Open Enrollment Season
Nov. 1st, 2007 08:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bjarvisI've just completed one of the more odd American employer traditions: open enrollment, or the annual selection of one's benefits from a given menu of options.
Like the past few years, this enrollment was nearly trivial to complete: my medical plan and dental plan will both remain unchanged. I could have increased my life insurance benefit but the current $850,000 is already sufficient; I don't want to make it too profitable to have me bumped off. I'm keeping my long term disability policy (pays 66.7% of my gross income) and not participating in the group legal or programs for dependents.
In fact, the only decisions required were for my level of contribution to the health savings plan ($600 should be enough) and purchased vacation (going for the max of 37.5 hours). In all, I'm being docked $166 per pay period for these benefits, although 55% of that is the purchased vacation which will be reimbursed to me next December if unused.
I guess this would be more problematic if I had dependents. Fortunately, my life, needs & wants are as simple and uncomplicated. :-)
Like the past few years, this enrollment was nearly trivial to complete: my medical plan and dental plan will both remain unchanged. I could have increased my life insurance benefit but the current $850,000 is already sufficient; I don't want to make it too profitable to have me bumped off. I'm keeping my long term disability policy (pays 66.7% of my gross income) and not participating in the group legal or programs for dependents.
In fact, the only decisions required were for my level of contribution to the health savings plan ($600 should be enough) and purchased vacation (going for the max of 37.5 hours). In all, I'm being docked $166 per pay period for these benefits, although 55% of that is the purchased vacation which will be reimbursed to me next December if unused.
I guess this would be more problematic if I had dependents. Fortunately, my life, needs & wants are as simple and uncomplicated. :-)
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 01:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 01:31 pm (UTC)My employer allows us to purchase up to a full week of vacation in addition to our regular paid vacation; the pre-tax purchase price is spread across 24 pay periods.
The caveat is that our regular vacation must be used before the purchased vacation and the purchased vacation must be used prior to December 1. If you actually wish to use it, you can't take time off in December. Any unused purchase vacation time is reimbursed before the last paycheck of the year so the corporation's books are clean for year-end.
Since we can only enroll once per year, I use it as an insurance policy/forced savings account. If I need the vacation time, I have it; otherwise, it's bonus dollars returned to me in time for the xmas season or to top up any charitable giving or retirement account.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 01:45 pm (UTC)D
no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 01:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 01:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 01:20 pm (UTC)you "don't want to make it too profitable to have me bumped off", but why would
no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-01 06:53 pm (UTC)hmmm ... I've now got visions of a naked Brian, trussed, and laid out on the dining table, being eaten.
sounds like fun all round to me!