Living Well in Retirement, is an e-newsletter providing retirees and their eligible dependents with benefits and wellness resources. Based on your plan enrollment, benefits and wellness resources may vary.
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Keep this in Mind to Stay Sharp
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Don't Become a Victim of Identity Theft
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There's only one you- keep it that way. Imagine going to pay for your groceries and your credit card gets denied. Or seeing a large charge on your monthly credit card bill for something you didn’t buy. Or you get a notice from your health insurance company that you reached your benefit limit. All these scenarios, and many more like them, happen to victims of identity theft. Identity thieves steal your name, address, credit card or bank account numbers, Social Security number, or medical insurance information to commit fraud or other crimes. Even if you’ve never been the victim of a scam, data breaches and identity theft can happen. That’s why it’s important to know the signs of possible identity theft and the steps you can take to help prevent it. Use these ten tips to help keep your identity your own.
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Watch for warning signs of depression.
Everyone feels down sometimes. You might be coping with everyday stress, feeling lonely or grieving the loss of a loved one. But how do you know if you’re just feeling blue or on the brink of depression? The signs of depression are hard to detect and might go unnoticed by you or others who are close to you. Depression can hide behind a person’s smiling photos posted on social media. It can be a constant drain on someone who appears otherwise happy and functioning. Read about diagnosing depression.
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At the July 5, 2023, Board of Supervisors Business Meeting, the Board voted to replace the current Cigna Point of Service (POS) network of medical providers with the Cigna Open Access Plus (OAP) network of medical providers while maintaining the same plan design and structure as the current POS plan. This means that beginning on January 1, 2024, there will be a new plan, Cigna OAP High. The Cigna OAP High medical plan option will provide the same coverage levels (e.g., copays, deductibles, coinsurances, out-of-pocket maximums) as the current POS plan. How will the new OAP High plan compare to the current POS plan?Currently, the POS plan requires participants to name a primary care provider, and then a referral is required for participants to see a specialist. The new OAP High plan will not require participants to name a primary care provider, and participants will not be required to obtain a referral to see a specialist. Participants will be able to see any in-network provider. Also, the new Cigna OAP High plan will provide participants with a national network of providers instead of the current POS plan’s regional network of providers available which is limited to Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and portions of West Virginia. One major benefit of this change is that nearly 800 out-of-network POS providers being utilized in the POS plan will be considered in-network once the OAP High plan becomes effective on January 1, 2024. This results in lower out-of-pocket costs for covered participants. The national Cigna OAP network offers a new robust care management program, Cigna Health Matters Care Management (HMCM). Cigna Health Matters Care Management provides you and your family with a valuable resource for one-on-one support and guidance to the right programs and services for healthcare needs and conditions. The table below summarizes the differences between the current POS plan and the new OAP High plan:
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Check if your provider is in an OAP network- Visit cigna.com. Click on "Find a Doctor, Dentist or Facility" and then choose "Plans through your employer or school" to search the provider directory. Enter your applicable zip code and choose to search a Doctor by Type, By Name or by health facility.
Major Change for 2023 Benefits Open Enrollment ProcessNow that the plans offered by Loudoun County to retirees will be OAP High, OAP, and the Cigna Choice HRA plan and Medicare Surround, the County will be required to have an Active Open Enrollment in November 2023. An active open enrollment is an open enrollment just like the County has every year but requires EVERY retiree on the County health plan to make an active new election through retiree self-service, a new online portal just for retirees. All new enrollments become effective on January 1, 2024. Your current plan elections from this year will not carry forward into the next plan year. This year all benefit-eligible retirees will be required to make a new election for medical/prescription drug, dental/vision. Retirees who do not make an election in November 2023 during open enrollment will waive coverage for the 2024 plan year, meaning they lose health plan coverage effective January 1, 2024. What Steps to Take Now to Prepare for Open EnrollmentIt’s important to keep your contact information up to date. Having your current mailing address, phone number and email address on file ensures you will receive important retiree benefit information. The benefits department also needs your email address so that you have access to retiree self-service to make your elections. If you don’t already have an email address on file, please provide it so that we can contact you quickly if we need to notify you about important information such as a change to your benefits. Use a personal email address that you will have access to, rather than a work email address. To update your contact information, send an email to eligibility@loudoun.gov. You can expect your annual retiree open enrollment newsletter to be mailed to your mailing address on record in mid-October which will provide instructions to make online benefit elections during open enrollment.
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MissionSquare Retirement Webinars are offered every Wednesday from 1 pm -2 pm in 2023. Register Here! _______________________________________________________________________ Please read carefully. PBI Information Security IncidentVRS retirees, beneficiaries and survivors are receiving letters from PBI Research Services (PBI), describing a data security incident that has affected millions of people and hundreds of organizations including VRS. This PBI incident impacts certain VRS retirees, beneficiaries and survivors who will be notified directly by mail. The VRS data that may have been accessed as a result of PBI’s information security incident includes the names, partial addresses (city, state, ZIP code), dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of certain VRS participants. PBI Research Services (PBI) notified VRS about an information security incident that occurred at PBI. The incident involved PBI’s use of MOVEit Transfer software, a product used by thousands of organizations worldwide to transfer and exchange data. A vulnerability in the MOVEit software allowed an unauthorized third party to access or acquire data from PBI servers containing information from numerous organizations that were customers, including VRS. VRS contracts with PBI to assist VRS in accurately making benefit payments. Specifically, VRS uses PBI’s services to identify deceased VRS members, so that VRS does not make overpayments or other errors in payment. PBI advised VRS that certain data files that VRS had shared with PBI for these purposes may have been subject to unauthorized access during PBI’s information security incident. Please read the notices as they are legitimate and provide specific instructions for obtaining free credit monitoring and additional services through Kroll, a global leader in risk mitigation and response. Should you have any additional questions, please contact Kroll at the contact information in your letter. Learn more here.
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Loudoun County requires you and your Medicare eligible dependents to enroll in both Medicare Part A and Part B. Retirees, spouses, and dependent children who are eligible for Medicare Parts “A” & “B” and disability must enroll for Medicare coverage at the time you become eligible in order to qualify for enrollment in the County's Cigna Medicare Surround Plan and CIGNA Rx Medicare Plan. This means that Medicare will become your primary insurance while the Cigna Medicare Surround Plan becomes your secondary insurance. You must provide proof of Medicare enrollment to the Loudoun County Benefits Division 45 days prior to your Medicare coverage effective date; otherwise, you may become responsible for expenses Medicare doesn’t pay. Contact the Loudoun County Benefits Office for questions related to Medicare enrollment. Experiencing A Life EventWhen life changes, so can your benefit coverage. A change in your life such as gaining coverage or loss of coverage, can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment opportunity in your health coverage benefits outside of the annual open enrollment period. Do not miss this important and time-sensitive opportunity. Please note that you have 30 days from the date of the event to make a change to your medical/dental. If a change is not made within 30 days of the event, your next opportunity to make a change is during the next open enrollment which occurs each year in November for an effective date the following January 1.
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Contact Us!If you have benefit related questions, please contact the benefits team at benefits@loudoun.gov or 703-777-0517. Loudoun County Human Resources
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