New UC health care spending plan open to Lab employees

Informational meetings scheduled

Beginning today, University of California employees at the Lab can enroll in a new UC Health Care Spending Account. The special open-enrollment period continues through March 21, and the plan is effective April 1.

Participation in the Health Care Spending Account allows UC Lab employees to use pretax dollars to pay for eligible out-of-pocket medical, dental and vision expenses, said Helga Christopherson, Human Resources (HR) Division leader. The plan is intended to bring some measure of relief to UC employees faced with the continuing rise of medical costs, according to Christopherson.

An employee who elects to participate can be reimbursed for eligible out-of-pocket expenses incurred between April 1 and Dec. 31 through a personal account established with their pre-tax dollars.

Eligible expenses include office and prescription co-pays, orthodontia and LASIK surgery, as well as many others detailed in IRS Publication 502. If interested, a Laboratory employee may enroll in the plan for a specified dollar amount (minimum of $180 and maximum of $5,000) with equal amounts withheld from the first paycheck of each month during the plan year.

Employees are encouraged to carefully estimate amounts they will have withheld by the Payroll office because any balances remaining at the end of the plan year when out-of-pocket expenses are less than amounts withheld, will be forfeited by employees. To be reimbursed, enrolled employees must submit a claim form with appropriate receipts to SHPS Inc., the company administering the program for the Laboratory.

For more information about enrolling in the plan, go to the SHPS Web site at www.shps.net online. The Web site offers online enrollment forms, electronic funds transfer forms and claim forms. The SHPS Web site also provides an interactive worksheet that can be used to estimate potential tax savings from participating in this plan.

Compensation and Benefits (HR-1) also is offering a series of open-enrollment meetings. The meetings are at the following times and locations:

1 p.m., Tuesday, (Feb. 26) in the Jemez and Cochiti Rooms in the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center, at Technical Area 3

1 p.m., Tuesday, March 5 in the Physics Building Auditorium, TA-3

2:30 p.m., Thursday, March 7 in the S Site Cafeteria, TA-16

2 p.m., Monday, March 11 in Room 165, Canyon School Complex, Central Avenue

1 p.m., Tuesday, March 12 in the Louis B. Rosen Auditorium, Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, TA-53.

--Shelley Thompson

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