Open enrollment will be October 26, 2020 – November 6, 2020.  The Enrollment window will close at 5:00 PM on November 6, 2020.  All employees who want to have health, dental, vision, flexible spending or HSA elections in the 2021 plan year will need to go through the enrollment process.  Benefits, particularly FSA and HSA benefits, cannot transfer to the new year.  Voluntary plans that are not changing will also require participants to confirm their elections.

Occasionally there are major life events that can affect your benefit needs and may create a opportunity for you to make limited changes to your coverage mid –year.  

Life events Include:

• Marriage
• Divorce
• Birth/Adoption/Guardianship
• Death
• Involuntary loss of coverage
• Enrollment in other coverage

If you’ve had one of these events occur, please contact the insurance department as soon as possible. The Insurance staff will need to enter the status change into the enrollment system before you will be able to Log into the system to make the necessary changes.    

Status changing events only allow you to make changes to your benefits that are necessary to accommodate the change. For instance, adding a baby to coverage following a birth, or dropping coverage on an ex-spouse following a divorce. It doesn’t allow you to change what health plan you are enrolled in or change the carriers you have elected. If you want to change carriers or plans you will need to wait until the next open enrollment window, then the changes will take effect in the following plan year.      

You have 30 days from the status changing event to make the change. Documentation that substantiates the status change, i.e. Birth Certificate, Death Certificate, Divorce Decree, adoption paperwork etc., will be required.  

Status changes typically take effect as of the date of the change. For instance, if you have a baby the effective date of the change would be the date of the birth. Be aware that if changes are entered after the 10th of the month it may not be reflected on that month’s payroll deduction and would require and increased deduction in the subsequent month.

The enrollment system requires you to set your own Username and Password by first registering on the website.  This security feature ensures that only you have access to your account.   To register, just click on the “new user registration” link that appears under the Password field.  This registration process is an easy straight forward process; just fill in the fields as indicated.  The Company Identifier is “Canyons“.  More detailed steps are available in the enrollment guide included in the supplemental benefit materials.

Yes. As has been the case with previous years, Open Enrollment for the 2021 plan year is mandatory.  This is for your benefit. If you don’t complete the open enrollment, you run the risk of not having your preferred benefit elections in the 2021 benefit year.  All employees who are eligible for insurance in 2021 must log in and confirm their elections, even if they want to decline benefits. This online enrollment must be completed by 5 pm on Nov 6, 2020.  If you would like to contribute to an HSA or FSA account you must make this election during the open enrollment period.  If you do not elect for the HSA during open enrollment, you will not be eligible to receive the HSA Employer Contributions.  Midyear elections to the HSA or FSA will not be allowed without a qualifying event.

The selection of a health plan is a personal decision and depends largely on your personal circumstances. Needs and circumstances change from time to time. We encourage employees to examine their benefit needs annually to determine if any changes need to be made. This is your only opportunity to make changes without a qualifing event, and we suggest that you consider your options and verify your coverages.  In addition, IRS guidelines require particpants who wish to contribute to an FSA or an HSA to elect an amount each year.   If an employee doesn’t elect an amount to contribute to these accounts, they will not have an opportunity elect later without a qualifying event.

Please refer to the “Choosing Benefits” information page for helpful tips to guide you through the decision process.

Because the HSA is governed by the IRS, the HSA regulations follow tax law for dependency. This means that the funds can only be used for medical expenses for either you or your tax dependents. In short, if you claim a dependent on your taxes, you can use your HSA dollars for their approved medical expenses.  If you don’t claim them as a tax dependent, you can’t use your HSA to pay for their medical expenses. This can be confusing because the Affordable Care Act allows children to stay on a parent’s health plan until they reach age 26, but dependents who are in their 20’s may, or may not be a tax dependent. Let me give you an example. I have two children, one age 22 and one age 24. The 22 year old is a student and living at home and I claim him as a dependent for taxes. The 24 year old has graduated from college, is married and has started a career. I don’t claim her on my taxes. I am however, covering both children on my health insurance. I can use my HSA to cover the medical expenses of the 22 year old because they are still my tax dependent; however, I can’t use my HSA to cover the expenses of the 24 year old because I no longer claim her as a dependent on my taxes.

The Social Security Number is the unique identifier used by insurance companies to reconcile claims data when more than one carrier is involved. Starting January 2015, the Affordable Care Act requires that pharmacy claims and health insurance claims both count toward the annual out-of-pocket maximum. While this is a small change to the plan design, it requires a major change to the administrative process. In order to accumulate claims data toward the annual out-of-pocket maximum, the carriers must communicate and reconcile claims between the pharmacy and health administrators. If dependent Social Security Numbers are not recorded in the enrollment system, then the claims incurred may not accumulate toward your out-of-pocket maximum correctly. If you do not have Social Security Numbers for your dependents, please contact the Insurance Department as soon as possible at 801-826-5428 or send an email to insurance@canyonsdistrict.org and we will assess your situation to determine your options.

The 1095C forms are documents that the District is required to issue to all employees who are benefit eligible.   These forms are tax documents and should be retained along with your annual W2 and other tax documents.     For the 2019 calendar year these forms will be issued by January 31, 2020 and will be available through Skyward Employee Access.   For individuals who have elected to receive these forms by mail.  They will be mailed by January 31, 2020 and should be received within 7 to 10 business days.   

If you have any questions or issues in regard to the 1095C forms, please contact the District Insurance Department at 801-826-5428

When both spouses in a married couple work for Canyons School District and are benefit eligible they can enroll in Dual Coverage.  Dual coverage provides a richer benefit then individual couple of family coverage.  One spouse would pay the full premium for a couple or family and the other would pay a single premium. If you qualify and choose to enroll in Dual Coverage both employees would need to enroll in a traditional plan on the same level of coverage (couple or family), and the same network (Advantage or Summit) during Open Enrollment.  Once the enrollment process is complete we will need a statement from the couple in writing indicating that you would like to enroll in Dual Coverage and indicate which member of the couple will pay the single rate and which will play the couple or family rate. Contact the insurance department for more details.    

When spouses work for separate employers and opt to cover each other through their respective employers health plans, they have dual coverage.   While this is allowed, it is not always beneficial; they would pay two full premiums and claims would need to be coordinated between two plan administrators, and some plans are not compatible with each other. Many find that the added complexity and cost outweigh the benefits.