Enrolling, Viewing and Changing Your Coverage

Annual Enrollment

Annual Enrollment begins on July 1 and ends on July 31 of each year. During this time you may change your group insurance benefit elections and add or remove dependents from coverage using UTTouch Online. In June, you will receive a Coverage Option Letter (or email message) that lists your current coverage and future coverage options and will inform you if any action is required on your part. The elections you make will become effective on the later of September 1, 2007, or upon approval of Evidence of Insurability (EOI), if required.

You DO NOT need to re-enroll during Annual Enrollment if you are not making any changes to your current coverages (medical, dental, life, etc.) with the exception of UT FLEX flexible spending accounts.

Effective September 1, 2007, there will no longer be an HMO option available under UT System benefits.  If you ARE currently ENROLLED IN HMO Blue Texas, you will automatically be MOVED into THE UT Select PLAN, at the same coverage level, for the 2007 – 2008 plan year. DURING ANNUAL ENROLLMENT, you will have the option to terminate this coverage or change coverage level.

You MUST re-enroll if:

• You are currently enrolled in UT FLEX flexible spending account(s) and wish to continue your account(s) next year.
• You must enter your election amounts again.
• If you are currently a debit card holder and want the debit card again for the coming plan year, you must select the debit card checkbox again.
• You would like to change ANY of your current benefit elections (medical, dental, etc.) or amounts of insurance coverage.
• You need to add or remove dependents from coverage
• You would like coverage for a plan you do not currently have.

UT SELECT no longer requires that the biological parent of your grandchild be enrolled in the plan for an eligible the grandchild to be eligible for coverage.  However, the grandchild must qualify as your dependent for income tax purposes.  If you have or had grandchildren enrolled as dependents on your HMO plan and lost that coverage due to different eligibility requirements under UT SELECT, you may apply to re-enroll those dependents under UT SELECT without EOI.  Please contact your Benefits Office for additional information. To enroll an eligible grandchild you will be required to complete a Grandchild Certification form. The Office of Employee Benefits randomly audits eligibility status of enrolled dependents.  If you are randomly selected for an audit, you will be required to provide proof that you claim your grandchild for income tax purposes.

Change of Status

Changes to your group insurance benefits may also be made following a qualifying Change of Status event.  You have 31 days from the date of the event to notify your campus Benefits Office and change your benefit selections. If you do not make your changes during the 31-day Status Change Period, your changes cannot be made until the next Annual Enrollment in July, to be effective the following September 1.

The list below includes common examples of qualified Changes of Status.

• Marriage, divorce, annulment, legal separation, or spouse’s death
• Birth, adoption, medical child support order, or dependent’s death
• Significant change in residence if the change affects your or your dependents’ current plan eligibility
• Starting or ending employment, starting or returning from unpaid leave of absence, or a change of job status (e.g., from part-time to full-time)
• Change in dependent’s eligibility (e.g., marriage or reaching age 25)
• Change in coverage or cost of other benefit plans available to you and your family

Your benefit changes must be consistent with your Change in Status. For questions regarding Changes of Status, please refer to OEB Policy 310, available on-line at www.utsystem.edu/benefits or contact your campus Benefits Office.  Note: Evidence of Insurability may be required for some benefit changes if you wait until Annual Enrollment instead of enrolling during the 31-day Status Change Period.

UTTouch Online

UTTouch Online is a convenient, secure enrollment system that allows you to view and change your coverages on the Internet. With UTTouch Online, you can review your coverage at any time during the year and make benefit selections during Annual Enrollment. UTTouch Online is best viewed with Mozilla Firefox version 1.0 or better or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or better. Users may also view the system using Netscape Navigator 6.0 or better or America Online (AOL) version 5.0 or better. Users with older versions of AOL should first connect to the Internet with AOL, then use a compatible version of Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer to access this system.

Using UTTouch Online

The UTTouch Online system can be accessed at www.utsystem.edu/UTTouch.  You will have three options for logging into the system: 1) use your UT EID and password; 2) use your Benefits ID (BID) and password; or 3) use your Social Security Number and PIN (included in your Coverage Option Letter/email; if you have a UT EID for UT Austin’s UT Direct system, your Coverage Option Letter will not include a PIN). A link to a convenient Help Center is located in the log-in section of UTTouch Online should you have any difficulty with the log-in process.

On the Personal Information page, you should verify and update Annual Enrollment preferences and/or dependent information. You can also designate an email address for benefits-related communications by choosing the “Update Your Preferences” button.  If you add dependents using UTTouch Online, you will still be required to complete a dependent information form (available from your campus Benefits Office) and provide supporting documentation (marriage license, birth certificate, etc.).

The Benefits Enrollment page is divided into sections for each coverage type. Your current coverage and an area for making plan and level selections for the new plan year are located under each heading.  If Evidence of Insurability (EOI) is required, you will be prompted to complete an online form.  If you do not submit required EOI forms or if your EOI request is not approved, your selection will not take effect. Also on the Benefits Enrollment page are links that provide plan details and a cost estimate worksheet to assist you in making your selections.  

When you have made all your changes, click on “Record My Selections” to complete the enrollment process. Please review the Benefits Summary page to confirm all the selections you made are correct before you log off the system. You will also be sent a Confirmation Letter (or email message) with your selections that should be reviewed again for accuracy. You may change your benefit selections as often as you wish before midnight CDT, July 31, 2007.