• 2024 – 2025 Benefit Annual Enrollment

    All GIC members should actively shop and evaluate health coverage options by carefully reviewing the 2024 - 2025 GIC Benefit Decision Guide to better understand any changes and make informed decisions about their coverage

    The GIC is encouraging all members to use the MyGICLink Member Benefits Portal to review current benefit elections, enroll in and/or update benefits during Annual Enrollment. All benefit eligible employees have from April 3 until May 1, 2024 to finalize benefit elections that will begin July 1, 2024 and extend through June 30, 2025. 

    Note: If members do not want to make changes to their current health and dental/vision plans during Annual Enrollment, no further action is needed to remain in the current plan. As a reminder, if you are currently enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account benefit, you must re-enroll if you wish to participate in a health care or dependent care Flexible Spending Account during the 2024 - 2025 year.

    All plans will become effective July 1, 2024, with deductions beginning in June.

     

    MyGICLink Benefits Portal

    The Group Insurance Commission (GIC)’s  MyGICLink Benefits Portal allows eligible employees the ability to review and make changes to current elections, submit documentation for any changes, and/or track the status of changes.

    1. MyGICLink Benefits Portal Registration: please click on this hyperlink if you have not already registered for an account with the GIC.

    2. MyGICLink Benefits Portal Login: please click on this hyperlink if you have already created and/or registered for an account.  

     

    Health Insurance: you may enroll in GIC health benefits and/or change your health benefit election at this time. For 2024 - 2025, the following health plan offerings are available to benefit eligible employees:

    Dental/Vision Insurance: you may enroll in GIC dental/vision benefits and/or change your dental product election. The plan rates for dental/vision coverage include both dental AND vision coverage:

    Life Insurance: Basic Life, Optional Life, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) -  basic and optional life insurances and AD&D insurance help provide for your beneficiary’s well-being in the event of a serious accident or death. This benefit is paid to your designated beneficiary(ies).

    Long Term Disability: MetLife - all eligible employees can apply for LTD coverage during Annual Enrollment, or at any time during the year. You must provide proof of good health for MetLife’s approval to enter the plan. LTD coverage can be canceled throughout the year. Enrollment and cancellation effective dates are determined by the GIC. Upon receipt of your completed form, the GIC will notify MetLife of your application and MetLife will send you a medical form to complete and return. If approved by MetLife, the GIC will notify you of your effective date.

    Mass4YOU: Optum Live and Work Well -:Mass4YOU is a free Employee Assistance Program available to all state and municipal employees and their families who are eligible for GIC benefits administered through Optum health. GIC health insurance coverage is not required to access the many Mass4YOU work/life and other support services. Members can call (844)263-1982 or visit the hyperlink above. To access this benefit, please use Valley’s access code =mass4you. Through Mass4YOU, GIC benefits-eligible employees and their families can find easy access to a comprehensive suite of free, confidential support available 24/7, including:

    • Three in-person virtual, telephone, or in-person therapy visits per issue, per year

    • 30-minute telephone or in-person legal or mediation consultation per issue per year

    • Guidance from a financial advisor to help with debt, foreclosure, financial planning, and more

    • Referrals for a variety of Work-Life convenience services: child care, elder care and more

    • Access to Mass4YOU’s 24/7 confidential substance abuse treatment helpline and a licensed clinician

    Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): TASC will continue to be the GIC’s administrator of FSA benefits with our upcoming plan year. There are two types of FSA plans available to eligible GIC members, a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA), which is used to pay for medical expenses for you and your eligible dependents; and a Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), which can be used to pay for childcare or assistance with disabled adult dependents. Both of these plans lower your income tax liability by the amount of your deductions. In exchange for the tax savings that these programs offer, the IRS imposes a use-it-or-lose-it rule. This means that you must use all the money in your account by the end of the plan year, or you lose that money, subject to the grace period. 

    Active state employees who are eligible for GIC benefits may enroll in a Health Care and/or Dependent Care FSA for the upcoming plan year (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) during Annual Enrollment. Even if you are enrolled in one or both FSAs this year, you must re-enroll if you wish to participate in Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025). Valley will continue to pay the monthly administrative fee ($1.00/month) for any employee who enrolls in one or both FSAs.  

    To enroll for the first time, or to re-enroll in a Flexible Spending Account(s), please go to the TASC Open Enrollment tab. You will need to enter the following information into the enrollment form with your elections:

    • Employee ID Number = Social Security Number

    • Agency Type = Other

    • Other Agency Name = 9990111 Valley Collaborative

    • Number of Payrolls: 24

      • Health Care Spending Account (HCSA): Your total annual Health Care FSA contribution is available to you immediately. You can enroll in a Health Care FSA for as little as $250 or as much as $3,050/year. 

      • Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP): Your Dependent Care FSA contributions are available to you as you contribute them to your account. You can enroll in a Dependent Care FSA for as little as $250 or as much as $5,000/year (or $2,500 if married and filing separate tax returns). 

     

    Prescription Drug Benefits: CVS Caremark is the GIC’s prescription drug benefit administrator for non-Medicare health insurance plans. Use your CVS Caremark ID card when filling prescriptions. You pay an annual prescription drug deductible of $100/individual and $200/family, separate from your health plan deductible. Once you have paid your prescription

    drug deductible, your covered prescriptions are subject to a copay.

    All GIC health plans feature a three-tier copay structure. Contact CVS Caremark with questions about your specific medications.

    • Tier 1: You pay the lowest copay. Most generic prescription drugs fall into this tier.

    • Tier 2: You pay the mid-level copay. Many brand name prescription drugs fall into this tier.

    • Tier 3: You pay the highest copay. This tier includes brand-name and generic prescription drugs that don’t fall into Tiers 1 or 2.

     

    Health Insurance Buy-out

    Members with access to non-GIC health insurance through a spouse or another employer sponsored plan that meets IRS "minimum value" criteria and with basic life insurance. Under the GIC Health Insurance Buy-out Plan, eligible members receive 25% of the full-cost monthly premium in lieu of health insurance benefits for one 12-month period. If the member was insured with the GIC on January 1, 2024 or before and continue coverage through June 30, 2024, he/she may use the MyGICLink Benefits Portal during Annual Enrollment to buy out health plan coverage effective July 1, 2024.

     

    Short Term Disability Insurance (Non-GIC Benefit)

    In addition to GIC benefits, Valley also offers Short Term Disability insurance through The Hartford Insurance Company. This benefit is 100% employee paid. If you are electing this benefit for the first time, your payroll deduction will start upon approval from The Hartford Insurance Company. The following documents are hyperlinked below and can also be found in the Forms folder under the Human Resources tab from Valley Collaborative’s website:

    1. The Hartford Short Term Disability Benefit Highlights - please review as an overview of benefit details 

    2. Short Term Disability Enrollment Form and Evidence of Insurability –

      • If you are electing this benefit for the first time, complete this form and select: “Elect Coverage”

      • Note:  You must also complete the Evidence of Insurability, either MA or NH, based on residency (pages 2 thru 5).

      • If you are canceling coverage this year, complete form and select:  “Decline Coverage”

      • If you currently have this benefit and wish to continue coverage for the 2024 - 2025 school year, you do not need to complete any paperwork at this time.

      • Please note: if you have changed into a new age band, your premiums will be increasing or decreasing based on the formula noted on the STD Enrollment Form.

    1. Premium Worksheet - if electing this benefit, please use this worksheet to complete the Enrollment Form

    Please complete the forms and email them to: hr@valleycollaborative.org. 

     

    Frequently Asked Questions

    If I want to keep my current medical and dental/vision coverage, making NO changes to my current plans, what do I need to do during Annual Enrollment?

    In the event that you do not wish to change your medical and/or dental/vision coverages during the Annual Enrollment period, you do not need to do anything to continue with your current coverage.

     

    What benefits must I re-enroll every year?

    Flexible Spending coverage, offered through TASC for HCSA and DCAP, must be re-enrolled every year. Please visit TASC to set up your 2024 - 2025 elections and see the enrollment section above for specific information you will need to complete your enrollment.

     

    What documents do I need to provide when adding family members to my GIC Health/Dental Vision policy?

    The GIC has published a Qualifying Status Change Events Chart of personal and/or family changes to help navigate the process of updating your insurance plans to match your new needs. Some of the most common changes include adding a spouse to your health and dental/vision coverage, which will require a copy of your marriage license. Another common scenario is adding dependents to your plans, which will require you to provide copies of birth certificates in addition to the completion of the GIC Form 1/1DV. 

     

     How do I cancel my Short Term Disability insurance during open enrollment?

    To unenroll in STD insurance, you need to complete The Hartford Short Term Disability enrollment form and check the “decline coverage” box.

     

    How do I cancel my GIC health insurance during Open Enrollment?

    To unenroll in GIC health insurance, you must complete a GIC Employment/ Change Form (Form-1) and check the box “decline GIC Health Insurance”. 

     

    How do I cancel my GIC dental/vision insurance during Annual Enrollment?

    To unenroll GIC dental insurance, you must complete the GIC Dental/Vision Enrollment/Change Form-DV and check the box “Cancel GIC Dental/Vision Coverage”.

     

    Can I cancel my GIC coverage mid-year, or outside of Annual Enrollment?

    To cancel coverage mid-year you need to have a “Qualifying Life Event” or “Qualifying Status Change”- see below. 

     

     What qualifies as a “Qualifying Life Event”?

    GIC members can enroll in or update benefits throughout the year within 60 days of a qualifying event or during GIC's Annual Enrollment. Enrollments, updates, and supporting documentation received after 60 days of the qualifying event will be denied and you must wait until the next Annual Enrollment to update your benefits.

    For more information about benefit changes you can make due to a qualifying event, refer to the qualifying events chart to access a comprehensive overview of qualifying events, the allowable benefit changes for that event, supporting documentation required, and deadlines.