{"244971":{"#nid":"244971","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech, USG Partner on 2014 Benefits","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the University System of Georgia (USG) decided to offer new benefit options in 2014, in addition to medical plans, Georgia Tech was one of the institutions it turned to for advice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have a strong partnership with the USG office,\u201d said Brandon Conkle, director of Total Rewards in the Office of Human Resources. \u201cWe shared examples of the Tech plans, which were some of the best in the system, to use as models for the new plans. Going forward, the new plans match or exceed the old Georgia Tech plans in almost every way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStarting in January 2014, all USG colleges and universities will offer the same core benefits options including supplemental life insurance, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, and flexible spending and health savings accounts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, each institution offers its own selection of benefits outside of the four medical plans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUSG took the best plan elements from all the schools, including Tech, to come up with a composite plan that ensured that no one was diminished under the new plan design,\u201d Conkle said. \u201cFor example, under our old plans, employees could have elected life insurance under two different vendors. Now, they can elect coverage under one provider for that same amount.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s open enrollment period will run from Nov. 11-22. The USG selected these dates, which fall later in the year than usual, to prepare for the significant plan changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhether you are making benefits changes or not, all faculty and staff members will need to log in to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.techworks.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ETechWorks\u003C\/a\u003E to select 2014 benefits. This is also an ideal time to update your personal information and beneficiaries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWith a nonrefundable tobacco surcharge being applied during this open enrollment, employees need to make sure if they don\u2019t use tobacco they log in and opt out of the surcharge,\u201d Conkle said. \u201cBut everyone should pay attention, examine the plans offered, and make rational choices about their coverage and plans during each open enrollment.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe following resources will also be available to provide additional benefits \u003Cbr \/\u003Einformation and assistance:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2014 Benefits Summary.\u003C\/strong\u003E These will be mailed to employees\u2019 homes in late October.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHelp Line.\u003C\/strong\u003E Call 404-894-GTHR Nov. 4-22 (between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.).\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EComputer Lab.\u003C\/strong\u003E Visit Room 319 in the Student Center Nov. 19-20 (between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.) to log on to TechWorks to complete benefits elections.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECampus Information Sessions.\u003C\/strong\u003E These sessions on Oct. 22 and Nov. 8 will address the changes for 2014, new plans, and other important action items for this year\u2019s open enrollment. Visit the open enrollment website for more details about times and locations: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ohr.gatech.edu\/openenrollment\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/www.ohr.gatech.edu\/openenrollment\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.ohr.gatech.edu\/openenrollment\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the University System of Georgia (USG) decided to offer new benefit options in 2014, in addition to medical plans, Georgia Tech was one of the institutions it turned to for advice.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"When the University System of Georgia (USG) decided to offer new benefit options in 2014, in addition to medical plans, Georgia Tech was one of the institutions it turned to for advice."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-10-14 12:51:08","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:09","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-10-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-10-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ohr.gatech.edu\/openenrollment","title":"2012 Open Enrollment"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4288","name":"benefits"},{"id":"1506","name":"faculty"},{"id":"6963","name":"Open Enrollment"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}