Oct. 11, 2021
MEMORANDUM
To: Benefits-Eligible USC Faculty and Staff
From:
Felicia A. Washington, Senior Vice President of Human Resources
James M. Staten, Senior Vice President, Finance, and CFO
Just as 2020 reminded us of the importance of protecting our health, 2021 has shown us many ways in which to nurture our overall well-being. From webinars to help you create healthy habits, to interactive conversations on our unifying values, USC takes its responsibility to care for our faculty and staff seriously.
We’re excited to announce that our annual Open Enrollment period begins Monday, Oct. 25 and runs through Monday, Nov. 8. This is your one time a year – outside of a qualifying life event – to review and change your benefits to ensure they meet the needs of you and your dependents. Some elections do not carry over, such as Flexible Spending Accounts, and others will be reset to “Select” each year, such as the Spousal Surcharge, so we highly encourage you to review all the options available. We invite you to explore them by visiting the 2022 Open Enrollment website.
Our 2022 focus is on primary and preventive care for you and your loved ones. Here are a few of the updates you’ll see across health plans, benefits, incentives, and your Workday experience for the coming year.
New look and feel in Workday
The Workday Benefits Enrollment module received a facelift. To create a better, easier experience, you’ll no longer be taken through a sequential series of steps to enroll in each benefit. Rather, you’ll be prompted to review and make your elections from tiles on the webpage, such as dental, vision, and medical. This way, you can update the benefits you wish to change and in any order.
We’ve created this video overview of the new look and feel, and this Quick Reference Guide of the steps to enroll through the Workday Benefits module. Just remember, Open Enrollment is the only time of year in which you’ll have access to change your benefits, so we encourage you to visit them while you can.
New USC Tobacco Cessation Program
On Monday, Nov. 15, we are piloting a new Tobacco Cessation Program for faculty and staff who want to take steps toward a healthier, nicotine-free life. There’s room for 200 faculty and staff self-referrals in the first cohort. These participants will receive support, tips, and medication recommendations from USC nurses, pharmacists, and occupational therapists to help them successfully stop smoking. We’ll even have counselors available to help them “kick the habit” once and for all.
Call 833-SC NURSE (833-726-8773) or email USCPremierCare@med.usc.edu to sign up. For more information, visit www.keckmedicine.org/usc-premier-care.
Dependent eligibility audit
Last year, a dependent eligibility audit was announced, but due to the pressures of COVID-19, this program was postponed. In order to maintain high-quality benefits for our faculty, staff, and their dependents, and to ensure fairness of the medical costs shared by all, we will soon be initiating an effort to confirm eligibility for dependents covered on our medical plans.
Although we believe the majority of enrolled dependents meet our eligibility requirements, there may be some instances when a USC employee may have forgotten to remove a dependent who is no longer eligible for coverage. In the next few months, all faculty and staff with a dependent enrolled in a USC-offered medical plan will be required to provide eligibility documentation. We urge you to order any of these documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, from vital records at county offices as soon as possible, if you do not have them already.
Alternatively, we encourage you to use Open Enrollment as a time to remove any dependents who may have become ineligible. Stay tuned for additional communications coming from our third-party partner Secova around this.
Health assessment and fitness incentives
In case you missed it, our Health Assessment Program deadline has been extended to Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, meaning you can still take advantage of $40 a month in savings toward your USC enrolled medical plan for 2021 by completing the health assessment here. Better yet, if you qualify for the savings in 2021 – and you have already completed the health assessment – you are automatically enrolled to save $480 on your 2022 medical plan, with no additional steps needed! Don’t miss out on earning these savings.
In 2022, as we focus on preventive care, we are pivoting our health assessment screening requirement to be provided only through your primary care physician. Onsite screening events and LabCorp options will no longer be available. We understand that visiting your doctor will take more time, so you will have the entire 2022 calendar year to complete your health assessment steps to qualify to earn the $480 credit for 2023.
For more money in your pocket and better health overall, we are pleased to continue offering our $220 annual fitness incentive to help pay for expenses such as gym memberships, fitness classes, and equipment. For a single discounted membership to an array of gyms and on-demand fitness content, access to Gympass is also available. Visit the Employee Gateway’s Healthy Choice Offerings page for more information on the annual fitness incentive and Gympass.
Flu shots
As a reminder, flu shots are a fully-covered benefit under your insurance plan for those enrolled in our USC health plans. Vaccinations are required for those working at USC locations, and vaccination documentation is required by Monday, Nov. 1. We highly recommend those who work remotely to get a flu shot as well.
USC makes flu shots conveniently available to on-site faculty and staff at no cost from USC Pharmacies (University Park and Health Sciences Campuses). For more details, visit https://pharmacies.usc.edu/flu.
Want more information?
Based on the success of last year’s virtual Open Enrollment webinars, the USC Health Plans and University HR Benefits teams look forward to hosting these again. Check the 2022 Open Enrollment website and your Gateway Connect emails every Monday for details on Open Enrollment webinars and more.
A special thanks to the Employee Benefits Advisory Committee, Academic Senate, and Staff Assembly for their valuable input throughout the process of developing the 2022 health plan and benefits options.
For questions about any of these Open Enrollment details, our HR Service Center is here to help, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 213-821-8100 or at uschr@usc.edu.
We wish all our faculty and staff an upcoming year of happiness, health, and well-being. Fight on!
cc: Office of the President
President’s Senior Leadership Team
Academic Deans
Provost’s Leadership Team
Academic Senate
Staff Assembly