November 4, 1996

Annual Benefits Fair to be held this month; open enrollment ends November 24

The annual Benefits Fair will be held on Wednesday, November 13, from noon to 3 p.m. in the lobby of Applied Sciences. The fair takes place every year during UC's "open enrollment" period, a time in which eligible employees can enroll in benefits plans, cancel their enrollment, or make other changes to their status in regard to benefits.

This year's open enrollment period started November 1 and will end at midnight, November 24. Eligible employees have until then to make changes to their medical, dental, optical, and legal enrollments or to change their participation in the Dependent Care Assistance or Tax Savings on Insurance Premiums programs.

Representatives from health- and welfare-related plans offered by UC will answer questions about their plans for faculty and staff at the Benefits Fair. Due to space limitations, providers of UC-sponsored savings programs will not be represented.

Provider directories, plan materials, and marketing giveaways will not be available at the fair this year. Employees should call the providing companies directly to ask for plan brochures and other information. (Company phone numbers and more information)

Faculty and staff who make no changes to their benefit plans will continue to receive coverage as before, with the exception of those who are enrolled in Foundation Health Plan. Employees enrolled in Foundation Health Plan are advised to choose a new health care provider during open enrollment, since that particular plan will not be provided to UC employees in 1997. Those who do not choose another provider will automatically be enrolled in UC Care starting January 1, 1997.

Employees who are eligible for benefits should have received personalized open enrollment information packets at their home address last month. Those who did not receive an open enrollment packet should call the Benefits Office at ext. 2013.

For more information about open enrollment and changes to benefit plans, access the "Open Enrollment" page provided by the UC Employee Benefits Plan Administration.