Annual insurance open enrollment begins Oct. 1

The annual insurance open enrollment period begins Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. During open enrollment (Oct. 1-31), eligible employees can make changes to their coverage for the following year. Changes made during open enrollment take effect Jan. 1, 2021.

The South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) is the state agency responsible for the administration and management of the state’s insurance programs for South Carolina’s public workforce. PEBA’s 2021 Insurance Summary (PDF) is a helpful resource for detailed information about open enrollment options.

Open enrollment highlights

During this year’s insurance open enrollment, eligible employees can:

• enroll in or increase Optional Life (employee) coverage by up to $50,000 without medical evidence,
• enroll in Supplemental Long Term Disability (SLTD) coverage without medical evidence and
• change the benefit waiting period for existing SLTD coverage from 180 days to 90 days without medical evidence. 

This year is not a “dental year.” Changes to existing dental coverage can only be made during open enrollment in odd-numbered years. The next opportunity to make a change will be October 2021 or within 31 days of a special eligibility situation.

MoneyPlus flexible spending account holders must re-enroll to continue. Medical Spending Account (MSA), Limited Use Medical Spending Account (LUMSA) and Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA) participants are required to re-enroll for the following year. Conversely, Health Savings Account (HSA) elections will continue into the next year if an employee takes no action.

Employees can review their current insurance elections and related payroll deductions even if they don’t plan to make changes. All employees are encouraged to review their insurance elections and life insurance beneficiaries for accuracy during open enrollment. You can log into PEBA MyBenefits to review your current elections. Additionally, you can access your paycheck online through Employee Self Service to view your current payroll deductions. For assistance, refer to the View Your Paycheck Quick Reference (PDF).

If you’re satisfied with your current elections as indicated in MyBenefits, you don’t need to do anything to continue your coverage in 2021 (unless you have a MoneyPlus flexible spending account, in which case you’ll need to re-enroll). 

Getting started with open enrollment

The Office of Human Resources’ Open Enrollment 2020 webpage is the ideal starting point and resource center for all things related to open enrollment. Employees can access easy-to-follow guidance and FAQs, educational resources, and open enrollment support all in one place.

Tiger Training is another avenue to learn more about open enrollment options. Benefits-eligible employees will soon be enrolled in an optional course in Tiger Training which includes a comprehensive open enrollment overview and a suite of additional resources.

Alternatively, employees can go directly to PEBA’s MyBenefits portal to review their current PEBA insurance coverage, including beneficiaries. This is also where you’ll go to make coverage selections once open enrollment begins. If you don’t already have a MyBenefits account, you’ll need to register. Access the Setting Up a New MyBenefits Account flyer (PDF) to learn how.

Support options

A variety of open enrollment support options are available to employees throughout the month of October:

• Clemson’s Office of Human Resources is providing virtual one-on-one assistance with navigating open enrollment. Employees can schedule an appointment from a list of available times.
• PEBA offers assistance to its members via phone and email. Members can also schedule a video consultation with a PEBA representative.
• Additionally, links to dedicated support from Aflac and Allstate Identity Protection (formerly InfoArmor) are available on the Open Enrollment 2020 webpage.