An Important Message for NCFlex Participants

January 2024

Reminder: Check Paystub and Address

Benefit elections made during Open Enrollment for NCFlex 2024 benefits went into effect on January 1 and should be deducted from your January pay. Review your pay stub to verify all premium amounts and plans for which you enrolled. See our NCFlex summary of benefits for rates:

Contact your Human Resources office if there's an error in your benefits or deductions.

Moved recently? While in your HR portal, be sure to check your mailing address is accurate. Your HR portal sends your address to the enrollment platform which in turn sends the address to each NCFlex vendor. This helps ensure you receive important benefits information.

Staying Active in Cold Weather

January is Family Fit Lifestyle Month, but freezing temperatures and forecasts of snow flurries can make staying active in the winter harder than normal. Below are a few tips to keep the whole family moving during the colder months to promote a fit lifestyle. 

Host a dance party or other at-home sweat session. No equipment is needed to get your heart rate up and your lungs pumping. Crank up the tunes and show off your best moves, follow along to a choreographed number or take a yoga class in your living room for a lower-intensity workout.   

Make the winter weather part of your workout. Sledding can certainly break a sweat, and there's plenty of bending, lunging and squatting involved in building a snowman. Next time your area of North Carolina has the pleasure of a snow day, embrace it for a workout you can't get all year long. 

Bundle up and head outside anyway. Walking warriors and outdoor enthusiasts often say that there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Review Harvard Health Publishing's advice on how to dress for cold weather workouts and enjoy a run, bike ride or hike free from North Carolina's sweltering, summer humidity. 

Get creative about how you get your steps. If braving the frigid temps just isn't for you, there are other ways to keep your step count up. Take the stairs instead of the elevator when at the office. Make a few laps at the mall (where purchases add extra weight). Or get a head start on spring cleaning since most household chores are a great way to focus on functional fitness. 

Want a deeper look at how to make movement more joyful no matter the weather? Watch our Wellness Webinar from October 2023 for expert insight from LifeStyle Medical Centers' Katie Godin, RD, LDN and a delicious low-sugar protein bar recipe. 

If your family's fitness-focused activities lead to an accident or injury this winter or any other time of year, NCFlex's Accident Plan may cover expenses incurred. Plus, state employees with Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts can use their pre-tax dollars to purchase many recovery supplies. Learn more about what's covered here.

Flexible Spending Account Updates and Reminders

Health Care FSA

• If you have elected a new amount for 2024, funds were loaded onto your convenience card effective Jan.1 and can be used immediately.
• The election you've made for 2024 should not be used for prior year expenses, but for dates of service dated Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2024 only (outside of any rollover).
• If you have funds that rolled over from 2023, these funds will be used for 2023 claims first. These claims have a filing deadline of March 31, 2024. Funds left after March 31 become available to use for 2024 expenses (dated Jan. 1 - Dec. 31) once any 2024 funds are depleted.
• Learn more about what's covered by viewing the NCFlex sample list of FSA eligible items and the interactive eligibility list at FSAStore.com.

Dependent Day Care FSA

• Funds elected for the 2024 plan year are not available for reimbursement until they have been payroll deducted.
• This account has a grace period instead of a rollover. You have until March 15 to use any remaining 2023 funds and until March 31 to file claims on the 2023 account (for expenses dated Jan. 1, 2023 - March 15, 2024).
• Follow IRS guidelines! If you and your spouse are both eligible to contribute to a DDCFSA, the max family contribution amount is $5,000 per plan year. If you are both contributing the max, contact your HR office as soon as possible to find out how to correct this.
• If you experience a change in day care needs, you can use the life event "Day Care change" within 30 days of the event to adjust the amount you contribute, cancel the plan or start the plan.

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 MyBenefits mobile app. For questions about your account, contact P&A Group at 1-866-916-3475. 

The P&A Mobile App has changed! Be sure to replace your current app with the new, updated app. The app is a great place to check your benefits and file manual claims.

Critical Illness and Accident Plan Participants - 1099 Forms

If you were paid a benefit from your Critical Illness and/or Accident Plan in 2023 over $600, you will receive a 1099 from Voya.



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 your unreimbursed medical expenses (for which Health Care FSA funds were NOT used to pay) are less than the benefit payment.

For example, if the Accident plan pays $200 for a medical office visit, but the covered individual has an unreimbursed medical cost of $30 from a copay the HCFSA was not used for, then only $170 would be taxable.

More information can be found in this article about taxation and fixed indemnity plans which discusses an IRS Memo released in 2017.

NCFlex Webinar Opportunities -

February and March

In February we will discuss our Term Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) plans through Voya. Did you know the Group Term Life Plan includes free benefits such as funeral planning services for you or a loved one? It also includes an accelerated death benefit and disability waiver of premiums, in certain scenarios. Our AD&D Plan includes a free Travel Assistance benefit, whether you have the free Core Plan and/or the Voluntary Plan.

Keep in mind, if you are a university employee, you are offered a separate Term Life and AD&D product through your employer. Please check with your HR department on what you may be eligible for.

Learn about these features as well as continuation options of these plans, during one of our February sessions:

In March we have invited Empower (formerly Prudential), who will present on the NC 401(k) and 457 savings programs. Learn how to enroll in these plans, what the difference is between the two, the difference in pre-tax vs. Roth savings options, investment choices and have an opportunity to ask questions.

Consider, with either webinar, inviting your spouse or family member who may help in making benefit decisions. Register with the links below or through our webinars page.