Penn Faculty Benefits News: April 9, 2020
Upcoming Benefits Enrollment Changes
Penn Benefits Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to make changes to your healthcare elections. Open Enrollment runs Monday, April 20 through Friday, May 1, 2020. Before enrollment begins, we encourage you to learn about the upcoming changes for the next plan year.
We also have unprecedented news to share. There will be no increase in medical and dental rates for the third straight year. That means Penn’s faculty and staff enrolled in a medical plan will not see an increase for the 2020-2021 plan year.
For the first time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff will make their elections and any updates using the Workday@Penn portal at www.workday.upenn.edu.
The Benefits Enrollment Guide provides a summary of the benefits programs available to all benefits-eligible employees−full-time faculty and staff, as well as part-time and ACA benefits-eligible staff. The guide will be mailed to your homes soon, and you can also view it online.
Please refer to the guide for details about Penn’s benefits for the upcoming plan year, July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
For more information about Open Enrollment, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/openenrollment. You'll have access to benefit comparison charts, contribution charts, and more.
Plan Changes as of July 1, 2020
No Increase in Medical and Dental Rates for the Third Year
Your cost for medical and dental coverage will not increase for the 2020-2021 plan year.
The University of Pennsylvania’s medical and dental plans have seen favorable claims experience over the past several years, which has enabled Penn to maintain the same rates for the third straight year. Although the healthcare market in general has experienced approximately 5% medical cost inflation over the past few years, Penn’s plan costs have been much lower than the industry trend.
Thanks to plan design changes, favorable claims experience, enhanced prescription drug
management, wellness initiatives, and better employee consumerism, Penn’s faculty and staff enrolled in a medical plan will not see an increase in the 2020-2021 plan year.
New Enrollment Process with Workday@Penn
This year you will complete Open Enrollment at the Workday@Penn portal at www.workday.upenn.edu. The benefits enrollment process has been simplified and is quick and easy. Use your PennKey and password to access the portal. Then follow the steps listed below to enroll or make changes to your benefits for the 2020-2021 plan year.
Be sure to review your current elections and available choices in Workday even if you plan to keep the same coverage you have now. After Open Enrollment, healthcare benefits changes can only be made if you declare a qualifying life event.
Also, review your beneficiary information, confirm its accuracy for all elections, and update it if necessary. Once you have made your elections, you must print a confirmation. No confirmation statements will be mailed. However, an enrollment guide will be mailed to your home in April.
Steps to Enroll
- Log into Workday at www.myworkday.com/upenn/login.html
- From your home page, select the Inbox icon in the upper right corner or click “Go to Inbox”
- Select “Open Enrollment – Event”in your inbox
- Click “Elect” or “Waive” next to the corresponding benefit plan (your current coverage will be displayed for each benefits election)
- When you have completed all of your elections, click “Submit”
A One-Time Opportunity to Increase Supplemental Life Insurance Coverage
The University through MetLife is offering a one-time opportunity to enroll or increase your Supplemental Life Insurance.
Eligible faculty and staff can increase their supplemental life insurance coverage during Open Enrollment before providing evidence of insurability (i.e. proof of good health). This means, if you’re not currently enrolled, you can elect .05 x to 5 x your benefits base, or if you’re currently enrolled you can increase your coverage up to the 5 x max. If you select a total coverage level above $750,000 (coverage amounts based on your benefits base) you must provide additional evidence of insurability. To take advantage of this opportunity, you must elect this increase during this year’s Open Enrollment period.
Watch the mail for your personalized information sheet from MetLife, which will provide you with detailed information about your current life insurance amounts and your available options during Open Enrollment. Please remember to review and/or update your beneficiary information in Workday.
Remember that Penn provides you with Basic Life Insurance of 1 x your benefits base salary (maximum of $300,000) at no cost to you. If you are PT/ACA eligible, Penn provides a maximum of $50,000 in Basic Life Insurance. This one-time Supplemental Life Insurance coverage is in addition to the Basic Life benefit.
*Note: You must be currently eligible for life insurance to take part in this offer. The amount of coverage is based on your benefits base that is effective as of March 2020. If you are a union employee, you can select up to 6 x your base salary to the max of $750,000. If you are PT/ACA eligible, you can select up to 2 x your base salary.
Colonoscopy Screening Age Requirement Removed
Effective July 1, an annual (as recommended by your medical provider) colonoscopy screening will be covered at $0 co-pay for those enrolled in the Keystone HMO, Aetna POS II and the PennCare/Personal Choice plan. The age and frequency limitation for this type of screening has been removed.
Penn Introduces Telemedicine
The University has partnered with Penn Medicine to offer a virtual care telemedicine practice called Penn Medicine OnDemand. Formerly called FirstCall, Penn Medicine On-Demand provides urgent primary care services by providers in the Penn Center for Connected Care.
Penn Medicine OnDemand providers address your immediate care needs such as sore throats, rashes, earaches, muscle or joint pain, and other minor injuries.
The telemedicine practice is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year by Penn Medicine providers who deliver fast and speedy care using video visits. When an in-person, office-based appointment with a PennCare provider is recommended, the Penn Medicine OnDemand team will help you schedule it at a time and location that is convenient for you.
Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
If you participate in a Health Care Flexible Spending Account, you set aside pre-tax dollars to use for certain out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
The IRS has increased the FSA limit from $2,700 to $2,750 for the 2020 calendar year. As you know, you can only rollover $500 to the next plan year, so be sure to submit your claims for the current plan year in a timely manner.
The rules for using your FSA account remain the same. You may still need to provide receipts to verify that your claims are qualified expenses in accordance with IRS guidelines.
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) for HDHP
An HSA is a tax savings account for High Deductible Health Plan participants. HSA funds may be used to offset the cost of care. Penn will contribute to your HSA $1,000 for single coverage or $2,000 for family coverage. You can also contribute additional money to an HSA via pre-tax payroll deductions.
The IRS has announced an increase in the HSA family maximum contribution by $100 for calendar year 2020. The single contribution limit will be $3,550 and the family contribution limit will be $7,100—inclusive of your employer contribution. If you are 55 and over, you can contribute an additional $1,000.
Penn’s Health Savings Account custodial bank is changing from BNY Mellon to Health Equity, effective May 2020. BNY Mellon will no longer serve as the custodial bank for HSA accounts. A new account will be opened for participants at HealthEquity. BNY Mellon will transfer your HSA balances to HealthEquity by the end of May.
If you are currently enrolled in a Health Savings Account, you do not need to take any action for your account to be moved.
You will receive a new HealthEquity health savings card in May. Please watch for important notification in the mail and your email from HealthEquity.
Open Enrollment Presentations and Wellness Fairs
The on-campus Open Enrollment presentations and wellness fairs will not be held due to the COVID-19 situation, but faculty and staff can view the presentation online for important benefits information.
Change to Tuition Benefit for Faculty and Staff
Penn is supportive of faculty and staff in their academic pursuits and strives to make improvements to the Tuition Benefit program to best serve their development needs. The University recently approved an amendment to the Tuition Assistance for Faculty and Staff policy, changing the timeframe in which newly-hired faculty and staff can begin using the tuition benefit.
Effective July 2, 2020, Penn will institute a six-month waiting period for newly hired faculty and staff to use the tuition benefit for themselves. Rather than becoming eligible for the benefit immediately upon hire, new faculty and staff will qualify for tuition assistance six months after their start dates.
This policy update is intended to give faculty and staff a better balance of work and academic pursuits, as well as adequate time to focus on their new position, get acclimated to their role, and to complete their introductory period. It also brings Penn’s tuition assistance for faculty and staff in greater alignment with peer institutions’ tuition benefit programs, and with the University’s tuition benefit plans for dependents and spouses.
Under the revised policy, the end date of the waiting period is the staff member’s tuition eligibility date. The tuition eligibility date determines the term for which the staff member can begin requesting tuition benefits. Keep in mind that if the tuition eligibility date comes after the first day of classes for a term, you cannot receive tuition benefits until the start of the following term.
For examples of how the waiting period will work, see the chart below:
| New Hire Start Date | Tuition Eligibility Date | 1st Day of Classes of the Term | Term to Apply Benefit |
| July 2, 2020 | January 2, 2021 | January 13, 2021 | Spring 2021 |
| December 1, 2020 | June 1, 2021 | Summer I- May 24, 2021 Summer II-July 1, 2021 |
Summer II, 2021 |
| February 1, 2021 | August 1, 2021 | August 31, 2021 | Fall 2021 |
If you have questions about the policy, please call the Penn Employee Solution Center at 215-898-7372 or email tuition@hr.upenn.edu.
Adoption Benefits Extended
Loving families are dynamic and take diverse forms. Many parents welcome children into their homes through adoption. The University strives to ensure faculty and staff members who adopt have the best possible support through this phase of their lives.
To assist these families, the University of Pennsylvania amended the Adoption Assistance Plan, which is available under the Adoption Assistance Policy. Effective March 2, 2020, the revised plan extends benefits to eligible faculty and staff for the adoption of their spouses’ children.
While the Plan has changed; Penn’s Adoption Assistance Policy remains the same. This policy was implemented to reimburse eligible employees for qualified expenses resulting from the adoption of an eligible child. Now that eligibility includes children of spouses. Participants may be reimbursed up to $5,000 for costs directly related to a legal adoption, such as travel and court fees.
The updated Adoption Assistance Plan, along with details about eligibility, timelines, and tax treatment for qualified adoptions, is available at www.hr.upenn.edu/adoptionpolicy.
If you have questions about adoption assistance, please contact Karen Kille, Senior Work-life Consultant, karener@upenn.edu or 215-898-7729.
COVID-19 Benefits Updates
If you have questions about your Penn benefits, Human Resources staff continue to work remotely although our campus offices are closed. Visit our Special Hours page for details about services such as Onboard@Penn, the Penn Employee Solution Center, the Benefits Solution Center, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Faculty and staff can reach these services online, by phone, and email.
The Division of Human Resources COVID-19 Workplace Health and Safety web pages provides links to workplace-related guidance for faculty and staff. Human Resources will continue to update this page as the situation evolves. Here are some key highlights from our online information.
Health Insurance
Penn’s insurance carriers, Independence (Blue Cross), Aetna, CVS Caremark, Keystone (IBC), and Penn Medicine’s OnDemand telemedicine practice are all closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. They are committed to making sure that our participants can receive appropriate testing and treatment for this virus if needed.
HSAs and FSAs
The recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was designed to provide relief and economic stimulus. Some CARES Act’s provisions apply Health Savings Accounts, (HSA) healthcare flexible spending accounts (FSAs). For example, under CARES, FSA and HAS funds can be used to purchase all over-the-counter drugs without a prescription, as well as feminine hygiene products.
For more details, visit the Your Health Insurance and COVID-19 and Telemedicine pages. Penn Human Resources will continue to update these pages with latest information.
Retirement Planning
A summary of CARES Act retirement plan provisions is available at Penn’s COVID-19 and Retirement Planning page. The page outlines how CARES impacts retirement plan withdrawals for those effected by the pandemic, as well as Required Minimum Distributions for all retirees and people approaching retirement.
For information about COVID-19's effects on the financial markets and what you as a retirement plan investor should know, please check the TIAA and Vanguard websites for updates.
Connect with Penn's Retirement Savings Plan providers online or by phone. You can also schedule a free counseling session where a representative can help you with your investment choices. All TIAA and Vanguard counseling sessions will be available by phone or online meeting only until further notice.
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TIAA Counseling Sessions with TIAA: |
Vanguard Counseling Sessions with Vanguard: |
Penn Employee Solution Center is maintaining regular hours of service to answer your questions. Please contact hcmsolutioncenter@upenn.edu or (215) 898-7372 for support 9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET Monday-Wednesday, and Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm ET Thursday.
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