An Important Message for NC Health Benefit Representatives

November 2025

Open Enrollment Exceptions

Now that 2026 Open Enrollment has ended, we are beginning to receive post-enrollment exception requests. We will accept these requests through March 15. Not all requests will be approved, and we ask that you do not submit requests simply because an employee changed their mind or realized they needed a different plan after Open Enrollment.

If your employee(s) missed their window due to extreme circumstances or believe an error was made while enrolling, please consider putting in an exception request as soon as possible. NCFlex exceptions can be submitted via the Exception Request Form and must be submitted by an HBR on behalf of the employee. Please include important details, such as dependent information (if applicable), and plan information, such as the specific coverage level and who should be covered.

Once our office receives an exception, here is our process:

• Review within two to three business days and approve, deny, or reach out for additional details.
• Approved exceptions are sent for enrollment platform changes on Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Once changes are made in the enrollment platform, usually within one business day, we receive notification that these changes were made.
• Approval letters are sent to those who submitted the exception along with vendors and/or payroll.
• If you have access to the enrollment system, please double-check that the correct changes were made.

Keep in mind, NCFlex exceptions are separate from State Health Plan exceptions.

IMPORTANT: As of January 1, 2026, NCFlex will no longer approve exceptions to cancel the Health Care Flexible Spending Account due to a spouse contributing to a Health Savings Account.

Evidence of Insurability Notices

Non-university employees who elected the NCFlex Voluntary Disability Plan during Open Enrollment for the first time are required to complete Evidence of Insurability (EOI) or other medical questions. By now, they should have received an email to complete the necessary information. Please remind employees to check the spam folder in their work and personal email inboxes. If an email address was not on file, they should have received the information in the mail.

EOI is required if an eligible employee declined the plan when first eligible and enrolled during the most recent Open Enrollment. EOIs are due by January 1, 2026. For questions, or if an employee has not received an EOI request and believes they should have, reach out to ncflex@standard.com.

Important for new hires in October and November: The NCFlex Disability Plan requires no evidence of insurability (EOI) or medical questions, if an employee enrolls as a new hire. However, if the employee waives this plan as a new hire and enrolls for 2026 instead, EOI will be required.

Please note, EOI notices for Group Term Life amounts requiring approval will not be sent until mid-December by LifeHelp, which handles customer service for Voya.

Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts - Remaining Balances

Soon we will send emails to NCFlex participating employers with a list of employees who have a Health Care FSA remaining balance over $640. This helps identify which employees should be contacted regarding their FSA account prior to the end of the plan year. Employees can roll over, or carry forward, up to $640 from their 2025 HCFSA into 2026.

If an employee would like to review their account(s), they can follow the steps below:

How to check your Health Care Flexible Spending Account Balance

Log into your FSA account one of three ways:

1. Visit ncflex.padmin.com and log in.
2. Log into your P&A Account from the P&A Group Mobile App.
3. Log into your eBenefits portal (for non-university employees) or Empyrean portal (for university employees) and click “P&A Flexible Spending Accounts” under Quick Links.

For the Health Care FSA, view your “Available Funds” in both your FSA and CRYFRWD accounts, add the two numbers together.

1. Anything from $25-$640 (combined from both accounts) can roll into 2026. Anything over $640 will be lost if claims are not filed for 2025 expenses by March 31, 2026.

HBR/UBA Upcoming Training -

Benefits Overview and Admin Manual

In January 2026, we will hold two virtual, annual trainings. First, we will go over all of our benefits in detail. In the second training, we'll discuss our administration manual. These trainings are intended for anyone who has recently taken on a role to help employees with NCFlex benefits or benefit reps who want a refresher. Both sessions will be recorded for those unable to attend.

Register below or on our upcoming training page.

Benefits Overview:

Tuesday, January 27

10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Admin Manual:

Thursday, January 29

10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Know an HBR/UBA who would like to receive these emails?

Send them the following link:

NCFlex HBR/UBA Newsletter and Alert Sign up