Open Enrollment FAQs

The following employees are benefit-eligible:

• Permanent full-time
• Permanent part-time
• Temporary full-scope (Medical, Rx, dental, vision only. Temporary full-scope employees are not eligible for life insurance or FSAs.)

You can enroll the following family members in your MCG health plans:

• Legal spouses (You are not permitted to cover your ex-spouse.)
• Biological or adopted children, step-children, or children under your legal custody who are either under age 26 or registered and approved as an over-age disabled dependent through your MCG medical carrier.

You are required to provide the necessary documentation as proof that your dependent is eligible for your plan(s). You must provide this documentation at the time of your enrollment. You can upload these documents while making your Open Enrollment elections in self-service.

All of MCG’s carriers have an online provider directory where you can search for participating providers. Please visit your chosen carrier’s website. You can find a list of MCG carrier contact information linked here.

You can make your benefit elections/changes for 2024 online via Employee Self-Service (ESS) in "Self-Service Benefits."

Need help? See the "Enroll" page or "Plan Resources" page of this website for written step-by-step instructions that will walk you through how to make your changes in ESS*.

*If you are a Participating Agency employee, you can also find enrollment instructions on the "Enroll Now" page. Participating Agency employees must use a separate form to complete elections.

All benefit elections / changes made during Open Enrollment (October 9 – 5 pm, October 27, 2023) for medical, prescription, dental, vision, optional life insurance, and Health Care and Child Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are effective January 1, 2024. 

No. After October 27, 2023, at 5 pm (the end of the Open Enrollment window for 2024), you cannot change your benefit elections unless you experience a new “qualifying life event” (such as getting married or having a baby).

Consider your choices carefully; changes and corrections are not permitted outside of Open Enrollment without a qualifying life event. 

For more information on qualifying life events, please refer to the Summary Plan Description. 

No.  Once you make your elections during Open Enrollment (which ends October 27, 2023 at 5 pm for plan year 2024), you are locked into those selections unless you experience a “qualifying life event."

Examples of a qualifying life event include:

• Marriage, divorce, remarriage
• Birth or adoption of a dependent
• Death of a dependent
• Spouse’s loss of coverage under another plan
• Court-ordered custody of minor child(ren)
• Moving out of your plan’s network service area

You have 60 days from the date of the event to notify OHR of qualified status changes. 

Changes for life events are effective when all completed paperwork is received by OHR, except newborns/adoptions which are effective retroactive to date of birth/adoption (when reported within the 60 day window).

For more information on qualifying life events, please refer to the Summary Plan Description. 

Your child(ren) by birth, marriage or adoption, can be covered by your medical, prescription, dental, vision, and optional life plan(s) up until the age of 26, regardless of their access to other health insurance coverage. 

Proof of your child’s eligibility is required upon enrollment.  For more information, see required documentation.   

If you have an over-age dependent with a disability, they can remain on your MCG plan(s) after age 26 if they are unmarried and incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability. 

• The child must have been enrolled on your plans prior to reaching age 26.
• You must obtain disabled dependent approval from your MCG medical carrier. Forms for determining your child’s incapacity and dependency can be obtained from OHR.
• After your plan makes the determination, it is your responsibility to provide the OHR Health Insurance Team with a copy of the medical carrier disability approval before your child’s 26th birthday.

If you are not making any changes to your medical, prescription, dental, vision and optional life elections, you do not need to take any action during Open Enrollment. Your current elections will roll over for 2023 automatically. 

However, if you would like to participate in the Health Care FSA or Child Care FSA plan(s) for 2024 then you must re-enroll during the Open Enrollment window (October 9– October 27, 2023 at 5 pm).  

Yes. When you make your Open Enrollment elections in Employee Self-Service (ESS), you will have the option to waive coverage for each plan. 

Please keep in mind, if you waive coverage during Open Enrollment, you will be locked into that decision for the plan year 2024. You will not be able to make benefit changes outside of Open Enrollment unless you experience a qualifying life event. Examples of a qualifying life event include:

• Marriage, divorce, remarriage
• Birth or adoption of a dependent
• Death of a dependent
• Spouse’s loss of coverage under another plan
• Court-ordered custody of minor child(ren)
• Moving out of your plan’s eligibility area

You have 60 days from the date of the event to notify OHR of qualified status changes.

Changes for life events are effective when all completed elections are received by OHR, except newborns/adoptions which are effective retroactive to date of birth/adoption (when reported within the 60 day window).

You can make changes to your elections in Employee Self-Service as many times as you want during the Open Enrollment window, as long as you have your final elections in by 5 pm on October 27, 2023.

Keep in mind that your elections are saved as you go through each step of the process. For example: whenever you click the “next” button, your most recent saved elections will replace any previous elections. This is the case even if you do not get all the way to the confirmation page. Make sure that the final selections you make before 5 pm on October 27, 2023, reflect your intended elections.

Even if you are not making changes, please visit the "Enroll Now" page and log in to Self-Service Benefits to confirm your enrollment and download your Confirmation Statement. If there is any discrepancy with your enrollment, you will be required to provide OHR with a copy of your Confirmation Statement before any corrections can be made. 

Also, if you would like to participate in the Health Care FSA or Child Care FSA plan(s) for 2024 then you must re-enroll during the Open Enrollment window (October 9 – October 27, 2023 at 5 pm). 

To help employees make informed decisions for themselves and their families, MCG offers the following additional tools and resources:

• A comparative medical benefits at-a-glance chart
• A comparative dental plan design chart
• 2024 rates: see the "Plan Resources" page for rate sheets. 
• Open Enrollment Virtual Events ( See the "Events" page for the complete event schedule and meeting links):
  • Attend a presentation hosted by MCG’s health insurance team to learn about the differences between the four medical plans or your tax-savings opportunities through FSAs. 
  • Attend plan-specific presentations hosted by MCG's insurance carriers. 
  • Attend a Question & Answer session with OHR or insurance plan vendor. You have several options to discuss your Open Enrollment related questions with members of OHR's health insurance team or speak directly with MCG's insurance plan representatives to address plan-specific questions. 
  • Watch pre-recorded plan-specific presentations that provide a detailed overview of each insurance plan and outline the many member services and resource tools available with each plan. Recorded presentations are available to watch 24/7!  Watch the videos at your convenience and feel free to share with your family members. Access the videos by visiting the "Events" page of this website. No registration is required.  

Visit the dedicated open enrollment website to access 2024 rates and other helpful information, including: 

• Rates for full-time regular employees (26 pay-cycles)
• Rates for 10-month employees (21 pay-cycles)
• Rates for full-scope temporary employees (monthly)
• Participating Agency employees should check with their employer to confirm rates per pay period.

Employees can use any computer, tablet or smartphone with internet access to make elections via Employee Self-Service (ESS) Self-Service Benefits. 

Review the helpful ESS step-by-step written instructions to make your elections/changes online via self-service. Instructions can be found on the "Enroll" and "Plan Resources" pages of the Open Enrollment website.   

• Please note, you will need your MCG sign-on ID and password to access ESS. If you need assistance logging into ESS, please contact the IT help desk at 240-777-2828, option 1.
• All employees are required to complete their changes online in ESS. The following exceptions will be permitted for the use of paper enrollment forms:
  • If you physically cannot access ESS because you do not have access to internet, computer, smartphone or tablet. 
  • If you are experiencing a qualifying life event during Open Enrollment (marriage, birth of a child, divorce, death of a dependent or dependent aging out).

The letter you received provides instructions for you to complete a paper enrollment form to submit your 2024 Open Enrollment elections. Please be sure to complete the form and submit it during the Open Enrollment window (October 9 – October 27, 2023 at 5 pm). 

You may securely email, fax or mail your completed forms to:
OHR Health Insurance Team
101 Monroe Street
7th Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
OHR.HITS@montgomerycountymd.gov
240-777-5131 Fax

If you misplace the form you were mailed, please contact MC311 at 240-777-0311 to place a service request for OHR to mail you a new form.

• Each of MCG’s insurance plan vendors are hosting virtual presentations and Q&A sessions that provide an opportunity to address your personal questions and concerns. Please review the "Events" page for meeting details. 
• Watch pre-recorded plan-specific presentations that provide a detailed overview of each insurance plan and outline the many member services and resource tools available with each plan. Recorded presentations are available to watch 24/7!  Watch the videos at your convenience and feel free to share with your family members. Access the videos by visiting on the "Plan Resources" or "Events" page. No registration is required.

The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) enables eligible employees to use pre-tax dollars (up to the maximum) to pay for qualified medical expenses. If you would like to participate for 2024, you must enroll during Open Enrollment even if you are currently enrolled and would like to continue the same FSA elections.

How it works: Your annual elected amount is deducted from each pay period pre-tax and placed in your FSA. You can then use your FSA debit card to pay for IRS eligible expenses. 

• Health Care FSA: You can contribute up to $3,050 pre-tax into a Health Care FSA for eligible health, dental, vision or certain over-the-counter expenses not covered by insurance. These expenses can be for you or your eligible tax dependents, whether or not they are covered by MCG health plan(s).  Your entire annual Health Care FSA election amount is available for you to spend on the first day of the plan year (January 1, 2024).
• Child Care FSA: You can contribute up to $5,000 (per household) pre-tax into a Child Care FSA for child and adult day care expenses that allow you and/or your spouse to work. Your Child Care FSA election is available to spend as it is accrued from your paychecks. 
• Watch the VOYA pre-recorded presentation videos for more detailed information.  You can access the videos under the "Plan Resources" page of the Open Enrollment website. No registration required. Watch at your convenience. The videos are available 24/7!
• Attend VOYA's FSA virtual presentation or OHR's "Tax Advantages of an FSA presentation to learn more. View the "Events" page for meeting information.
• Review this FSA comparison chart for more information.

Putting pre-tax money from your paycheck into a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) lowers your taxable income. The result? You pay less social security tax and federal and state income tax. It allows you to pay for eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars. 

For more information, watch the VOYA pre-recorded FSA presentation videos or attend the 'Advantages of FSA' presentation.  Visit the "Events" page of this site for details.

Active employees and/or their covered dependents are not required to enroll in Medicare Parts A or B when they become eligible because of age. While you are actively employed, your MCG plan remains primary. 

Once you retire from MCG, you can apply for Medicare part B during a special enrollment period within 3 months prior to or 3 months after your retirement date. OHR’s Health Insurance Team can provide you with a form to submit to the Social Security Administration to enroll in Medicare part B upon retirement. This form will ensure you are not charged a late entrant penalty.

If you want to speak to someone about Medicare and your County insurance benefit options at retirement, please attend a monthly seminar .

To learn more about when you should sign up for Medicare Part B, please visit www.medicare.gov.  

If you increased or enrolled in Optional Life during Open Enrollment, you are required to complete a Statement of Health (SOH) before your coverage can be approved.

Statement of Health (SOH), also known as “evidence of good health” is the process by which MetLife determines if you are healthy enough to be considered eligible for the amount of insurance coverage you are seeking. 

Later this fall, after Open Enrollment closes on October 27, 2023, please check your County email for correspondence from MetLife with a link to complete the SOH online. You have 60 days from the date that you receive the email from MetLife to complete the Statement of Health for plan year 2023. If you do not complete the SOH within 60 days, your coverage will default to your 2023 coverage (if any). 

If you do not have access to a computer, you can complete a paper SOH form and return it directly to MetLife within 60 days of applying during Open Enrollment. Please do not send your completed SOH to the Benefits team as it will contain private and personal health information.

Upon receipt of your SOH, MetLife will review and respond either with a request for additional information or an approval or denial within 30-60 days.

If you are approved by MetLife before January, 2024, your deductions will begin on the first paycheck you receive for January 2024. If your SOH approval occurs after January 2024, you can expect your deductions to begin within 1-2 pay cycles after the approval is issued by MetLife. 

For more information, check out the SOH FAQ in the "Plan Resources" page of the Open Enrollment website.

Medical Plans: Only employees enrolling in a medical plan for the first time or changing from one medical insurance carrier to another will receive new ID cards for the 2024 plan year.  ID will arrive within the first two weeks of January 2024.

Prescription Drug Plans: If you did not make any changes to your prescription drug benefits, you will not receive a new plan ID card. If you enrolled for the first time, you will receive a new ID card within the first two weeks of January 2024. Employees being automatically switched from the Caremark High Option plan to the Caremark Standard Option Plan (as a result of collective bargaining) will continue to use your current card. 

Dental Plans: If you did not make any changes to your dental benefits, you will not receive a new plan ID card. You will only receive one if you made a change to your dental benefits during Open Enrollment. New cards will arrive within the first two weeks of January 2024.

Vision Plans: If you did not make any changes to your vision benefits, you will not receive a new plan ID card. You will only receive one if you made a change to your vision benefits during Open Enrollment. New cards will arrive within the first two weeks of January 2024.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs): Anyone who is enrolling in an FSA for the first time will receive an FSA debit card within the first three weeks of January 2024. If you re-enrolled in the FSA programs, you will not receive a new FSA debit card. 

If you have not received your ID cards by January 15, 2024, please do not contact OHR. Instead, contact the carrier directly by phone or visit the carrier’s website to register and print a copy of your card. For carrier contact information, please see: Benefits Contacts .

If you experience a qualifying event during Open Enrollment, such as marriage or having a newborn, you will need to utilize Employee Self-Service to make BOTH your qualifying event changes (for coverage now through the end of 2023) and your annual Open Enrollment changes (effective January 1, 2024).