January 7, 2019

Updates from Human Resources: Benefitfocus system unavailable; HSA Bank transition; Anthem cards; customer service volume

The start of the new year brings important updates from Human Resources.

Benefitfocus downtime 

Jan. 1 data conversions have resulted in making the Benefitfocus enrollment tool unavailable for a short period of time.

Employees are currently not able to access the system to enroll for benefits as a new employee, make changes due to life events, adjust health savings account contributions or view current benefit elections.

Benefitfocus is expected to be available soon. A communication will be sent out when the system is up, and benefit changes will be allowed retroactively, even if the 30-day window has been exceeded.

Benefits staff will identify and contact new employees who need to enroll for benefits, as well as being available to assist employees who need to make retroactive adjustments.

HSA Bank transition

With the Jan. 1 move from Payflex to HSA Bank, Benefits offers the following clarifying information.

Having the new administrator for savings accounts, new cards must be issued for funds deposited Jan. 1 and after. 

  • HSA -- Employees who elected a health savings account (HSA) for 2019 should have already received their new cards from HSA Bank. If not, employees should contact HSA Bank to determine if they issued a card or not. If HSA Bank cannot resolve the issue, then employees should contact the HR Service Center. Contact information is provided below.
  • HCFSA -- Employees who elected a health care flexible savings account (HCFSA) have not yet received cards. There was a delay and these cards are due to be mailed out early next week. 
  • LPFSA and DCFSA – Employees who elected limited purpose flexible spending accounts (LPFSA) and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts (DCFSA) should have received cards, but the cards were not activated.  Those cards should now be activate and work properly.
  • Wellness HRA – Health reimbursement accounts (HRA) for the 2019 Wellness Incentives for those who do not have HSAs will be newly established upon the first deposit to these accounts.

Employees are encouraged to go online and register their account with HSA Bank; however, this is not required to use the card. Cards will become activated upon the first swipe of the card. Registering online allows individuals to set their username and password, link their bank account, view activity in the account, and name beneficiaries. To log in, go to the HSA Bank website. To register the account, employees must use their Social Security number once to establish identity and then will be prompted to set up a new username and password.

HSA Bank is reaching out to some employees to complete the account setup process for the HSAs. There is a process that must take place to get the account established. In some cases, a clarifying piece of information may be needed such -- as an address confirmation -- to get the account established. These are legitimate emails/phone calls, and employees need to work with HSA Bank representatives to get their accounts established properly and allow funds to be deposited. This is a time-sensitive process.

Payflex cards are still active and can be used for funds deposited before Jan. 1. HSA Bank cards can be used for funds deposited beginning in January. More information about the transfer of funds from Payflex to HSA Bank can be found at in this FAQ.

HSA Bank Customer Service can be reached at 800-357-6246 or askus@hsabank.com, and the website is http://www.hsabank.com/hsabank/homepage. The HSA Bank Customer Service staff is experiencing heavy volumes due to the beginning of the new year, so patience is requested. Note: The HSA Bank Customer Service phone system is silent in the background while callers are on hold, and calls in the queue will be answered in the order received.

Anthem cards

Employees who made changes to their covered dependents, medical plan, or dental plan should have received new cards.  Those who kept their coverage unchanged can continue to use their current cards.

Customer Service – Human Resources

Employees are asked to have patience when seeking customer service assistance. The volume of calls and emails is high at this time given the changes for the beginning of the year. Each message sent to hr@purdue.edu or voice mail left at 765-494-2222 is tracked, and Human Resources representatives will get back with individuals as soon as possible. Multiple contacts to reach Human Resources are not necessary and make it more difficult for HR staff to service efficiently.


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