Long Term Disability Insurance Open Enrollment for Excluded Employees

Open enrollment for the Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance Plan for excluded employees will be held from March 1 through April 30, 2012. This memo provides information on the eligibility criteria, effective dates of coverage, and the various communication methods that will be used to provide open enrollment information to eligible employees.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

An employee must be permanent or probationary, excluded from collective bargaining, have a time base of half-time or greater, and have one of the following designations:

• Managerial (M, E59, E79, E99, E50)
• Supervisory (S, E48, E58, E68, E78, E98)
• Confidential (C, E97)
• Excluded/Exempt (E88, E89, E92)
• E01 through E21, E67, E77

Employees on limited-term appointments who otherwise meet the eligibility criteria may enroll in the LTD plan only if they have a mandatory right of return to a position that meets the above criteria. Excluded employees who are appointed to permanent-intermittent positions are not eligible.

Rank-and-file employees are not eligible for this insurance program.

Employee Communications

Eligible employees NOT currently enrolled in the LTD Program:

In early February 2012, the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) will mail a notice of the upcoming open enrollment to the homes of approximately 30,000 eligible employees. The notice will announce the upcoming open enrollment period. In late February, these employees will also receive an enrollment packet with a detailed plan brochure, enrollment instructions, and an enrollment form. In mid-April, a final reminder post card will be mailed to employees reminding them that the open enrollment period will end on April 30, 2012.

Employees currently enrolled in the LTD Program

In late February, a post card with information announcing the open enrollment period for the plan will be mailed to current enrollees. It will provide details on how to make plan option changes during open enrollment. For questions or additional information about the plan, employees should contact Standard Insurance Company at 1-888-641-7193 or go online to www.standard.com/mybenefits/california.

The February issue of the "Benefits News," distributed by DPA to departmental personnel offices and employee organizations, will announce the open enrollment and provide program information. Please feel free to reproduce, distribute, or post this newsletter on bulletin boards or email notifications to notify your employees of the upcoming LTD open enrollment period.

There will also be a global message on the March 1, 2012, paycheck stub reminding employees of the LTD open enrollment.

Completion of the LTD Enrollment Authorization Form

During open enrollment, enrollees are required to complete Sections A, B, and C of the LTD enrollment authorization form (SI7533D-643146), and submit the form to their departmental personnel office.

When personnel offices receive the enrollment form, they are responsible for verifying that the information is completed correctly in Sections B and C, completing Section D, and submitting the enrollment form to the State Controller's Office (SCO) by the dates indicated below.

Effective Date of Coverage

The employee's effective date of coverage will begin on the first day of the pay period following the first premium (payroll) deduction.

• SCO receives Plan enrollment form by March 10, 2012: Employee's Plan coverage will be effective April 1, 2012.
• SCO receives Plan enrollment form by March 11 to April 10, 2012: Employee's Plan coverage will be effective May 1, 2012.
• SCO receives Plan enrollment form by April 11 to April 30, 2012*: Employee's Plan coverage will be effective June 1, 2012.

*Applications postmarked on April 30 will be processed by SCO through May 10 and will provide coverage effective June 1, 2012.

Any enrollment forms received by personnel offices after April 30 will need to be reviewed by DPA on a case-by-case basis for approval.

LTD Plan Brochures and Enrollment Forms

To help minimize your workload during the LTD open enrollment, Standard Insurance Company will be the primary contact for the distribution of plan information and enrollment forms. However, a small number of employees may contact you directly for LTD information and forms. Please ensure you have an adequate supply of brochures and forms. You may email Standard Insurance Company at socltdforms@standard.com or call 1-888-641-7193 to order a supply of LTD forms (SI7533D-643146) and brochures (SI10386-643146). Please be sure to provide your name, complete mailing address (no P.O. Box) and contact information.

Fill and Print Form

A Fill and Print LTD enrollment form is available online at Standard Insurance Company's website. Employees can complete the form online, print it, sign it and give it to their personnel office. This fill and print form must have an original signature or SCO will not process it.

If employees have questions you cannot answer, please direct them to Standard Insurance Company's dedicated website at www.standard.com/mybenefits/california or the toll-free customer service line at 1-888-641-7193. Since the last open enrollment for this plan was conducted in April 2010, we anticipate a great deal of interest from eligible employees. We appreciate your help informing employees about the LTD plan and the open enrollment.

 

If you have questions, please contact Patty Rosales-Abila at (916) 324-5553 or e-mail Patty.RosalesAbila@dpa.ca.gov.

 

/s/ Greg Beatty

Chief, Benefits Division