The open enrollment period for benefits effective Tuesday, January 1, 2019, began on November 1, 2018, and ends at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 16, 2018. There will be changes to some plans effective January 1, 2019. You are encouraged to attend an informational session to learn about benefit changes for 2019.

Open Enrollment is the only chance benefits-eligible employees have to change plans, add or drop coverage, and/or add or drop eligible dependents, unless a Life Status Changing Event takes place. Changes made during Open Enrollment become effective January 1, 2019.

Open Enrollment Events

Free Biometric Screening Health Checkups will be available to faculty and staff covered under Illinois Tech’s health plans* on Monday, November 5 and November 16 at Mies Campus. Registration is required; click here to register. *This requirement is for billing purposes only. Illinois Tech does not receive individuals’ medical information

Benefits Informational Session Schedule—The November 1 session was recorded for future viewing. Check the HR Portal Benefits page for a link following the presentation.

Changes for medical, dental, and vision benefits must be made online through Banner self-service, accessible through your MyIIT portal. Click here for instructions on how to make changes. Individuals making changes are strongly encouraged to contact Viktoria Rill at 312.567.3353 or vrill@iit.edu to verify changes have been successful. If you are not making changes, no action is required.

2019 Benefits Summary

• Medical
  • Prescriptions will no longer be administered by BCBS (CVS Health will take over 1/1/2019). All health plan members will receive two new ID cards in advance (via U.S Postal Service) as of January 1, 2019—one from BCBS for medical coverage and the other from CVS for prescription coverage.
  • There will be a rate increase for both plans. Dollar amount increases will vary based on plan, salary, and tier of coverage.
  • Changes to the In-Network-Only PPO plan structure:

• There will be no changes to the HDHP structure; however, HSA maximum limits increase. Illinois Tech will continue to contribute to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for HDHP members at the rate of $500 for single, $1,000 for self +1, and $1,500 for family-level plans for the 2019 plan year. The combined IRS maximums for HSA accounts (employee + employer contributions) will increase to $3,500 for single and $7,000 for family coverage in 2019, plus an additional $1,000 in catch-up contributions allowed for those 55 and over. HDHP health plan members may use FSA funds for dental and vision expenses only and should select “FSA-Compatible” when making their 2019 election.
• All members continue to have access to Blue Value Advisor (BVA) and Member Rewards. BVA is a price-comparison service; Member Rewards pays a cash incentive when you use a more cost-effective option.
• For complete information on both plans, including plan summaries and rates, please visit the HR Portal Health Benefits page (or connect through MyIIT, Work tab, HR Announcements box).

• Dental—There will be no changes to the current PPO or DHMO plans. For complete information on both plans including plan summaries and rates, please visit the HR Portal Dental Benefits page (or connect through MyIIT, Work tab, HR Announcements box).

• Vision—There will be benefit enhancements and a slight premium increase to this plan. The benefit allowance for frames or contact lenses is increasing (from $130 to $150). Rates are increasing slightly. For complete information, including a summary and rates, please visit the HR Portal Vision Benefits page (or connect through MyIIT, Work tab, HR Announcements box).

• Supplemental Life/AD&D Insurance—There will be no changes to these plans; however, Dearborn National is again offering employees with one times their annual salary in supplemental life coverage the opportunity to increase to two times their annual salary without going through the Evidence of Insurability (medical underwriting) process. Revisions for self, spouse, and/or dependent children must be submitted to HR via the forms on the HR Portal Supplemental Life by 3 p.m. on November 16.

• Flexible Spending—You must re-enroll in this program (2018 elections do NOT carry forward) at www.wageworks.com. If you wish to continue health and/or dependent daycare flexible spending, you MUST re-enroll for the 2019 plan year at www.wageworks.com. As of October 23, 2018, the IRS has not announced an increase to the annual maximum election amounts for Flexible Spending Programs. The 2018 maximums are:
  • Healthcare Flexible Spending: $2,650 per year
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending: $4,000 per year for Illinois Tech
  • Commuter/Parking: $260 each per month

  Illinois Tech utilizes the WageWorks online enrollment tool for Flexible Spending Accounts, available at www.wageworks.com. Once you log onto the WageWorks website, simply follow the prompts for Open Enrollment. If you do not remember your user name or password, you can click the “Forgot user name or password” link and follow the steps to obtain your username and create a new password. If you continue to experience difficulty, please contact WageWorks customer service at 877.924.3967, as Illinois Tech does not have access to this information.

• Pre-Tax Commuter Program—There will be no changes to the current plan. Pre-tax commuter (transit and parking) elections are not limited to Open Enrollment; they may be changed every month. WageWorks elections can be used for transit passes and parking, and are now compatible with uberPOOL, Lyft Link, and SpotHero. Orders are due by 10:50 p.m. EST on the 10th of the month for the following benefit month (i.e., December orders are due by 10:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, November 10).

• 403(b) Retirement Plan—There will be no changes to the current plan. If you are not currently participating in the 403(b) plan and/or receiving the employer match and have met the eligibility requirements listed below, now is a good time to enroll. The university contribution begins at 5% of the annual base salary with no employee contribution and it caps at 9% with a 4% employee contribution. If you are not yet match-eligible, please consider participating on an unmatched basis by completing the Salary Reduction Agreement Form and enrolling with TIAA and/or Fidelity. Additional information including the form can be found on the HR Portal Retirement Plan page. The IRS announced on November 1 that contribution limits for 403(b) plans would increase in 2019. Participants under 50 may contribute up to $19,000, and participants 50 and above may contribute $25,000 per year.If you wish to contribute the IRS maximum to the 403(b) plan and did not do so in 2018, you will need to complete a new Salary Reduction Agreement form for 2019.You may change your 403(b) contributions at any time during the year. Please note that the match is not automatic. You are responsible for enrolling or updating your election when you become match-eligible.
  

  403(b)	Matched Contribution	Unmatched Contribution
  Staff	Two years of service	Immediate
  Faculty	One year of service	Immediate

• Employee Assistance Program—There will be no changes to the current plan. Lifeworks remains as Illinois Tech’s Employee Assistance Program. This program provides employees and their families voluntary, confidential, and free access to short-term counseling, with operators available 24/7, 365 days a year. Online resources and toolkits cover a wide range of topics that include emotional, physical, and financial well-being, as well as work-life issues. Lifeworks highlights a different health and well-being feature each month, and adds extra resources following major catastrophic events, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Log in for access to articles and videos, and to access discounts. The phone number, website, and username/password information can be found on the HR Portal Employee Assistance Program page.
• Tuition Assistance—There will be no changes to the current plan. Illinois Tech continues to offer various tuition benefits to benefits-eligible employees and their families. For more information on these benefits and to apply, please visit the HR Portal Tuition Assistance page.

If you have questions regarding Open Enrollment, please contact Viktoria Rill at 312.567.3353 or via email at vrill@iit.edu.