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County outlines Oct. 3–17 open enrollment window and rollover rules for benefits
Summary
Benefits staff told the committee open enrollment for active employees will run noon Oct. 3 through noon Oct. 17; most benefits will passively roll unless employees act, but health and dependent flexible spending accounts require active reenrollment and retiree forms must be returned by Nov. 7.
Rutherford County benefits staff told the Benefits and Insurance Committee on Sept. 25 that annual open enrollment for active employees will run from noon Oct. 3 through noon Oct. 17, and that retiree enrollment is scheduled for Nov. 3–7.
"For active employees, it's going to be noon to noon, October 3 through October 17," Molly Howell, who presented the enrollment update, said. Howell said the county will email employees with a link to the annual enrollment website and a benefits video the day after the meeting. She credited county OIT and communications staff for producing the materials.
Howell emphasized rollover rules and one exception: most benefits will passively roll into 2026 if employees take no action, but health care and dependent flexible spending accounts do not roll over. "The only two benefits that won't roll over into the new year are our health care flexible spending account and the dependent care flexible spending account. If an employee wants to be enrolled in those next year, even if they're enrolled in them this year, they have to go in and actively reenroll in those every single year," Howell said.
Howell also noted changes approved earlier in the year to several voluntary plans and the post‑65 Medicare Advantage plan for retirees. She said some voluntary benefits will change carriers: "The ones that are turning over to new carriers will be the accident insurance, critical illness insurance, and life insurance, and then we're making an adjustment to our short term disability insurance to give employees another option in the waiting period that they can elect."
Retirees who want to make changes must return mailed forms by Nov. 7, Howell said. She added that employees should check beneficiaries for employer‑paid basic life insurance, which the county plans to increase to $50,000 in 2026.
Howell encouraged employees to watch the benefits video and use appointment links on the enrollment site for phone or in‑person help; printed enrollment guides will be delivered to departments next week for employees who prefer paper.
Committee members asked whether voluntary plans would remain the same and whether Kroger pharmacy arrangements had changed; staff said Kroger had not been added back into the primary pharmacy network for Rutherford County and that the county remains in the Publix network based on utilization. Howell did not propose any change to the county’s network during the meeting.
The committee accepted the enrollment update without objection.
