AVC Corner: Don’t Forget to Make Benefit Selections and Get a Flu Shot

It is getting close to the time of the year when University Human Resources reminds employees to do two things: Make employee benefit selections during the annual enrollment period and to get a flu shot. I would like to encourage you to do both.

Your opportunity to enroll in employee benefit programs or make changes to the benefits you selected in previous years will be Oct. 15-31, the time that has been set aside for annual enrollment. University Human Resources has created an annual enrollment webpage that you should review before the enrollment window begins. The UHR benefits team has filled the page with lots of useful information you’ll want to know, including:

• All employees enrolled in the State Health Plan must take action during the annual enrollment period, even if they don’t want to make changes to any of the benefit programs in which they’re enrolled. Nontobacco users can reduce their State Health Plan premium by $60 a month during this time. To receive that discount, you must attest to being a nontobacco user during the annual enrollment period.
• For the third consecutive year, there are no premium increases.
• Metlife life insurance will become a University of North Carolina System-administered plan with an enhanced accidental death and dismemberment benefit. As a result of this change, some employees’ premiums will decrease.
• Starting Jan. 1, 2021, dental plan rates for the low, classic and high plan options will decrease.

To help employees understand changes that have been made to some of the benefit programs and to answer employee benefit-related questions, UHR will offer campuswide information sessions via Zoom. The UHR benefits team is still planning the dates and times for those sessions. When that information is available, the team will post the sessions on the annual enrollment webpage.

The team also plans to post videos on the website that will provide an overview of open enrollment and explain how to enroll. Employees can enroll by:

• Calling 855-859-0966.
• To log into the enrollment website, go to the MyPack Portal and click benefits details.
• Downloading the Benefitfocus’ benefits enrollment app on their mobile devices.

I also encourage employees to get a flu shot. UHR will host pop-up flu clinics on campus. Soon UHR will announce additional details about those clinics, including when they will be offered.

It will be especially important to get a flu shot this year due to concerns about the flu and COVID-19 spreading simultaneously. When our flu clinics open, new safety protocols will be in place due to COVID-19. You can read about those protocols in this edition of Howl You Know.

Please continue to make your health and well-being a top priority.

Best regards,

Marie Williams
Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources