Enrollment FAQs
Open Enrollment for 2027 health benefits is October 15 through November 15, 2026. Participants wishing to change coverage for the upcoming plan year must submit their elections by November 15. Late Open Enrollment requests cannot be accepted. Change requests submitted after the deadline will be handled only as permitted under the applicable plan terms and administrative rules. Employers need to approve any enrollment changes employees submit by November 20.
- Current members who wish to make changes to their benefit elections will submit their elections online through the enrollment portal.
- Log into the Member Portal to review your current elections, available benefit options, and enrollment instructions.
- Your employer will be notified after you submit your changes and may be required to review and approve your elections.
- Log in to the Member Portal Now >>
- If you believe you are eligible for benefits but are not currently enrolled, contact Member Services when Open Enrollment begins.
- Member Services will review applicable eligibility requirements, explain your available enrollment options, and provide guidance on the enrollment process.
- Required forms should be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to 212.729.2701 for faster processing.
- If a form must be mailed, it must be postmarked by November 15 and sent to:
The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc.
475 Riverside Drive, Room 1020
New York, NY 10115
- No. If you are not making changes to your current medical, dental, and/or vision benefits, no action is required.
- The UCC Flexible Spending Account (FSA) requires annual re-enrollment. If you participated in the FSA for 2026 and want to participate again in 2027, you must re-enroll during Open Enrollment. FSA elections do not automatically carry forward..
- Rates are available through the Member Portal for 2027.
- Log in to the Member Portal Now >>
ID cards are issued by each vendor once your application has been processed and open enrollment has closed. All new plan participants will receive their ID cards by mid-December. Current plan participants will not receive new cards, but can access a digital copy (if necessary) by logging into their account via the vendor website and/or app.
- If you are billed directly for your benefits, your January 2027 invoice notification will be emailed by December 3, 2026, as part of the regular billing cycle.
- If premiums are deducted through payroll, contact your employer with questions about when updated deductions will begin.
- Yes. The UCC Vision Benefits Plan will move to a monthly billing cycle beginning in January 2027.
- If your employer pays the premium or deducts it through payroll, contact your employer for information about how this change may affect you..
Health Plan Eligibility FAQs
The following employee eligibility scenarios apply to Open Enrollment. Dependent eligibility is covered separately.
| Benefit | Who Pays? | Who Is Eligible? |
|---|---|---|
| Medical, Non-Medicare | Employer | Lay employees and clergy serving a UCC church or UCC-affiliated entity when the employer has adopted the benefit through its Health and Welfare Adoption Agreement. |
| Medical, Non-Medicare | Member | Eligible lay employees or clergy of the UCC or a participating UCC-affiliated entity. |
| Medicare Advantage | Employer | A minister or lay employee age 65 or older who works for a UCC church or UCC-related entity with fewer than 20 employees, provided the employer has adopted the medical benefit through its Health and Welfare Adoption Agreement. |
| Medicare Advantage | Member | Retired ministers and lay employees enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B who apply during Open Enrollment, a Medicare Special Enrollment Period, or their initial Medicare eligibility period. |
| Dental | Employer | Lay employees and clergy serving a UCC church or UCC-affiliated entity when the employer has adopted the benefit through its Health and Welfare Adoption Agreement. |
| Dental | Member | Eligible lay employees or clergy of the UCC or a participating UCC-affiliated entity, as well as eligible retired UCC ministers and lay employees. |
| Vision | Employer | Lay employees and clergy serving a UCC church or UCC-affiliated entity when the employer has adopted the benefit through its Health and Welfare Adoption Agreement. |
| Vision | Member | Eligible lay employees or clergy of the UCC or a participating UCC-affiliated entity, as well as eligible retired UCC ministers and lay employees. |
| Flexible Spending Account (FSA) | Employee salary reduction | Lay employees and clergy serving a UCC church or UCC-affiliated entity when the employer has adopted the benefit through its Health and Welfare Adoption Agreement. The FSA is offered only through an employer and is funded through employee salary reductions. |
- Employers may choose to adopt one or more PBUCC benefits.
- If you are interested in a benefit that your employer does not currently offer, speak with your employer. The employer may contact Member Services to discuss updating its Health and Welfare Adoption Agreement.
- If your employer does not intend to offer a benefit and you otherwise meet the applicable eligibility requirements, contact Member Services to determine whether a self-pay or direct-bill option may be available.
- If you experience a qualifying life event, or QLE, during 2027, you may be permitted to make certain medical, dental, and vision changes outside Open Enrollment.
- Permitted changes may include enrolling in coverage, canceling coverage, or modifying the dependents covered by the plan.
- Common qualifying life events include:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Birth or adoption of a child
- Gaining or losing employment
- Gaining or losing health coverage
- Notify your employer and Member Services as soon as possible. Required documentation and enrollment forms must generally be submitted to Member Services within 60 days of the qualifying life event.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) FAQs
PBUCC has partnered with HealthEquity to administer FSA benefits.
The 2027 FSA contribution limits have not yet been announced by the IRS.
Applicants for the 2027 plan year may elect to default to the highest amount allowed by the IRS or select a specific amount that does not exceed the applicable 2027 limit.
For reference, the 2026 limits were:
- $3,400 for eligible medical expenses
- $7,500 for eligible dependent care expenses
- An accurate FSA election helps you maximize potential tax savings.
- Electing too little may prevent you from taking full advantage of the FSA's pre-tax benefits.
- Electing too much may result in unused funds being forfeited under the federal "use it or lose it" rule. Any unused amount above the applicable annual medical-account carryover limit may be forfeited to the plan.
- You can use your FSA to receive reimbursement for eligible medical and dependent care expenses incurred during the plan year.
- After enrolling, you will receive a debit card from HealthEquity that can be used for eligible purchases and copayments online or at the point of sale.
- You may also submit claims for reimbursement from your medical or dependent care account through the HealthEquity website or the EZ Receipts app.
The healthcare reimbursement account is to be used to pay for expenses related to medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision care for you and your family. The dependent care account is to be used for work-related dependent day care costs. To claim childcare expenses, your dependent must be under the age of 13 or physically/mentally unable to care for themselves. Refer to the FSA Plan Highlights booklet for more information.
Many over-the-counter medications are eligible for reimbursement under current federal rules. Click here to view FSA qualified medical expenses.
- Check your account balance before making a purchase.
- If you are using your debit card, you may be able to divide the transaction between the FSA debit card and another payment method. Tell the person at checkout how much to charge to each payment method.
- If you submit a claim through the HealthEquity website or app, HealthEquity will reimburse you only up to the amount currently available in your account.
- The Internal Revenue Code requires FSA funds to be used only for eligible expenses.
- You may be required to provide documentation showing that a medical or dependent care claim is eligible before reimbursement can be approved.
- You can upload receipts and other documentation through the HealthEquity website or EZ Receipts app when submitting a claim or responding to a request for documentation.
- You will not be required to repay the difference simply because the full annual amount had not yet been withheld from your salary when your employment ended.
- FSA contributions will stop after your termination of employment has been processed.
- You do not have additional reporting responsibilities to the IRS solely because of this situation.
Generally, you cannot change your FSA election during the plan year unless you experience a qualifying life event.
If you experience a qualifying life event, you must complete the applicable Change in Status Election Form and submit it to Member Services for processing.
Retroactive election changes are not permitted.
Examples of qualifying life events for the FSA may include:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- A change in employment status
- Loss of dependent eligibility
- A qualifying change of residence
Contact Member Services for guidance about whether an event permits an FSA election change.
- Your employer will be billed a $12 monthly administrative fee if you participate in the FSA but do not participate in the UCC Medical Benefits Plan.
- The fee must be paid by your employer and should not be deducted from your payroll.
- There is no administrative fee for employees who participate in both the FSA and the UCC Medical Benefits Plan.
- Yes. Because the FSA receives special tax treatment, it is subject to IRS requirements.
- PBUCC partners with HealthEquity to help administer the plan in accordance with those requirements.
- Important requirements include:
- An expense cannot be reimbursed through the FSA if it has already been reimbursed through another insurance plan.
- You must submit a new election before each plan year if you want to participate.
- FSA contributions must come from employee salary deductions.
- Medical FSA funds cannot reimburse dependent care expenses.
- Dependent care FSA funds cannot reimburse medical expenses.
- FSA funds may be used only for eligible expenses incurred during the applicable plan year.
- Unused medical FSA funds above the annual carryover limit may be forfeited.
- Unused dependent care balances remaining after the claim period may be forfeited.