An Important Message for NCFlex Participants
January 2022
Remember to check your January pay stub!
 
Benefit elections made during open enrollment for NCFlex 2022 benefits were effective Jan. 1 and should be deducted from your January pay. Review your pay stub for accuracy of premium amounts and plans for which you enrolled. See our NCFlex summary of benefits for rates:
University Employees
Non-University Employees
Rate sheets translated in Spanish, Karen, and Burmese can be found in the  Guides Section of ncflex.org. If you feel there is an error in your benefits or deductions, contact your Agency Human Resources office.
Flexible Spending Account Reminders
Health Care FSA
  • If you have elected a new amount for 2022, funds were loaded onto your convenience card effective Jan. 1 and can be used immediately.

  • The election you've made for 2022 should not be used for prior year expenses, but only for dates of service dated Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2022 (outside of any rollover).

  • If you have funds that rolled over from 2021, these funds are also available immediately due to the temporary unlimited rollover this year, and will be used once all 2022 funds are exhausted (or immediately if you did not elect new contributions for 2022). Rollover funds are still available to be used for reimbursement on 2021 expenses and claims can be filed through March 31, 2023.

 
Dependent Day Care FSA
  • Funds elected for the 2022 plan year are not available for reimbursement until they have been payroll deducted.

  • If you experience a change in day care needs, you can use the life event "Day Care change" to adjust the amount you contribute, cancel the plan or start the plan, within 30 days of the event.
 
For more information, claim forms, and how to file a claim, visit the FSA section of ncflex.org. Access your account(s) at ncflex.padmin.com or through the P&A Group Mobile app. For questions about your account, contact P&A Group at 1-866-916-3475. 
Critical Illness and Accident Plan Participants - 1099 Forms
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If you were paid a benefit from your Critical Illness or Accident Plan in 2021 over $600, you will receive a 1099 from Allstate (for Critical Illness) or Voya (for Accident). If receiving a 1099 for the Accident plan, please note you will receive three copies; two copies are for your records.

Please consult a tax professional as to whether the amount received is fully subject to income tax. Since the premium is deducted on a pre-tax basis, the benefit received is only subject to income tax to the extent that the your unreimbursed medical expenses (in which Health Care FSA funds were NOT used to pay for) are less than the benefit payment.

For example, if a plan (such as Accident) pays $200 for a medical office visit, but the covered individual has unreimbursed medical costs as a result of the visit of $30 (such as a copay that the HCFSA was not used for), then the $30 would be excluded from your income and the excess amount of $170 would be taxable.

More information can be found in this article around taxation and fixed indemnity plans which discusses an IRS Memo released in 2017.
February Webinar Opportunity
Allstate Cancer and Critical Illness Plans
To honor American Heart month in February, we will be discussing our Allstate plans - Cancer and Critical Illness - during upcoming webinars. Whether you currently have the plans, are eligible to enroll (as a new hire or have had a life event recently), or don't have the plan and are looking forward to next open enrollment, join us to learn more.

Register on our Webinar Page or below for one of two dates/times - Feb. 15 (1 - 2 p.m.) and Feb. 24 (12 - 1 p.m.). We will also post the recording on the Webinar Page after the event. Bookmark the page for reference.
Please email us at [email protected] with any questions.
Prevent Lung Cancer: Test for Radon

January is National Radon Action Month. Each year upwards to 22,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer. Roughly 54 percent of those diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer are expected to live no more than five years after diagnosis.

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers in the United States. Radon is a natural, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the natural decay of Uranium. The effects upon the families it touches can be just as devastating as lung cancer caused by smoking tobacco.

Measuring your home’s radon level is recommended for any home in any location throughout the year. But, January is when the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations join efforts to increase awareness across the National about this easily preventable source of lung cancer.

The North Carolina Radon Program is making 6,000 free short-term radon test kits available beginning this month.

The short-term radon test kits will only be available by ordering through the North Carolina Radon Program website at www.ncradon.org. There is no charge for these kits; both postage and analysis costs are paid.

The North Carolina Radon Program of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services educates families and homeowners about radon gas, how to test for radon gas and how to lower the radon levels within a home. Lowering the radon levels in a home lower the risk of lung cancer.

As a reminder, radon test kits can be purchased at most local hardware stores for under $20. The cost of lowering radon levels in a home averages to about $1,500.

Lung cancer can strike anyone, even a nonsmoker. Test your home for radon and lower your family’s risk of lung cancer. For more information visit www.ncradon.org.
Miles for Wellness - Challenge 25 Coming Soon!

Registration for the next Miles for Wellness challenge begins February 14. Miles for Wellness Challenge 25: Traversing the Northern Capitols of the United States will run from March 15 - May 8, 2022. More information along with the link to register will be shared in the February newsletter.