The Open Enrollment period for eligible faculty and staff to select medical, insurance and other benefits-related options for 2012 began Sunday, Oct. 9 and will run through Friday, Oct. 21.

In an effort to reduce costs and improve access, the enrollment booklet detailing the benefits elections is available online. You will not receive a hard copy. Faculty and staff can access the booklet and other resources through the Open Enrollment website.

While there are no changes to the benefits coverage offered for next year, the premium charged to the university by our health care providers (Medical Mutual and Anthem) continues to rise. Kent State will continue to absorb a portion of the increase, but employees may see also see an increase in contributions, depending on the medical plan and the health care provider chosen. A contribution chart can be found on the Open Enrollment website.

Employees are encouraged to review the Open Enrollment information with their families. Even if you plan on keeping your current plan, it’s a good idea to examine all the options and make sure you are selecting the best coverage for you and your dependents. There are also several voluntary insurance options, such as short- and long-term disability, cancer and accident indemnity plans, that families may want to consider.

The enrollment process will be done online through a secure website. You will be asked to create a username and password to log in to the site and there will be instructions. You can access the secure site two ways:

• FlashLine – Log in to FlashLine and go to the My HR tab; look for a link to Open Enrollment in the Employment Details channel.
  
• Open Enrollment website – Click on the link to Complete Your Open Enrollment; this will take you to the secure website.
  

Faculty and staff who wish to participate in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for 2012 must complete the Open Enrollment process and make a contribution election. Your 2011 FSA elections do not roll over to the next year. For all other employees who wish to keep their current benefit selections, you do not need to complete the Open Enrollment process; your default benefits for 2012 will be your current elected coverage.

Several computer labs are scheduled throughout the next two weeks for employees who may need assistance completing the enrollment process. The labs will be staffed by HR representatives. View the schedule.

Questions may be directed to the Benefits Office at 330-672-MyHR (6947) or benefits@kent.edu.