Memorandum
TO:
UVM Non-Represented Faculty and Staff Members
FROM:
Greg Brown, Benefits Manager, Human Resource Services
DATE:
April 25, 2008
SUBJECT:
FY2009 Benefits Open Enrollment Announcement
UVM’s Benefits Open Enrollment period begins May 1 and ends on May 30. Coverage for your insurance elections
will begin July 1, 2008 and end June 30, 2009. The month of May is the only time that you can make changes to the
medical, dental, and disability insurance components of your benefits package. Please contact the Benefits Office
with any family status change you have during the year.
Human Resource Services provides the following summary benefit information for Open Enrollment. It is designed to
summarize any new benefit features that have been added to the benefits package during the past 12 months or that
will be added on July 1, 2008. It is not intended to provide full and complete details for each benefit. Full and
complete descriptions of the various insurance benefits and the Flexible Spending Account are contained within
appropriate plan documents or subscriber certificates (in conjunction with the UVM Non-represented Faculty
Handbook (http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=plans/nonrep_faculty.html), the UVM Officers’ Handbook
(http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=plans/officers.html), or the UVM Staff Handbook
(http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=plans/nonrep_staff.html). Before making any changes, employees are
encouraged to familiarize themselves with their insurance benefits at the above links.
This information regarding the University’s benefits program and the status of related plans is intended for faculty and
staff who are not represented by unions. Collective bargaining unit employees are subject to the terms and
conditions of employment outlined in their union contracts.
For unionized employees, benefits are bargainable and will be addressed through the collective bargaining process
with union representatives. Represented employees must contact their union representatives with their questions and
comments. All employees, however, may contact their supervisors or Human Resource Services to seek clarification
or ask questions regarding existing benefits programs.
May is Open Enrollment Month at UVM
The following describes the Open Enrollment period for coverage beginning July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2009.
Take time now to review the benefits you receive as a non-represented University of Vermont faculty or staff member.
During the month of May 2008, you may choose to do the following:



enroll for the first time in medical or dental insurance plans
change or update your insurance coverage (e.g., make changes within plans, switch plans)
waive coverage
If you missed a 30-day deadline to add a dependent to your medical, dental, or life insurance coverage during the
year, you may add all eligible dependents at this time. The new changes will be effective July 1, 2008.
You will continue to designate your cultural holiday and enroll in Flexible Spending in November for the
following year.
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What Do I Need To Do?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Check what benefits you're enrolled in currently. Consult PeopleSoft Employee Self-Service
(https://www.uvm.edu/~erp/portal) or your paycheck.
Review the available plans and any changes effective July 1, 2008 below.
(www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=benefits_start.html).
Choose the plan that works best for you. If you are satisfied with your current provider, coverage will
continue without any action on your part.
If you wish to switch your plan provider, enroll in the plan of your choice before May 31, 2008.
Changes Effective July 1, 2008
Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance
No changes.
UVM Retirement Savings Plan
Participants may contribute to the plan a dollar amount up to 100% of their compensation minus their benefit costs
(e.g., FICA and Medicare taxes, health and dental deductions, etc.) to a limit of $15,500 in calendar year 2008.
The overall employer-employee combined limit per calendar year is $46,000 for 2008, not to exceed 100% of their
compensation minus their benefit costs.
Participants aged 50 and over on December 31, 2008, may contribute an additional $5,000 to the plan in calendar
year 2008. If this is the year you turn 50, and if you wish to use the catch-up provision, please complete a Salary
Reduction/Investment Agreement. You will find this form on the web at:
http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=forms.html.
Medical and Dental Insurance
Medical and dental insurance premiums are increasing for FY 2009 as follows:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Vermont Health Partnership
Blue Cross Blue Shield Freedom Plan
MVP
Delta Dental
11.9% increase
11.9% increase
10.7% increase
no increase this year
Faculty and staff members’ premium payments will change accordingly effective July 1, 2008. The Schedule of
Monthly Premium Costs attached and available at this website
(http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=medicalcosts09.html) reflects these premium increases.
Medical Insurance Coverage
As an employee of the University of Vermont, you have three choices for medical insurance:
(1) Blue Cross/Blue Shield – See “Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plan” below for information.
(2) MVP Health Plan – See “MVP Health Plan” below for information.
(3) Waiver – The waiver of medical coverage is $1,000 and will be reimbursed over the fiscal year (July 1, 2008 to
June 30, 2009). A new provision requires you to provide annual certification of coverage in the health plan of a
spouse or civil union partner.
If you wish to change coverage, the Open Enrollment period is the only time during the year when you may switch
plans. If you are currently waiving coverage, you may continue to waive coverage for another year or enroll in one of
the medical plans. For detailed information, please visit http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=benefits_start.html.
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Premium Payment
Premium payments are provided at http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=medicalcosts09.html.
The salary will be the employee’s base salary as of January 1 of each year and will not be affected by salary
changes during the year, unless you have a job or FTE change.
To determine premium payments for medical school faculty, base salary will be defined to include the combined
salary paid under the common paymaster.
Employees with 9-, 10-, or 11-month appointments will pay their share of annual premiums over the term of their
appointment. For example, a 9-month employee will pay for their 12-month coverage over their 9-month term (18
paychecks).
Part-time non-represented faculty and staff employees are eligible to participate and receive UVM contributions if
their full-time equivalency is at least 50%, and they have been employed for at least four consecutive semesters if
faculty, or one year if staff. Premiums are based on the employee’s full-time equivalency. For example, an employee
who works 60% FTE pays 40% of the cost of coverage. Part-time employees who are at least 50% FTE but do not
meet the length of service requirement may enroll if they pay the full cost of coverage. Part-time represented faculty
are eligible to participate in the high-deductible plan by paying the full premium.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plan
Your Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plan depends on whether you live in the network service area or outside of Vermont. If
you live in Vermont or Western New Hampshire, you must be enrolled in the Vermont Health Partnership
(VHP). This plan requires the selection of a primary care physician. BCBS has eliminated the referral system. You
may visit any network specialist as long as none of the following 16 specific procedures are being performed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Plastic or cosmetic surgery (for example, abdominoplasty,lipectomy, blepharoplasty, breast
reconstruction, otoplasty, panniculectomy, rhinoplasty or septorhinoplasty)
Dental surgery (oral surgery, trauma, orthognaltic surgery)
Chiropractic care after initial 12 visits in a calendar year
Radiology special procedures (MRI, MRA, MRS, PET scans)
UPPP/somnoplasty
Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) equipment
Durable Medical Equipment with a purchase price over $1,000
Orthotics/prosthetics
Polysomnography (sleep studies)
Chondrocyte transplants
Home infusion therapy
Private duty nursing
Transplants
TENS units/neuromuscular stimulators
Rehabilitation (cardiac/pulmonary/inpatient rehabilitation facility)
Services by any out-of-network provider
You pay $10 when you see your primary care physician (PCP) and $20 when you use a specialist. Emergency
hospital care has a $50 co-pay per visit that is waived if followed by hospitalization. There is a co-pay of $250 for
each hospitalization with a maximum of three co-pays per family per plan year. This co-pay is for an entire course of
treatment; if one is readmitted to the same hospital for the same diagnosis or treatment after a discharge within 21
days, there is no additional co-pay. Outpatient surgical benefits have a co-pay of $100 and ambulance services have
a co-pay of $50.
With prior BCBS approval, you may choose to go to an out-of-network doctor or hospital. However, with this choice
you will incur a $500 per person deductible ($1,000 family maximum), after which you will be reimbursed 70% of
expenses. You will pay 30% until you have met a $2,500 out-of-pocket maximum ($5,000 family out-of-pocket
maximum) after which you will be reimbursed 100%.
If you live outside the network area, you must be enrolled in the Vermont Freedom Plan (VFP), which does not
require selection of a PCP. As long as you use a provider who participates in a local Blue Cross/Blue Shield Plan,
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in/outpatient services are reimbursed at 90% of reasonable and customary charges after an individual deductible of
$100 ($300 per family) has been met. Hospital admissions and surgery require prior authorization and are payable at
90% of reasonable and customary charges after an individual deductible of $100 ($300 per family) has been met. The
out-of-pocket annual maximum is $1,100 per person plus prescription drug co-payments and the plan pays 100%
thereafter.
One advantage of the Blue Cross Plan is that you can go to any physician or acute care short-term general hospital
worldwide. However, the plan will pay only reasonable and customary charges. If the provider does not participate in
the local Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan and the charges are above reasonable and customary, you must pay the
difference.
Mental health and substance abuse benefits under both the VHP and the VFP must be pre-certified by Magellan
Behavioral Health. Outpatient care for VHP has a co-pay of $20. For VFP, you will be reimbursed at 90% of
reasonable and customary charges after an individual deductible of $100 ($300 per family) has been met. For
services pre-approved by Magellan or UVM’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), benefits are payable at the same
rate (co-pay of $20) as PCP referrals under the medical portion of the plan.
Prescription drug coverage is provided through a network of retail pharmacies managed by RESTAT. Under VHP and
VFP, after you have met the $100 deductible, you will pay $5 per generic prescription, $20 per preferred brand
prescription, or $40 per non-preferred brand ($5/20/40). Prescription drug coverage has a maximum out-of-pocket of
$1,300 for an individual, $2,600 for two people, and $3,800 for a family. A voluntary mail order prescription drug plan
is available for maintenance drugs through Caremark (www.caremark.com or call 888-543-5929). You may purchase
a 90-day supply at a cost equal to two co-pays (i.e., $10/40/80). There is no deductible on mail-order prescriptions.
See the complete BCBS preferred prescription drug list at www.bcbsvt.com/pages/RxCenter/.
Claims for prescriptions through network pharmacies or Caremark mail order are automatically filed with Blue Cross
at the time of purchase. You must submit non-network claims directly to Blue Cross for processing.
MVP Health Plan
MVP’s Vermont CO-PLAN 15 is an alternative to Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Under this plan, a PCP must be selected for
health care. Office visits such as well baby, periodic physicals, OB/GYN, laboratory and testing services, outpatient
surgery, mental health, physical therapy, chiropractic and such are $15 per visit. This applies for primary care and
specialist visits. You do not need a referral to see a specialist.
Emergency hospital care is $50 per visit in-area that is waived if followed by hospitalization and no charge for out-ofarea.
There is a co-pay of $240 for each hospitalization. This co-pay will apply to the first admission only per member, per
calendar year. Outpatient surgery has a co-pay of 20% or $100, whichever is less. After the $240 co-pay, hospital
care is 100% covered.
Mental Health/Substance Abuse (MH/SA) benefits are provided by MVP. Outpatient visits have a $15 co-payment.
You need to receive a prior referral from the MH/SA unit of MVP for all treatment. The co-payment is $15 per office
visit and $240 for inpatient care.
Prescription drug coverage is provided through a $5/20/40 formulary drug care program which requires you to pay a
deductible of $100. Once the deductible is met, you will pay $5 per generic prescription, $20 per preferred brand
name drug if the prescribed medication is on the formulary, or $40 per non-preferred brand. In order to determine
where your prescription falls, you may use the Rx tools and the MVP website (http://www.mvphealthcare.com/rx/) or
review the MVP formulary. If your prescription requires prior authorization, your provider will work with MVP on the
prior authorization process.
One feature of MVP which may be attractive to parents with college age students is Expanded College Student
Coverage providing up to $2,500 annually for out-of-area care including doctor’s visits, lab work, physical therapy and
emergencies.
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Waiver of Medical Coverage
The State of Vermont has established the Catamount Health Plan for individuals who are not covered by their
employer. A provision requires annual certification of coverage when an employee waives medical insurance
coverage. Beginning July 1, 2008, if you elect to waive medical insurance coverage, you are required to complete an
annual written certification form attesting that you are covered with two-person or family coverage by your spouse or
civil union partner. Certification must be returned to the Benefits Office, 228 Waterman Building. Failure to provide
annual certification will make you ineligible for the waiver payment described as follows.
UVM offers an annual $1,000 payment in lieu of medical coverage. This option is available to:


An employee who certifies that they and, if applicable, their dependents are covered by non-UVM medical
insurance.
The waiver option is available to full-time employees only. A full-time employee is defined by UVM as
anyone who is employed at 75% full-time equivalency (FTE) or more on a 12-month basis, or 100% on a 9-,
10-, or 11-month basis.
This option is not available to an employee whose spouse also works at UVM nor is it available to an employee
formerly retired from UVM with post-retirement benefits. Further, it is not available if you waive coverage for your
eligible dependents but not yourself.
The waiver of $1000 is subject to tax withholding and payments are spread throughout the year. These payments can
be converted to pre-tax dollars through a Flexible Spending Account.
If you lose your non-UVM medical insurance by an event outside your control, you are eligible to enroll in a UVM
medical plan within 30 days of the date of the event.
If you waived coverage for yourself and your dependents, and your spouse loses employment, or if you lose
coverage because of divorce or your spouse’s death, you may enroll in the UVM plan within 30 days of the date of
the event. You may not come back into a UVM plan simply because your spouse’s employer increases premiums or
decreases coverage until the next Open Enrollment period.
Dental Insurance Coverage
The University offers two dental plans, the Base Plan and the High Option Plan, through Northeast Delta Dental.
Full-time employees are eligible for coverage after a six-month waiting period. For the Base Plan, UVM will pay the
premium for full-time employees and dependents. For the High Option Plan, the employee pays the difference
between the premium cost for the Base and High Option Plans.
Dental coverage for part-time employees is optional after one year of service for staff and four consecutive semesters
for faculty. For the Base Plan, UVM will contribute a percent equal to the employee’s FTE. For the High Option Plan,
in addition to their share of the Base Plan premium, the employee pays the difference between the premium cost for
the Base and High Option Plans.
If you currently have dental insurance coverage, no action is necessary. However, if you previously waived coverage,
you may enroll during this Open Enrollment period. Coverage will be effective on July 1, 2008.
The features of the Base and High Option Plans follow:
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Base
High Option
100%
100%
Coverage B (Minor Restorative)
80%
80%
Coverage C (Major Restorative)
50%
60%
Deductible/Person/Calendar Year
$25
$25
Deductible/Family/Calendar Year
$75
$75
Coverage A (Preventive)
Base
High Option
Deductible Applied to Coverage A
Yes
No
Maximum/Person/Calendar Year
$750
$1,500
Coverage D (Orthodontics)
50%
50%
Lifetime Maximum/Person
$500
$1,000
Employee Monthly Cost for Optional Plan:
Employee Only
$ 6.36/month
Employee and Spouse
Employee and Child(ren)
Employee and Family
$12.67
$13.28
$19.52
Please note: The high-option maximum per person coverage of $1,500 runs through the calendar year, not the fiscal
year. For further information about dental coverage, visit https://www.eligibility.nedelta.com.
Disability Insurance Coverage
The Standard/TIAA Long-term Disability Plan provides long-term disability coverage.
Eligibility for disability insurance coverage requires that you have completed at least one year of service and that you
are employed 75% FTE on a 12-month basis, or 100% FTE on a 9 or 10-month basis. If you do not enroll within 31
days of your eligibility date, you must provide proof of insurability to enroll at a later date.
If you are currently enrolled, you may increase, decrease, cancel, or change your premiums from after-tax to pre-tax
dollars or vice versa. These changes will be effective July 1, 2008 if you are actively at work on July 1. If you have
previously waived coverage, you must provide proof of insurability to enroll during Open Enrollment.
You may also request a change in coverage due to a special life event, i.e., a marital status change, addition, or loss
of a dependent, or your spouse’s loss of coverage or termination of full-time employment. You may only request a
change in income benefit if you apply within 31 days of the special life event.
To determine the amount of your disability coverage, visit PeopleSoft Employee Self-Service
(https://www.uvm.edu/~erp/portal), which will indicate whether you have 60% or 70% coverage. If there is no
deduction for disability insurance on your pay stub, you are not covered.
Group Life Insurance
UVM offers you the opportunity to purchase up to seven times your UVM base salary in life insurance for yourself, up
to one half the amount of your coverage for your spouse and $10,000 for each covered child. You may increase your
or your spouse’s coverage or add a child if you haven’t already elected to do so as long as you provide proof of good
health to The Standard Insurance Company. A change in life insurance coverage can only be made during Open
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Enrollment.
Flexible Spending Account
There will be no changes to the calendar year 2008 Flexible Spending Account program. Enrollment for the 2009
Flexible Spending year will be in November.
Questions and Answers
What if I’m happy with the status of my current benefits?
Do nothing if you’d like to maintain your current benefits, unless you are waiving medical insurance. You must provide
certification annually of coverage through your spouse or civil union partner.
How can I tell which insurance coverage I’ve elected?
Log onto PeopleSoft Employee Self-Service (https://www.uvm.edu/~erp/portal/) and navigate to the Benefits
Summary. You may also consult the Step-by-Step Guide to Viewing Your Benefits at
http://www.uvm.edu/~training/peoplesoft/guides/View%20Benefits%20Summary.pdf.
What if I don’t change my benefits now? Can I make changes later in the year?
The open enrollment restriction applies only to medical and dental insurance. Changes in retirement plan
contributions can be made any time during the year. In addition, if you want to increase the amount of your life
insurance or if you have not enrolled in the long-term disability insurance plan, you may do so any time as long as
you provide proof to the insurer that you are insurable. However, this is a good time to review all your benefits to be
sure you are taking advantage of everything that may be beneficial to you and your family.
Where can I find a description of the various benefit plans?
Check the UVM Benefits website at http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=benefits_start.html.
My dependent child is graduating this spring. When does her medical and dental coverage end?
Your dependent child’s medical and dental coverage will terminate at the end of the month following graduation.
Please notify the Benefits Office, 228 Waterman, of your child’s graduation so that we will send their COBRA
notification which will allow for continuation of coverage for 36 months if needed.
Every year I receive a notice from Blue Cross Blue Shield to certify that my dependent child is a full-time
student. After completing it, what should I do with the form?
Every year BCBS seeks to ascertain the student status of children between ages 19 and 24 from the parent. A
Student Certification form is required (find a copy on the web at http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=forms.html).
Please complete the form and mail it to the Benefits Office, 228 Waterman.
MVP does not send a certification form to parents so they must remember to complete this. The form is on the web at
http://www.uvm.edu/~benefits/?Page=forms.html.
If your 19-24 year old student is coming off the plan, we require an application removing him/her. Please send this to
the Benefits Office, 228 Waterman.
What’s the most important thing to remember?
If you need to make changes to your medical and dental insurance, be sure to complete the necessary paperwork
during the Open Enrollment period from May 1, 2008 through May 31, 2008.
Visit www.uvm.edu/~benefits for information about:
Benefits plans
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-
-
Benefits eligibility
Medical and dental premiums
Long-term disability rates
UVM Benefits Fair, May 2
Total compensation
Visit https://www.uvm.edu/~erp/portal/ for information about your current benefits enrollments.
Benefits Office
Human Resources Services
228 Waterman Building
85 S Prospect St
Burlington, VT 05405-0160
Phone: 802-656-3322
Email: benefits@uvm.edu
www.uvm.edu/~benefits
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