Benefits & Retirement

FSA and HSA Participants

CARES Act

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed on March 27, 2020. This federal law expands how employees can use their Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) funds.

Here’s an overview of what changed:

• The CARES Act removes the requirement that you must have a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in order to use Medical FSA or HSA funds for these expenses. OTC drugs include cold medicines, anti-inflammatories, and other products. This change is retroactive to January 1, 2020 and has no expiration date. Keep in mind that the IRS stockpiling rule is still in effect. If you buy more than three identical products in one transaction, you will not be reimbursed.
• You can now buy menstrual care products using your Medical FSA funds. This includes pads, tampons, cups, and other similar products. This change is retroactive to January 1, 2020 and has no expiration date.
• If you’re enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), including consumer-directed health plans (CDHP), the deductible and coinsurance are waived for COVID-19 testing and treatment for telehealth services. Contact your plan for more information about your benefits. This provision began on March 27, 2020 and expires December 31, 2021.

Navia Benefit Solutions posted CARES Act FAQs.

HealthEquity created a member hub about the CARES Act for employees.

New Employees

Newly-eligible employees have 31 days from their start date to enroll in the various benefit plans. If an employee does not enroll within 31 days of eligibility, the next available time to make changes or enroll dependents will be during the yearly Open Enrollment. Some benefits may have eligibility requirements that must be met in order to participate if enrollment was not completed during the first 31 days of eligibility. 

SEBB Enrollment Instructions - click here to view

If you do not enroll or waive your enrollment in SEBB medical during your first 31 days of employment, you will be enrolled by default as a single subscriber in UMP Achieve 1 (for medical), Uniform Dental Plan, MetLife Vision Plan, Basic Life and AD&D Insurance, and Basic Long Term Disability Insurance. Your dependents will not be enrolled. You will be charged a monthly $33 premium for medical coverage as well as a $25 per account monthly tobacco use premium surcharge.

If you are enrolled by default, you cannot change plans or enroll your eligible dependents until the next annual open enrollment, unless you have a special open enrollment event that allows the change.

Special Open Enrollment

Certain events let you make account changes (like changing plans or enrolling a dependent) outside of annual open enrollment. You must provide proof of the event that created the special open enrollment (for example, a marriage or birth certificate) along with the required enrollment/change forms to SEBB My Account, or the Benefits Office, no later than 60 days after the event.

2020 SEBB Enrollment Guide

SEBB My Account