Open Enrollment is the one time of year when you can make changes to your benefit choices for the upcoming calendar year. During Open Enrollment, you can:

· Keep, change, newly enroll in or waive coverage for medical, dental and vision benefit plans

· Enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts for Health Care and/or Dependent Care anticipated expenses

· Elect Cash Out Vacation hours

· Designate Excess Management Benefit distribution (if applicable)

This year, Open Enrollment starts on September 16, 2024 and ends on October 11, 2024. You must take action during this time frame to update your benefit elections for 2024.

Changes and elections made during Open Enrollment take effect on January 1, 2025.

Yes, the Open Enrollment Benefit Fair will be held in-person on Tuesday, September 24 at Mitchell Park from 12pm – 2pm. Come join us and meet benefit vendors, enjoy snacks and take home some swag!

Blue Shield Trio Expansion into:

• Contra Costa county

• 3 ZIP codes in Shasta county

Health Net Salud y Más

• Expansion into Imperial county

Kaiser Permanente

• Expansion into 14 ZIP codes in Monterey county

UnitedHealthcare Signature Value Harmony; Expansion into:

• Napa county

• 50 ZIP codes in Contra Costa county

• 2 ZIP codes in Solano county

Benefit Elections related to Healthcare Flexible Spending accounts, Daycare Flexible Spending accounts, Vacation Cash-out elections and Excess Management elections do NOT rollover which means you have to complete Open Enrollment in order to have these benefits in 2025.

Your 2024 Medical/Dental/Vision benefits will roll over into 2025 if you do not make any changes during Open Enrollment.

In any case, we encourage you to log-in to the FIORI Open Enrollment portal to review the accuracy of your current benefits and dependent coverage.

For information on plans accepted by Sutter Health PAMF, please visit the link below

https://www.sutterhealth.org/open-enrollment/calpers

If you plan on remaining with your PAMF physician, please verify acceptance of your selected health plan with your physician’s billing department.

Please visit the CalPERS Health Benefit page to compare plans, determine out of pocket costs, look up doctors plus much more.

Employees can select a health plan using either their residential zip code or the City’s work zip code. For more information on plans available by zip code please visit the CalPERS Health Plan Search by Zip Code tool.

If an employee and/or the employee’s dependent(s) are eligible for medical insurance through another employer-sponsored or association medical plan, the employee may opt for the alternative medical insurance coverage through the other employer-sponsored or association plan and waives his/ her right to the City of Palo Alto’s medical insurance coverage for the same individuals. Employees electing the alternative coverage and no City coverage will receive cash payments of $284 per month.

Employee must provide proof of alternate coverage for all individuals that are being waived.

To enroll, please fill out he medical waiver form, found at this link.

The normal contribution limit for elective deferrals to a 457 plan is currently $23,000 in 2024 and expected to be $24,000 in 2025. The IRS is expected to release the 2025 limits in October or November 2024.

Employees age 50 or older may contribute up to an additional amount for the year. Employees taking advantage of the special pre-retirement catch-up may be eligible to contribute up to double the normal limit.

HR will send out a City-wide email letting employees know the new limits for 2025 and how to increase their 457 deductions.

For more information visit IRS Retirement Plans.

Yes. You may make changes to your 457 elections at any time during the year.

Yes, once you have completed your Open Enrollment, you will receive an email notification to your work email with a summary attached. If you do not receive the email, then please log into Fiori again to complete Open Enrollment and ensure you hit “save” to complete your elections.