Benefits: Deadlines fast approaching

I think of benefits as a winter topic: annual deductibles begin in January; the option transfer period is in December; year-end claims need to be submitted by March, etc. But there are a couple of deadlines to consider in the warmer months, too.

For example, if you have children attending a state-operated SUNY school, they may be eligible for the UUP Benefit Trust Fund scholarship and that deadline is fast approaching.

The guidelines are simple: Dependent children must be eligible for and enrolled in the Fund; dependent children must provide official transcripts showing at least 12 undergraduate credit hours earned at a state-operated SUNY school; and dependent children must provide official transcripts showing a 2.0 grade-point average or higher in the semester for which they are applying.

Applications and official transcripts, or transcript requests, must be postmarked within 60 days from the last day of the semester. Full details and the scholarship application can be found on UUP’s Web site at http://www.uupinfo.org/benefits/scholarship.pdf.

Also coming soon is the June 1 effective date for the new dental carrier, CIGNA. All dental claims incurred after June 1 will go to CIGNA. All dental claims incurred prior to June 1 must go to Delta Dental. Remember, all claims must be submitted to Delta within six months from the date of service.

Delta claim forms can be printed from http://www.uupinfo.org/benefits/delta.pdf and CIGNA claim forms are available at http://www.uupinfo.org/benefits/cignaclaim.pdf.

Enrollment for CIGNA’s DHMO program is ongoing. You can enroll in the DHMO any month; call CIGNA at (800) 481-1213 before the 15th of any month for an effective date of the first of the following month. For further details about the DHMO program, call the Fund at (800) 887-3863 or go to http://www.uupinfo.org/benefits/dhmo.pdf.

If you have questions about any UUP benefit, call the Fund at (800) 887-3863.

— Gail Maloy, UUP director of Member Benefits and Services