Benefits Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is your opportunity to review your benefit elections and make changes for next year. Act now to choose the plan that best fits the needs for you and your family. The elections you make during Open Enrollment take effect Jan. 1, 2023, and remain in effect through Dec. 31, 2023.
View the full-length Open Enrollment video for more details about benefits coverage for eligible UNC-Chapel Hill employees.
Open Enrollment Checklist
1
Choose the health plan that’s right for you.
The State Health Plan offers two health insurance plan options, the Base (70/30) plan and the Enhanced (80/20) plan.
Please note:
- If you want to enroll in the Enhanced (80/20) plan, you must actively select the Enhanced (80/20) plan during Open Enrollment.
- If you are currently enrolled for health coverage under the State Health Plan and do not take action during Open Enrollment, you and your eligible dependents will be automatically enrolled in the Base (70/30) plan for 2023.
View the State Health Plan Comparison Guide to see which plan best fits the needs for you and your family.
2
Complete your tobacco attestation.
To reduce your monthly premium under any of the plans offered by the State Health Plan, you MUST complete your tobacco attestation by Oct. 28, 2022.
If you do not complete the tobacco attestation during Open Enrollment, you will be charged the monthly $60 tobacco surcharge for 2023. Eliminate that default surcharge of $60 a month for 2023 by answering the question about tobacco use in the State Enrollment Portal.
Please note: Even if you completed the tobacco attestation during last year’s Open Enrollment, you must make a new attestation during this year’s Open Enrollment to receive the $60 monthly premium credit (that is, to not pay the monthly surcharge) for 2023.
Tobacco users can complete a free tobacco cessation session no later than Nov. 30, 2022, to avoid the monthly $60 charge.
For more information, see the HR at UNC Open Enrollment Tobacco Attestation page.
3
Decide what benefits coverage you want.
Open Enrollment is your only opportunity to enroll or make changes to your benefits unless you experience a qualifying life event such as death, birth, marriage, divorce, etc., outside of the enrollment period. Open Enrollment is your opportunity to:
- Add, update and/or remove dependents and/or beneficiaries.
- Participate in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
- Be automatically enrolled in $10,000 of UNC Core Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage at no cost.
Any changes to dependents during Open Enrollment will have an effective date of Jan. 1, 2023. See the Updating dependents in the State Enrollment Portal and the Updating dependents & designating beneficiaries in the UNC System Enrollment Portal sections of the How to Enroll page of HR at UNC Open Enrollment website.
Each year, you must enroll/reenroll in an FSA during Open Enrollment. Even if you are currently participating in an FSA, you must reenroll during Open Enrollment to maintain that FSA into the next year. This applies to both the Health Care FSA and to the Dependent Day Care FSA. For more FSA details, including information about rollover funds and maximum annual contributions, see the Flexible Spending Accounts section of the HR at UNC Open Enrollment website.
New for this year and in effect as of Jan. 1, 2023.
Learn more about the coverage options available to you by visiting the UNC System Human Resources Annual Enrollment site and the HR at UNC Open Enrollment pages for the State Health Plan, NCFlex and UNC System Benefits.
4
Make your benefit elections online.
To make your elections this year, you will use two online enrollment portals:
Use the State Enrollment Portal for:
- Health insurance
- Accident
- Dental
- Vision
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- TRICARE supplement coverage
- Tobacco attestation
Use the UNC System Enrollment Portal for:
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) — Core & Voluntary
- Cancer & Specified Illness
- Critical Illness
- Group Term Life
You can also enroll over the phone or get in-person support for questions about Open Enrollment.
Need more guidance on how to enroll online?
We got you covered.
We’ve created step-by-step guides for both portals, so enrolling is as easy as following along.
Visit our How to Enroll page
Questions?
For questions about benefits coverage or to complete your enrollment over the phone
- State Health Plan / portal: Call the Eligibility and Enrollment Support Center at 855-859-0966, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
- UNC System Benefits / portal: Call the UNC System Benefits Service Center at 833-862-1490, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Be sure to make a note of your case number for your records.
For additional assistance
- ConnectCarolina, your Onyen or password: Visit the UNC Help desk online or call 919-962-HELP.
- Language assistance services: The two plan/portal helplines listed above have language assistance services that can help you do your open enrollment over the phone.
For in-person help with open enrollment
-
The UNC Benefits & Leave Administration Support Center will be available 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Oct. 11–27 in the Administrative Office Building (AOB), 104 Airport Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1045.
Helpful Links
Tips & Reminders
- The Open Enrollment window closes at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Be sure to allow for ample time to complete you enrollment before that time. The enrollment portals will automatically close after 11:59 p.m., Friday, Oct. 28, and elections that are not completed before that time will not be saved. Employees whose elections are not completed when the portals close will be automatically defaulted to enrollment in the Base (70/30) plan and will pay the $60 monthly tobacco surcharge for 2023. This default cannot be changed.
- Review your contact information while you’re in ConnectCarolina. Please take this opportunity to be sure your phone number, email and mailing address are correct in ConnectCarolina so that you do not miss any important information throughout the year. Use the following path to edit your contact information in ConnectCarolina: ConnectCarolina > Self Service > Personal Information tile > On left you should see options for updating your addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. The changes you make here update to both enrollment portals.
- You cannot be covered as an employee and a dependent when electing coverage under the State Health Plan and NCFlex plans.
- If you and your spouse are both covered as state employees, only one of you may cover your eligible dependent children.
- You can save your selections in each portal but must return later to complete enrollment by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Saved selections will expire when the enrollment portals close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, and those selections will NOT be registered as submitted and will NOT be in effect for 2023. BE SURE to revisit your saved selections in BOTH portals to complete your enrollment by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.
- If you are not changing any benefits and you only need to complete your tobacco attestation and change your health plan to the Enhanced (80/20) plan, then you only need to go into the State Enrollment Portal. Again, if you do not wish to enroll in any UNC System Benefits, you only need to complete enrollment in the State Enrollment Portal. However, if you wish to elect for coverage of some type with UNC System Benefits, then BOTH portals must be completed for your Open Enrollment to be considered complete.
- Complete your tobacco attestation through the State Enrollment Portal. Eliminate a $60 monthly tobacco surcharge for 2023 by completing your tobacco attestation. Tobacco users can complete a free tobacco cessation session no later than Nov. 30, 2022, to avoid the monthly $60 charge. See the HR at UNC Open Enrollment Tobacco Attestation page for details.
- Remember to print a copy or take a picture of your confirmation for both portals to keep for your records.
- This October enrollment period is your only opportunity to enroll or make changes to your benefits unless you experience a qualifying life event such as death, birth, marriage, divorce, etc., outside of the enrollment period.
We’re here for your benefit!
This information applies only to UNC-Chapel Hill benefits-eligible permanent employees (permanent full- and part-time SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and Faculty working a minimum of 20 hours a week). For more information about benefits eligibility, please visit hr.unc.edu/benefits/eligibility.
Contact the Benefits and Leave Administration Support Center
Email | benefits@unc.edu
Phone | 919-962-3071
Fax | 919-962-6010