Summer Billing Procedures for Health, Dental, and Life Insurance
This email is to remind you about summer billing procedures for health, dental, and life insurance coverage. All employees on temporary faculty or supportive professional staff contracts that are less than twelve months remain eligible for and must continue their employee contributions for health, dental, and life insurance from the end of their contracts through the summer break period to August 15, even if they may not be issued a contract for the upcoming fall semester, subject to the following clarifications:
Employees who will not be returning to NIU for the 2024 fall semester may opt out of this summer coverage by completing this form and returning it to the NIU Insurance and Employee Benefit office no later than the end date of their spring contracts. If the form is completed and returned prior to the end of your contract period, the Insurance and Employee Benefit Office will confirm with Employment Services that you are not being issued a fall contract or that you have resigned your position. Once this confirmation is obtained, your coverage will end effective the last day of your spring contract. If the form is not completed prior to the end of the spring contract, coverage will remain in place and you will need to continue to make your employee contributions until the Insurance and Employee Benefits Office confirms you will not be returning in the fall. The effective date of the termination will be the first day of the upcoming pay period after the date your request was received and confirmation of your separation from NIU is obtained. Per Central Management Services guidelines, terminations of coverage cannot be processed retroactively.
For those employees who will be returning to NIU for the fall 2024 semester, the only way to opt out of the insurance coverage over the summer months is to experience a qualifying event. Information regarding qualifying events is available on the State of Illinois website. If you have questions regarding this process, please contact the NIU Insurance and Employee Benefits Office at email addresses below.
Employees Paid Over Contract Terms
If you have elected to be paid in full during the term of your contract rather than spreading the payments over 12 months, you will be direct-billed for your employee contributions for insurance for the entire summer period even if you have a summer contract. During the summer break, you will be billed the same employee contribution amount that you paid during your contract period. However, the rates for all health and dental insurance coverage may change effective July 1, 2024. Please be on the look-out for information from the State of Illinois regarding these changes. During the summer break period, instead of insurance premiums being deducted by the payroll office, you must directly pay the State of Illinois Central Management Services (CMS) either by personal check or through the State’s Epay system. Information regarding the method of payment, as well as access to the Epay system, will be included in the billing statement sent to you from MyBenefits on behalf of CMS.
Please note that payment must be made to CMS by the final due date indicated on the billing statement. Per the State of Illinois, if payment is not received by the final due date, insurance coverage will be terminated with a current effective date. If coverage is terminated during the summer period, coverage will not be reinstated until the first day of the first pay period after the employee returns to work from summer break. Any premiums not paid during the summer, or until the termination date for non-payment of premium, remain the employee’s responsibility, and collection efforts made by CMS for those summer employee contributions up to and including involuntary withholding will continue even if the employee has returned to work. Additionally, employees whose coverage was terminated as a result of non-payment will be required to re-enroll in any dependent health or optional life insurance coverage within 60 days of their return to work. This coverage will not be reinstated automatically. Documentation to support re-enrollment will be required.
Employees Paid Over 12 Months
If you have elected to have your contract pay spread over 12 months, your insurance employee contributions will continue to be deducted from your NIU paycheck over the summer months.
Changing Payment Schedule
Although it is too late to make a change for this coming summer period, you may wish to change your payment option to distribute your annual salary over the full twelve-month period to avoid direct-billing for insurance during future summers. In order to do this, you will need to complete a Election of Payment Option for Faculty and SPS Employees Form by August 1, 2024. This change in payment arrangement will take effect with the 2024-2025 academic year and will remain in effect until such time that a new form is submitted.
The information contained in this notification is in regards to general insurance billing procedures only. Questions regarding this information can be directed to Benefits team by emailing:
- Employees with last names A – D should contact Stephanie Kruizenga at skruizenga@niu.edu.
- Employees with last names E – K should contact Vickie Hueramo at vhueramo@niu.edu.
- Employees with last names L – Z should contact Renee’ Bechtel at rbechtel@niu.edu.
Questions regarding the nine over twelve payment option can be directed to our Employee Life Cycle team by emailing FacultyEmployment@niu.edu.
Questions regarding billing statements should be directed to MyBenefits Service Center at (844) 251-1777.
