Employer Bulletin

State Agencies
Vol. 18, State C
September 20, 2001

Special Update About EPIC, ERA, State Group Life Insurance, and Long-Term Care Insurance

EPIC Special Enrollment Runs from October 8-26, 2001

EPIC Life Insurance Company will offer a special enrollment to all active WRS employees for the 2002 calendar year. The current rating structure of $11.30 (single), $22.60 (limited family) and $33.90 (family) remains the same for the special enrollment participants. Special enrollment participants will be subject to restricted dental benefits within the first 2 years of coverage. These restrictions are as follows:

Annual Dental Maximums

• First year has a $350 benefit maximum
• Second year has a $500 benefit maximum
• Three years and beyond have a $750 benefit maximum

Orthodontia Services

• There will be a waiting period of 24 months from the participant's effective date for orthodontia services.

EPIC plans to distribute brochures, posters, and stickers to all state employers prior to the Dual-Choice Benefit Fairs. In addition, a payroll "stuffer" has been planned for distribution in employee paychecks on October 4, 2001. These materials will be available in paper or electronic forms. If you would like the brochures and posters in an electronic form, please contact EPIC either by telephone at (608) 223-2100 or by e-mail at wseepic@wpsic.com. In addition to the benefit fairs, EPIC representatives will attend the October 2 Dual-Choice Kick-off meeting.

ERA Open Enrollment Period is October 8 - November 9, 2001

Open enrollment for the Employee Reimbursement Accounts (ERA) program is set for October 8 through November 9, 2001. All eligible employees who wish to participate in the Medical Expense and/or Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts program in 2002 must enroll by November 9, 2001.

Each state agency will receive a supply of enrollment booklets by mid-September. Distribute these booklets to all eligible employees during open enrollment and use them during the year for newly hired employees. Paper forms will not be distributed with the enrollment booklets. Rather, supplies for the plan year will be sent separately.

Enroll Using Internet or Telephone Enrollment

State of Wisconsin employees should take advantage of two convenient ways to enroll in the ERA program. Employees may enroll by either:

• Logging onto the ETF Internet site http://etf.wi.gov/. Click on "Benefit Programs," then "Employee Reimbursement Accounts Program."
• Calling the Telephone Enrollment Line toll free at 1-800-847-8253.

Employees may also change their election amounts at any time prior to the end of the enrollment period using the phone or Internet enrollment site. Only the last enrollment election made during the open enrollment period will be saved.

Employees who cannot or prefer not to use the Internet or phone enrollment systems may call Fringe Benefits Management Company (FBMC) Customer Service at 1-800-342-8017 to request assistance.

Personal Identification Number (PIN)

A Personal Identification Number (PIN) is required to enroll using the Internet and the telephone methods. To initiate the enrollment process, a default PIN made up of the last four digits of the employee's Social Security number is used. Once into the system, the employee will be prompted to change the default PIN to a four-digit PIN of his or her choice.

Please encourage employees to remember their PIN. The same PIN is used for the Internet and phone enrollment during the open enrollment period, and for the benefit information phone line that is available throughout the year. The same PIN is also required to access a participant's personal account information on the Internet site.

PLEASE NOTE:  On October 1, 2001 any PIN currently on file at FBMC will be reset to the employee's default PIN. This includes any PIN used during enrollment last year, as well as the PIN used by an employee to access account information via the Internet or telephone benefit information line.

To request additional enrollment materials for use during annual enrollment or for use during the plan year, call Bill Aye, FBMC Client Liaison, at (608) 829-0435. Questions about the ERA program can be directed to Marcia Blumer, (608) 266-2640 or e-mail marcia.blumer@etf.state.wi.us. The ERA booklet, claim forms, Premium Conversion Waiver forms, and Rapid Refund enrollment forms, may also be found on the ETF Internet site at http://etf.wi.gov/.

No Change in Employee Life Insurance Rates in 2002

The claims experience for state employees insured under the Wisconsin Public Employers Group Life Insurance Program has continued to be favorable and the plan ended 2000 with funding for future benefits at a strong level. As a result, the Group Insurance Board (GIB) recently approved maintaining premium rates for 2002 at the same level as the 2001 rates. The employer share of the premium will remain at 63% of the employee premium for basic coverage and 35% of employee premium for supplemental coverage.

The spouse and dependent plan premium will also remain the same at $2.50 per unit per month. The coverage for each unit of spouse and dependent coverage will remain at $10,000 for a spouse and $5,000 for each dependent. Employees may elect up to two units of coverage.

For more information on the rate structure of the Group Life Insurance program, contact Marcia Blumer at (608) 266-2640 or e-mail marcia.blumer@etf.state.wi.us. If you have questions about reporting life insurance premiums to ETF, contact Steven Berg at (608) 264-6637 or e-mail steven.berg@etf.state.wi.us.

Long-Term Care Insurance Program Adds a Fourth Insurer

This Bulletin includes a notice for employees that you are encouraged to post or publicize.

The Department of Employee Trust Funds and the Group Insurance Board have added a fourth insurer to the Long-Term Care Insurance (LTC) Program. We are asking each state employer to assist us in announcing the availability of this coverage. Please share the attached information with your employees.

You may distribute the information in the format that is most effective for your organization. Suggested methods include newsletters, employee bulletin boards, e-mail, Intranet, etc.

For more information about this notice, contact Steve Grob at (608) 266-3099.