sure you aren’t exceeding the IRS family maximum. If your excess Flex Credits are funding an HSA and you need to have it reduced, please email Employee Benefits: DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov

For more information on any of the Spending Accounts, visit the Open Enrollment Website.

High Deductible Health Plans, often referred to as HDHPs are medical plans that put you in control of your health care spending.

They offer two main components:

• The first component is the medical plan: Under a HDHP, premiums are usually lower, but you have a high deductible that you must pay before the insurance company starts to pay its share.
• The second component is the Health Savings Account (HSA): This is a type of savings account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. By using pre-taxed dollars to pay for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and some other expenses, you may be able to lower your overall health care costs.

To be eligible for an HSA, you must meet the following requirements:

• You are covered under a high deductible health plan (HDHP).
• You have no other health coverage.
• You aren’t enrolled in Medicare, Tricare or considered active-duty military.
• You can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.

For more information about HDHP and HSA eligibility, visit the County’s Open Enrollment Website.

If you are a new employee hired during the County’s Open Enrollment period, you must complete your New Hire elections first.

Your New Hire elections will carry over into 2024 with the exception of those who Waive their medical coverage and for those who have elected spending accounts.  If you meet either exception, you will then need to make elections again for the 2024 plan year.

If you have a Qualifying Life Event during OE, please email DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov or call us at 888-550-2203 to coordinate the Life Event and your Open Enrollment elections.

If you are waiving your medical plan, you are required to complete Open Enrollment in Employee Self Service to indicate that you are waiving medical coverage. No other proof of coverage is required.

If you are enrolling a dependent in one of the County health plans (medical, dental, vision and/or critical illness) for the first time, you will need to provide proof of relationship:

• marriage certificate for a spouse.
• birth certificate(s) for children.
• affidavit of domestic partnership or certificate of registered domestic partnership for a domestic partner.

Be sure to read all the text on each screen so you know what you will need to provide.

Documents can be submitted through the PeopleSoft – Employee Self Service “Document Upload” feature or by sending an email to the Benefits Department at DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.

For more information, please visit the Open Enrollment Website.

Review UnitedHealth Care networks to see which network your provider is in.   The network you select will be the one you remain on for the plan year.

For help with selecting a network, call the County of San Diego VEBA Advocacy line at 888-276-0250.

UnitedHealth Care will automatically assign a Primary Care Provider (PCP) for newly enrolled UHC HMO members.

To change your PCP effective January 1, 2024, contact UnitedHealthcare at (888) 586-6365 between December 18, 2023 and December 22, 2023. Otherwise, you can change your PCP at any time throughout the plan year.

If you are continuing your current medical plan with no changes, your provider will remain the same.

 UnitedHealthcare links and contact information:

• UHC Website: https://www.whyuhc.com/cosd
• UHC Member Services: 888-586-6365
• COSD/VEBA Advocacy Center: 888-276-0250

Your elections will be effective January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024

UnitedHealthcare – HMO Members

UHC will automatically assign a Primary Care Provider (PCP) for newly enrolled UHC HMO members.

To change your PCP effective January 1, 2024, contact UnitedHealthcare at (888) 586-6365 between December 18, 2023 and December 22, 2023. Otherwise, you can change your PCP at any time throughout the plan year.

If you are continuing your current medical plan with no changes, your provider will remain the same.

Delta Dental – DeltaCare DHMO Members

Schedule a visit with a DHMO network licensed provider.  Upon your first visit, they will be assigned as your Primary Care Dentist (PCD)

Delta Dental PPO and VSP Members

Members will not be receiving ID cards. These plans require the primary member’s social security number and date of birth. The provider’s office will contact the carriers directly for verification of enrollment.

Benefits Ambassadors are available throughout the County to assist with questions about Open Enrollment. If your department does not have a designated Benefits Ambassador, please reach out to another Benefits Ambassador from your group.

For more information, please visit the Open Enrollment Website or contact the Department of Human Resources, Employee Benefits Division by Phone: 888-550-2203 or Email: DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Open Enrollment PeopleSoft Navigation help will be available in person and virtually.

• Attend an in-person or virtual group session for assistance navigating through the Open Enrollment system
• In-person sessions are located at the COC, 5530 Overland Ave, San Diego, CA 92123, 2nd Floor Julian Room

When can I make my changes?

Open Enrollment is available from October 2nd through October 26th, 2023. You can access your enrollment as many times as you like to change your elections for plan year 2024, just make sure that you confirm your final change is correct. Additional changes cannot be made after October 26th unless you experience a Qualifying Life Event outside of Open Enrollment.

Reminder: after you submit your final elections, print a copy of your confirmation page for your records. A confirmation will not be emailed to you.

To confirm your elections have been submitted:

• Access PeopleSoft Employee Self Service where you made your elections
• Click on the Open Enrollment Tile
• Click on the Open Enrollment Summary tab (on the Left)
• Review and Print your Open Enrollment Summary

Reminders

You can make changes and new elections as many times as you like while Open Enrollment is available from October 2nd through October 26th, 2023.

Print a copy of your confirmation page for your records.  A confirmation will not be emailed to you.