Dear Colleague,

As President Kathleen Plinske mentioned in last week's Fall Kick-off, big changes are coming to our benefits and health insurance options for eligible employees. 

House Bill 5101, passed by the Florida Legislature and approved by Gov. DeSantis in June 2024, authorized and mandated the participation of the 28 Florida College System (FCS) institutions, including Valencia College, in the State Group Insurance Program (SGIP).

The SGIP is the benefit insurance option afforded to most state employees in Florida, including the 12 Florida state universities. It offers and manages a comprehensive package of health and welfare insurance benefits for eligible active and retired employees and their dependents, including health, dental, vision, life and supplemental insurance plans, as well as savings and spending accounts. 

At present, we anticipate and are planning for the transition of Valencia College employee benefits to the state insurance plans to be effective Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. However, it's possible it could be delayed to a later date. The state colleges are actively collaborating with the Florida Department of Management Services on the transition process, and we are awaiting a decision on the final transition date.

To learn more, watch this video where Dr. Plinske joined me to share the upcoming changes:

We know you have lots of questions. We do too, and we're working quickly to get answers. The Florida Department of Management Services (DMS) is planning to release the 2025 Plan Year Benefits Guide and 2025 Plan Year updates in September 2024. In the meantime, to help keep you informed, we have created a new webpage with the latest information on the transition to the SGIP and this year's upcoming benefits open enrollment. 

On this page, you'll find information and resources on the existing state benefit plans and health insurance options. While this information is for 2024, DMS has shared with us that they do not anticipate any employee premium changes for most of the 2025 plans.

Click on the button below where you can access and familiarize yourself with the current state insurance plans offered, coverage details and employee premium rates.

I encourage you to bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates.

 🔑 Key Information To Note

• The 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment dates are Monday, Oct. 14 - Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
• You will be required to actively enroll during the benefits open enrollment period to have health insurance benefits for 2025. If you do not actively select your benefits during open enrollment, you will not have benefits in 2025.
• The benefits you select during open enrollment will go into effect on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.

Questions

As an additional resource, check out our State Group Insurance Program Transition Frequently Asked Questions. These FAQs are also on the 2025 Benefits Enrollment webpage, and we will continue to update them throughout the transition. Also, feel free to reach out to my team at 
HR4U@valenciacollege.edu or 407-582-HR4U (4748). 

I want you to know that we are committed to supporting you throughout this process. While there is still so much we don’t yet know, we will provide you with updates as we have more information. To that end, we will be communicating with you in a variety of ways, including email, direct mail and information sessions and events. So please stay plugged in by checking and reading your email, employee newsletters and direct mail sent to your home related to 2025 Benefits Open Enrollment.

As always, thank you for what you do, and have a great Fall Term.

Take good care,

Carla McKnight
Vice President, Organizational Development and Human Resources