The Benefits Enrollment Guide explains all of the benefits you are eligible for based on your Employee Association (union) and FTE. If you are not sure which Employee Association you are a part of, please reach out to HR Connect by emailing HR_Connect@dpsk12.org or calling 720-423-3900.

Enroll/change during new hire and annual Open Enrollment only (The only exception is if you experience a qualifying life event): Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance; Flexible Spending Account (FSA); Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account; Optional Life Insurance; Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance.

Please note: Legal Plan benefits are only able to be stopped during the annual Open Enrollment period each spring.

Enroll/change at any time: Health Savings Account (HSA), 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) Retirement Savings Plans; Home, Auto and Pet Insurance; Commuter Benefits; and the Voluntary Payroll Protection and Assistance Fund.

To determine your Employee Association (also known as unions or bargaining units), visit The Commons Employee Association page. If your job is not listed and you are unsure which Employee Association you are in, please contact HR Connect at HR_Connect@dpsk12.org.

If you do not pay union dues, you are still part of your designated Employee Association.

• UnitedHealthcare: Go to UnitedHealthcare to search for a provider based on plan
• Aetna: go to Aetna; to search for a provider based on plan
• Kaiser Permanente: visit KaiserPermanente to search for a provider based on plan
• Motivhealth: go to MotivHealth to search for a provider based on plan
• Delta Dental: go to DeltaDental to search for a provider based on plan
• VSP Vision: go to VSP to search for a provider based on plan

To learn more about available medical plans, please review the Benefits Enrollment Guide. We also recommend that you use the Plan Decision Tool within the Benefits Enrollment site if you are uncertain about which medical plan to choose.

DPS contributions vary based on your Employee Association (union). For information on your specific Employee Association, please consult the Benefits Enrollment Guide.

• Benefit Credits: Benefit credits are what DPS contributes to offset your cost for premiums for medical, dental and vision plans. Most employees are eligible to receive them. The amount varies by employee association and how many hours you work a week.
• Medical Subsidy: Employees who don’t receive benefit credits may qualify for a medical subsidy, which is a discount off the cost of your premiums for medical plans.
• Child Subsidy: All benefit-eligible employees qualify to receive a child subsidy to offset the cost of premiums for medical plans that cover children.
• HSA or HMO Subsidy: Employees who enroll in one of the CDHP medical plans and open a Health Savings Account (HSA) are eligible to receive this subsidy. You are not required to make HSA contributions to receive this subsidy, however it is recommended that you do so. Employees enrolled in a DHMO plan automatically receive the HMO subsidy as a premium discount.

• Benefit Credits: Listed under deductions on your paystub. They show as a negative number, which means it is a credit to you and lowers the cost of the premium. Benefit Credits are automatically applied to discount the cost of your medical premium.
• Medical Subsidy: This will not appear on your paystub, but will be automatically applied to discount the cost your medical premium.
• Child Subsidy: This will not appear on your paystub, but will be automatically applied to discount the cost of your medical premium.
• HSA or HMO Subsidy: HSA subsidies will be automatically added to your HSA account twice a month. HMO subsidies will be automatically applied to discount the cost of your medical premiums and will not appear on your paystub.

If you are enrolling a Common Law Spouse, will need to complete and Affidavit of Common Law Marriage

In some cases, you may be eligible for a mid-year change through a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) - such as a birth, marriage, or divorce. In this case, documentation will be required to process your change. Visit The Commons to see if you are eligible.

Supplemental Benefits include: Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital, and Legal Supplemental Insurance; Auto, Home and Pet Insurance; Life Insurance & Disability Insurance; Long-Term Care Insurance and the Denver Teachers Club Voluntary Payroll Protection Plan & Assistance Fund.

You can enroll or change supplemental benefits during the new hire and open enrollment periods. Some plans allow you to enroll anytime without a Qualifying Life Event. You can find enroll, change, and cancel information on thecommons.dpsk12.org/supplementalinsurance.

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a personal savings account to help pay for qualified expenses not covered by medical, dental or vision insurance plans with pre-tax dollars. All benefits-eligible employees who are enrolled in a Consumer-Driven Health Plan (CDHP) are qualified to enroll in an HSA. Each year, the money in your HSA rolls over. There is no “use it or lose it provision.” In fact, even if you leave DPS, your HSA and the money in it is yours to keep.

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a pre-tax benefit account used to pay for eligible medical, dental and vision care expenses that aren’t covered by your insurance plan. All benefits-eligible employees are qualified to enroll in an FSA. You will lose any unused balance, over $500, at the end of the plan year. In most cases, if you leave DPS you will lose your FSA unused balance. DPS offers three FSA options.

• Dependent Care FSA: Through a Dependent Care FSA, an employee can pay for eligible elder car and dependent care expenses (such as child care) with pre-tax dollars. You are able to access your funds as they are deposited into your account each pay period. This type of FSA is allowed regardless of whether you are enrolled in an HSA.
• Limited Use FSA: A Limited Use FSA is allowed only if you are also enrolled in an HSA and can only be used to reimburse eligible dental and vision expenses. Funding a Limited Use FSA may be a good idea if you anticipate significant out-of-pocket dental and vision expenses in the coming year. You are able to access your full annual election amount starting on the first day of your plan year. To enroll, email Employee_Benefits@dpsk12.org.
• Healthcare FSA: The Healthcare FSA allows you to set aside money from your paycheck, before income taxes are withheld, to pay for eligible out-of-pocket expenses, such as deductibles, copays and other health-related expenses, that are not paid by medical, dental or vision plans. You are able to access your full annual election amount starting on the first day of your plan year. This type of FSA is not allowed if you are enrolled in an HSA.

EPO: The EPO plan provides benefits only when you see a PPO (in-network) provider. Treatment and services from a non-PPO provider are not covered.

PPO: The PPO Plus Premier plan allows you to choose from more than 3,200 participating providers across the state. Participating providers file claims directly with Delta Dental and accept Delta Dental’s reimbursement in full. You are responsible only for your deductible and coinsurance (based on your plan), as well as any charges for non-covered services. You may see any dentist; however, your out-of-pocket expenses will be less if you see a Delta Dental network dentist.

Pre-tax: The cost of your benefits is deducted from your paycheck before taxes are calculated, and you are therefore only taxed on your remaining paycheck balance. You pay less in taxes with this option.

Post-tax: The cost of your benefits is deducted from your paycheck after taxes are calculated. You pay more taxes with this option.

Employees who are within three years of retirement may want to select post-tax deductions to maximize pensionable income under Colorado PERA. If this is the case, click on the “Select a different plan type” then select the “after-tax” radio button at the bottom of the designation screen. Although Health Saving Account (HSA) contributions are deducted on a pre-tax basis, it does not count against the highest average salary calculated by Colorado PERA.

Aetna: You will receive your insurance card in the mail by July 1. (Note: Not all employees will get new ID cards. Only new hires, those with dependent changes, those with name changes, and those with network changes will be mailed an ID card). You can also download a digital version of your card from your Aetna account online.

Delta Dental: Register or login to your Delta Dental Account (use your social security number, not your employee ID, when registering). Download and print your e-card, if a card is needed. A card will not be mailed to you. *Most dental offices do not require a card and are able to verify your insurance with your social security number.

Kaiser Permanente: You will receive your insurance card in the mail within 10-days of your coverage start date. You can also print a copy of your card by logging into your Kaiser Permanente account online.

MotivHealth: You will receive your insurance cards in the mail by July 1. For an electronic copy of your member ID card, please log into your MotivHealth member portal, at dps.motivhealth.com on or after July 1.

UnitedHealthcare: You will receive your insurance card in the mail within 10 days of your coverage start date. You can also download the app here: UHC APP.

VSP Vision: Create an account or log in on www.vsp.com. Download and print your e-card. A card will not be mailed to you. Most providers that accept VSP will be able to look up your information.

All eligible employees are auto-enrolled in the Sick Leave Bank. Learn more about Sick Leave Bank on The Commons.

Yes! To receive a Well Aware award each year, you will need to complete all required preventative screenings and fill out a confidential online health assessment.

All individuals enrolled in an Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, MotivHealth, or UnitedHealthcare medical plans are covered for urgent and emergency care anywhere in the world. "Covered" means that expenses will apply towards your deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, and insurance will cover the claim as if it were within the network. 

• UnitedHealthcare

• 1-866-801-4409

• Routine services aren’t covered outside of the Denver Metro area, so make sure to get them before your trip if you’re traveling elsewhere.
• Routine services include preventive care, exams, checkups, and services for on-going medical conditions.
• If you are needing urgent or emergency services and are able to, contact your insurance company before seeking care outside of your network. 1-800-556-1555
• Kaiser Permanente
• For those subscribers and dependents who are located in a state where Kaiser Permanente has a service area, the Visiting Member Services Brochure explains how to obtain a Visiting Member Medical Record Number and access care within the visiting Kaiser Permanente region. Care while visiting a Kaiser Permanente region is more comprehensive than care outside of a Kaiser Permanente region. Visiting members are able to get most of the same services in the region that they are visiting as they would in their home region. Please note that there are no age or time restrictions for Visiting Members
• If you are in a region that does not have a Kaiser Permanente service area, contact your insurer to learn about coverage outside of your network. 303-338-4545
• MotivHealth
• For any eligible covered dependents residing outside of Colorado, they will have access to network providers via the First Health network. For more information on locating providers in the First Health network, visit DPS.motivhealth.com  
  

Children under 26 years of age may be covered under their parents’ medical, dental and vision insurance plans. Aetna, Kaiser Permanente and MotivHealth offer plans/benefits for dependents who live outside of the Denver-metro area. Check to see if your provider has doctors and medical offices in the area where your child will be living. Contact Employee_Benefits@dpsk12.org for additional information and to provide them with your child’s address if he or she resides outside of the Denver-Metro area.

Aetna

Aetna offers a unique Out-of-Area (OOA) Dependents Plan, which utilizes the Open Access Network, for dependents who permanently live outside of the Front Range. 

Kaiser Permanente

For those dependents who are outside of a Kaiser Permanente service area and under the age of 26, the out of area benefit covers them for limited office visits, diagnostic x-rays, RX refills and therapy visits. 

MotivHealth

For any eligible covered dependents residing outside of Colorado, they will have access to network providers via the First Health network. For more information on locating providers in the First Health network, visit dps.motivhealth.com  

UnitedHealthcare

With the Colorado Doctor’s Plan (CDP), the dependent will be assigned (or can select) a PCP in the Denver Metro CDP network and utilize the CDP network while in Denver Metro, however, CDP is “wrapped” with UHC’s Choice network which is nationwide and allows employees and dependents to utilize our nationwide network outside of Colorado. 

 

With UnitedHealthcare's Choice Plus network, PCP selection is not required and the plan has out of network care as well as UHC's Nation Wide network. 

 

Employees can view a list of in-network MDs on both plans at UHC's pre-member website www.whyuhc.com/denverpublicschools.