Believe it or not, there are things that can make your open enrollment a great experience and prepare you for the conversations you may have when determining benefit coverage changes.

1. Be on the lookout for District Communication: Your school district (in partnership with your employee benefits broker) is responsible for communicating important information regarding an upcoming open enrollment. That communication will likely include enrollment dates, the logistics of your open enrollment, any/all coverage modifications, and general education about new coverage being offered. Again, it’s their responsibility to send it, but it’s your responsibility to read it and gain the knowledge you need to complete your enrollment successfully.

2. Benefit Review: From year to year, you may not remember what coverage you have in place. Without that information you may not know what benefits you need to learn more about. As an employee, you should be able to contact your benefit broker’s customer service to request this information. A broker will have full insight to all coverages regardless of carrier/insurance company. If your school district doesn’t work with a broker, you may have to contact your school’s business office to get this information.

Once you know what benefits you have, you can now determine if you need to make changes. Visit the Employee Benefits Guide provided by your school district and broker to learn more about those additional offerings.

3. Ask Questions: If you don’t understand the benefits you are offered, don’t wait until your time with the benefit consultant to ask your questions. Talk to family, co-workers, etc. to get a general understanding. This will make your enrollment experience much smoother.

Make preparing for your benefits open enrollment a priority. Take it seriously. You typically only have a benefits conversation once per year. Make the most of it on behalf of you and your family.

Preparing for Your Employee Benefits Open Enrollment