You may have seen the recent bulletins sent by William Elarton-Selig, Guild VP and Chair of the Joint Labor Management Benefits Committee (JLMBC), regarding changes to our medical plans. (One bulletin explained changes for active employees and one was related to changes for retirees.) Please refer to the bulletins for more detailed information. 

To summarize the main points: 

For HRA/FSA Accounts: Our service provider (WageWorks) has been replaced by ASI Flex. You can set up your online profile and submit claims for 2021 to ASI Flex. Some existing fund balances are viewable online. By September 1, current participants will receive debit cards, and fund balances should be viewable online. If you have unsubmitted claims dated prior to August 1, you can still submit them to ASI Flex for the 2021 plan year.

All funds in your accounts are still available. If you were caught in the black-out period, keep your receipts and ASI Flex will process those plus future claims for the 2021 year. 

Major changes to our CalPERS medical plans for 2022: 

• PPO Plans: (Anthem) PERS CARE and CHOICE will be combined and have a new name: PERS Platinum. The new plan will provide 90% coverage with a 10% co-pay. 
• The old PERS Select plan will have an expanded network and be renamed PERS Gold. It will be 80% coverage with a 20% co-pay.  
• Deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses remain relatively stable with no substantial changes.  

Adjunct Faculty participating in the CalPERS plans:  

• PERS Select for plan year 2021-- the District’s contribution towards premiums covers the premium cost at 100% for our participating single member adjunct faculty. In plan year 2022, covered adjuncts will be automatically moved into the new PERS Gold Plan. 
• This new plan will have a premium increase and the District’s contribution will no longer be at 100% -- the estimated premium increase is $94.00 per month (for 10 months) and will need to be paid by the adjunct faculty member. Because of this change, adjunct faculty currently participating in the CalPERS Select plan should consider the impact of this increase and may wish to change plans during open enrollment in Sep/Oct 2021. 

Adjunct Faculty: Misinformation about “Medicare” and the District’s contribution   

To get Medicare Supplemental Coverage (or an active plan if under 60 years of age) through CalPERS and keep the District’s contributions, you must be retired from the LACCD on either a Defined Benefit Retirement Plan (DB) or a Cash Balance (CB) retirement plan and continue teaching at a 0.33 or higher level. 

If you are not retired, you have two options: 

• The LACCD POP or ACCESS Plans (one of the active member options) and defer Medicare while continuing to get the District’s 50% contribution, if eligible, or 
• Drop out of the CalPERS plans and sign up for Medicare on your own with no District contribution. CalPERS will not allow a member to be enrolled in a retiree plan (Medicare plans) if he/she is not retired.  

If you retire and return to teaching at the 0.33 or higher, you can still get the District’s contribution. But you must sign up for the CalPERS Medicare Plan through CalPERS as a retired adjunct.  

• You will pay for the plan at 102% of the premium rate directly to CalPERS (not through the LACCD). (No premiums will be paid to CalPERS for you by the LACCD.) 
• No dollar additions or deductions will be made to your adjunct salary warrant by the LACCD.  
• The LACCD will send any earned contribution/dollar amounts directly to you, paid as a reimbursement once per-year. 

Look for the Fall 2021 JLMBC semi-annual newsletter. This will have more details on the coming changes. 

For more information on our CalPERS medical plans, go to the https://www.calpers.ca.gov/