Annual Enrollment

FY 2021 Summer Enrollment Period for ACC will be from June 29 to July 11, 2020.  Now is a good time to verify that ERS has your correct mailing address by logging in to your ERS account or calling ERS at 877-275-4377.  See below for the latest information about plan changes or premiums for FY 2021.  

FY 2021 Summer Enrollment - June 29, 2020 to July 11, 2020

ERS has announced the FY 2021 premium rates for all of their plans beginning September 1, 2020.  The premium rates are unchanged for most plans and are decreasing slightly in a few dependent categories.  They have also indicated that very few plan changes are anticipated.  However, they have not yet released this year's summer enrollment guide.

ERS has also announced that they will not hold in-person summer enrollment fairs this year, but will have virtual question and answer sessions with each of their insurance plan vendors, see schedule and registration information. 

Now is a good time to be sure that ERS has your correct mailing address to ensure that you receive their enrollment materials.  Log into your ERS account to verify your contact information and make any changes if you have moved during the past year.

Additional information will be posted here as it comes available, so please check back from time to time.  Please contact the HR Benefits office if you need assistance. 

 

FY 2020 Summer Enrollment - July 1, 2019 to July 13, 2019

The ACC summer enrollment period is now closed.  ACC hosted an ERS summer enrollment fair and presentation at HBC on July 9, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  A dozen ERS plan vendors (BCBSTX, OptumRx, Scott & White, Delta Dental, WageWorks and more) were in the lobby beginning at 10:00 a.m.  An ERS representative presented information and answered questions beginning at 10:30 a.m. in room #201.   If you were unable to attend the ERS presentation, here is a recording of the session. 

If you did not want or need to make any changes to your benefits, no action was needed during summer enrollment for your benefits to roll forward into the new plan year. 

In addition, HR Benefits staff will be visiting campuses between July 1 & 13 to help employees with enrollment questions, see schedule.

The ERS Summer Enrollment Guide  has information about all of the insurance plans and what will change in FY2020.  Most plans will have no or very slight premium decreases and there are no major health plan changes for next year. Please see the appropriate rate sheet and chart for more information. 

Delta Dental will replace Humana Dental as the plan administrator for the State of Texas Dental Choice Plan and Dental DHMO Plan.  To learn more about Delta Dental and see if your dentist is in their network of providers, visit their website.   According to ERS, the dental plan benefits will remain the same and premium rates will be the same in the DHMO plan and slightly lower in the Dental Choice plan.  Also, the Careington Dental Discount plan will no longer be offered after September 1, 2019. 

ERS Emails Confirmation of Changes

If you make any changes to your ERS benefits during Summer Enrollment, ERS will email you a confirmation statement that lists all of the changes. In some cases ERS will send the confirmation by mail. Email confirmations are sent on the same day that the changes are entered in ERS OnLine. Please review your Summer Enrollment confirmation statement carefully to be sure that it reflects the benefit changes you intended to make.  If you find a mistake, contact ERS at 877-275-4377.

Important Reminder:  If you need to make a Family Status Change or Post Hire Change during the months of July and August, you will need to complete this change form and send it to the ACC HR Benefits office or call ERS customer service at 877-275-4377.  During Summer Enrollment, ERS does not allow employees to go online and make these types of changes.

Make Sure Your Changes Were Completed

Making your summer enrollment changes is like doing your taxes; because you do it only once a year it can be confusing and easy to make mistakes.  That is why it is so important to make sure that your benefits are correct during September.  Here are some tips.

  1. If you make a change during July, you should have received a confirmation by email or mail from the Employees Retirement System (ERS).  If you didn’t, something may be wrong.  Check your ERS account online or call ERS at 877-275-4377.
  2. Check your September 2019 online pay statement to be sure it reflects your correct benefits.  Log into the ACC Online Services portal to see your monthly pay retainer.  If there is a problem, contact HR Benefits immediately.
  3. If you enrolled in or changed health plans, you should receive a new ID card from the carrier by September 1.  If you don’t, call the carrier; BCBSTX at 800-252-8039 or Scott & White HMO at 800—321-7947.
  4. If you signed up for a TexFlex account, be sure you are in the correct type of account, Health Care versus Dependent Care.  If you signed up for the wrong account, the money can’t be transferred to the other account and will potentially be lost.
  5. If you made a change that required evidence of insurability, i.e. enrolled or increased optional life, enrolled in dependent life, short term disability or long term disability, once approved make sure it is reflected in your ERS account and on your ACC online pay statement.
  6. If you think a mistake was made, you must contact ERS (877-275-4377), the carrier (see above) and/or the ACC HR Benefits office (hrbenefits@austincc.edu) by October 15.  Most enrollment corrections can be made until that date.  After October 15, you will not be able to correct your benefits for the remainder of FY2020, unless you experience a qualified life event during the year.

Helpful Resources