As you review your benefit options, here are some helpful Tips and Reminders!
Important: The State Personnel System (SPS) is not the same as UMD's Workday system. Employees must log in to their SPS account to access and complete their Open Enrollment event.
Choosing a medical plan
- The State has three medical plan providers: CareFirst BCBS, United Healthcare, and Kaiser Permanente.
- Providers may decide to terminate from a plan’s network at any time.
- If your provider (for example, your doctor or dentist) terminates from your plan, it is not considered a qualifying Life Event (QLE) that would allow you to cancel or change your medical plan in the middle of the plan year (January 1, 2027 - December 31, 2027).
- You must wait until the next Open Enrollment period to change your medical provider.
Vision services
- All medical plans include routine vision services.
- Employees cannot elect vision as a standalone plan; you must be enrolled in a medical plan to receive vision services.
- You will not receive a separate vision card; you should use your medical card at your vision provider.
- If you are enrolled in an EPO plan or the Kaiser medical plan, you must use an in-network vision provider. Each plan has a provider directory on its member portals.
- If you have a PPO and you use an out-of-network provider, you may be subject to higher out-of-pocket costs.
Prescription coverage is separate
- Prescription coverage is not included in any of the State’s medical plans. It is offered separately, and you must enroll to participate and receive coverage.
- MedImpact is the State’s prescription provider and administers the State’s prescription drug plan.
- After you enroll in prescription coverage, you will receive a MedImpact ID card to present at the participating pharmacy of your choice.
- You cannot use your medical card for prescription coverage; this includes employees enrolled in the Kaiser medical plan.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- All FSA contributions are pre-tax, which means they come out of your paycheck before taxes, so you can pay for eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars.
- A Healthcare FSA can pay for eligible Healthcare expenses for yourself, your spouse, and your qualifying dependent children.
- A Dependent Daycare FSA can pay eligible expenses for the care of your dependent children under age 13 or the care of an incapacitated adult who lives with you.
Term Life Insurance (MetLife)
- Review the cost of your Term Life Insurance coverage during Open Enrollment.
- Premium rates may have increased if you moved into a new age bracket (for example, ages 40 - 44, 45 - 49, etc.).
- If applicable, verify your updated premium amount and confirm that you wish to continue your current level of coverage.
- Changes to your Term Life Insurance coverage can only be made during the Open Enrollment period or during certain qualifying life events.
- Term Life insurance rates can be found on page 3 of the 2027 Rates sheet.
For more details on Open Enrollment, visit the UHR Open Enrollment website: https://uhr.umd.edu/open_enrollment.
If you have questions about your benefits, please search our knowledge articles and/or create an AskHR case, and we will respond to your inquiry.