The GIC Open Enrollment period for the Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) pre-tax FSA will run from October 1 through December 7, 2012 for 2013 calendar year benefits. Participating in HCSA and/or DCAP can reduce both federal and Massachusetts state income taxes. The amount elected is deducted from employees’ paychecks on a pre-tax basis. Current participants must re-enroll each year.
Information for Plan Year 2013:
- Attend a Breakfast Meeting to learn more about the Flexible Spending Account programs.
- All new materials including the Enrollment/Change Form , claim form and brochure are available on the GIC’s website
- The new HCSA maximum election amount for 2013 is $2,500.
Current Participants Re-enroll online:
To improve accuracy and timeliness, all current participants should re-enroll online. Current participants will receive a letter at home with instructions on how to enroll online . You will receive an enrollment report from Benefit Strategies of all your 2013 enrollees.
Your assistance is vital to a successful 2013 open enrollment. Please be sure to:
- Notify all agency employees about this money-saving program by October 1:
- Distribute the GIC’s For Your Benefit newsletter.
- Photocopy and distribute the
employee letter
and display
the poster 
file size 1MB
in a prominent location. - Forward to your employees the HCSA/DCAP open enrollment e-mail messages sent to you from the GIC.
- Collect all HCSA/DCAP enrollment forms/online confirmation pages (signed and dated) by Friday, December 14, 2012.
- HR/CMS Agencies and UMASS: Enter both the DCAP and/or HCSA and HCSAF deductions into HR/CMS. The HCSAF fee is for either or both programs – DCAP and HCSA. The HCSAF will default to the deduction table – do not enter a flat amount. The deductions should be entered into HR/CMS by December 27, 2012 for the January 4, 2013 payroll. Both the DCAP/HCSA and HCSAF deductions will be deducted each pay period. When entering the DCAP/HCSA deductions in HR/CMS, be sure to enter a goal amount. The maximum DCAP amount is $5,000 and the maximum HCSA amount is $2,500 with a minimum amount of $500. The HR/CMS payroll will run on January 1, 2013 and the first 2013 DCAP/HCSA/HCSAF deductions will be in the pay advice of January 4, 2013. For HR/CMS assistance, contact Commonhelp at 1-866-888-2808.
Please contact Benefit Strategies with questions: 1.877.FLEXGIC(353.9442); fax 1.603.647.4668; e-mail; website
This information provided by the Group Insurance Commission.
