September 2022: Volume 5, Issue 3

Our Mission: To provide merit-based, innovative workforce solutions which enable state government to attract, develop and retain a productive, diverse and engaged workforce that excels in delivering quality services to the citizens of Louisiana.

State Civil Service Commission

Employee Representative Election

Excellent Compliance Audits

State Civil Service would like to commend the following agencies for a perfect Compliance Audit:

• Louisiana School Employee’s Retirement System
• Louisiana Patient’s Compensation Fund
• Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
• Louisiana State University—Eunice

Delgado Community College is also to be commended for an excellent Compliance Audit. This agency achieved 90% compliance or higher in all categories audited, had no areas of concern, and no major rule violations. 

The results received by these agencies show the value and importance of excellence they place on Civil Service rule compliance. They are to be commended for a job well done!

Annual Enrollment for the 2023 plan year is upon us. The Office of Group Benefits (OGB) would like to update you on a few changes you will need to know going into annual enrollment this year.

The ever changing costs of healthcare requires OGB to occasionally make changes to our health plans in order to continue to provide our members with the coverage they are accustomed to. Therefore, effective January 1, 2023, premium rates for the Pelican and Magnolia plans will increase by 4.5 percent. Vantage Health Plan also will raise their rates by 5.94 percent for the Medical Home HMO plan. Additionally, life insurance rates will be changing. Some members will see an increase up to $3.00 per $1,000 coverage.

Effective January 1, 2023, members enrolled in the Pelican HRA1000 and the Magnolia plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana will have a new Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM), CVS Caremark. Members may continue using their pharmacy of choice. CVS has more than 1,100 network pharmacies in Louisiana, including more than 600 independent Louisiana pharmacies. Members will be mailed a new ID card prior to January 1, 2023 and will have access to a digital ID card as well. (The ID card will be mailed from BCBSLA. Please do not discard.)

Informational meetings will be held in person this year. Please see the schedule below for the date, time, and location that is best for you. Representatives from CVS Caremark, BCBSLA, Vantage, Access2Day Health, Optum Financial and Omada will be at the meetings to answer questions members may have. A recorded version of the presentation will be found on the OGB annual enrollment website, annualenrollment.groupbenefits.org/meetings, beginning September 30, 2022.

October 4, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Lake Charles Civic Center - Contraband Room ** NEW LOCATION**

900 Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70602

October 7, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

SLU Student Union Annex Theater (Old Student Union)

303 Texas Ave., Hammond, LA 70402

October 11, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Houma - Terrebonne Civic Center

346 Civic Center Blvd., Houma, LA 70360

October 11, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Monroe Civic Center

401 Lea Joyner Expressway, Monroe, LA

October 18, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

University of Louisiana-Lafayette Cecil J. Picard Center

200 East Devalcourt Street, Lafayette, LA 70506

October 18, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Alexandria Convention Center ** NEW LOCATION**

2225 N MacArthur Dr., Alexandria, LA 71303

October 18, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

University of New Orleans (University Center Ballroom)

2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148

October 25, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

State Police Headquarters Auditorium

7919 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

November 1, 9:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Bossier City Civic Center

620 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA 71111

Copies of the OGB Annual Enrollment Guide for Plan Year 2023 will be available for download on the OGB annual enrollment website, annualenrollment.groupbenefits.org, beginning September 30, 2022.

If you have any questions, please contact OGB customer service at 1-800-272-8451.

SCS is proud to announce the release of our newest course: CPTP SCS ADA Compliance WBT. This course includes three separate tracks:

• for the agency ADA coordinator
• for supervisors
• for employees

This course satisfies the training requirements mandated by the Office of the State Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator pursuant to La. R.S. 46:2595, which was enacted by Act No. 103 of the 2022 Regular Session of the Legislature. 

The course can be found in LEO by using the search term ‘ADA.’

This course is also available for download for political subunits or for state agencies who wish to load the course to their own Learning Management System. To be provided a download link, please complete the download request form found here. 

Retirement education is critical, and the best way to stay informed about your retirement is to use myLASERS. We encourage you to sign up for myLASERS with your personal email address. Using a work email address can pose issues if you switch agencies and/or retire and no longer have access to that email account.

myLASERS gives members the power to monitor their accounts and accomplish many tasks in a paperless capacity, which include:

• Viewing membership history,
• Creating a retirement benefit estimate,
• Submitting certain forms electronically,
• Uploading important documents,
• Checking the status of applications,
• Setting communication preferences, and much more.

Prepare for the digital future and sign up for myLASERS today at myLASERS.org.