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2010 BENEFITS INFORMATION
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WELCOME
TO YOUR 2010 BENEFITS HEADQUARTERS
2010
HEALTH CARE REFORM: WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU
On March 23, 2010, President
Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act. On March 25, 2010, the House and Senate passed The
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the "Reconciliation
Bill") which amends several provisions of the Act. Together,
the bills comprise the overall healthcare reform legislation
package which President Obama signed into law on March 30, 2010.
Valassis is required to
put these new mandates into effect at the beginning of our next
plan year. Below is a listing of the changes that will impact
our health benefit plans.
Effective January 1, 2011:
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Valassis will extend
coverage for dependents up to age 26, if they are not eligible
for any other employer provided coverage.
-
Valassis will remove
the lifetime cap on coverage (Valassis plans currently have
a $2 mm lifetime cap).
-
Valassis' Health Care
Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) and Health Care Saving Accounts
(HSA) will no longer be permitted to reimburse employees for
expenses incurred for over-the-counter products or medications
(except insulin) unless prescribed by a physician. In addition,
starting in 2013, the maximum contribution to a HCFSA will
be capped at $2,500 per year (indexed annually).
If you have any questions
or concerns regarding the Reconciliation Bill, please feel free
to contact your HR Manager or the Associate Resource Center at
1-877-238-6847.
2010 Enrollment Documents
and Presentations
Provided for you below are
the benefits documents, presentations regarding open benefits
enrollment for 2010. The 2010 benefits rates are also available
below. We are making these available to answer any questions you
might have regarding the Valassis employee benefits programs and
plans and assist in making the enrollment experience smooth and
painless. We highly recommend that you read the 2010 Enrollment
Guide thoroughly to understand any changes taking place for the
new plan year that may effect your choices. Both English and Spanish
versions are available.
Sun Life Online Evidence of Insurability
(EOI) Application
Beginning in 2010, Sun Life of North
America will be the new Life Insurance and Disability carrier
for Valassis associates going forward. You can submit an evidence
of insurability information online with Sun Life Insurance Company
by copying this address in your browser: https://www.sunlife-usa.net/eoi/
Be sure to include the Valassis group
policy number of 202983 to ensure that your Evidence
of Insurability is processed correctly. Follow the instructions
on the screen. You'll be able to review your answers and then
sign your application electronically before you submit it to
Sun Life.
Current Associates Making Changes
Until 12/31/2009
Current Valassis Direct Mail and Sales
& Marketing associates who wish to view or make changes
to their 2009 plan year benefits may continue to do so by accessing
the old enrollment
site, which will cease to be active as of 1/1/2010. All
other (non-Direct Mail) associates should access the ADP portal
to make any neccessary changes.
New Associate
Commuter Benefit Implemented
We are pleased to announce
the addition of Commuter Benefits to the Valassis benefits lineup
effective October 1, 2009! The Commuter Benefits Program is administered
by WageWorks, and lets you pay for eligible commuting costs through
automatic, pre-tax payroll deductions. It is an easy and convenient
way to save money on commuting costs.
What’s Covered
According to IRS Regulations,
the Commuter Benefits Program can be used for the following work-related
eligible expenses:
- Bus, light rail, regional rail, streetcar,
trolley, subway, or ferry
- Vanpool
- Parking at or near work
- Parking at or near public transportation
for your commute
Some expenses, however,
are not eligible. These include:
- Parking costs that are not work-related
- Expenses for other family members
- Mileage and tolls
- Taxis and limousines
- Parking at an airport for air travel
It is important to ensure that you spend
your Commuter Benefits Program dollars on eligible expenses
only. For more information about
what is and is not eligible, please visit www.getwageworks.com/valassis/commuter.
How You Save
How much you’ll save
through your Commuter Benefits program depends on how much you
set aside to spend on your commute, and on your tax situation.
For every $100 of eligible expenses, most people will save from
$30 to $40 on their:
- Federal income tax
- FICA (Social Security) taxes
- State income tax (in most states)
When can I enroll?
You can enroll at any time.
There are monthly enrollment deadlines of the 4th of each month
to be eligible for the program in the following month. You can
also cancel at any time before the monthly cutoff; your cancellation
will become effective on the same schedule.
Are there any fees?
Not to you. While there
are administrative costs associated with running the program
and delivering your passes, those costs are entirely covered
by Valassis as part of the benefits package you receive. You
pay absolutely no fees, to WageWorks or to Valassis.
On Your Mark, Get Set,
Save
To sign up or to find out
if the Commuter Benefits Program is right for you visit www.getwageworks.com/valassis/commuter
or call 1.877.WageWorks (877.924.3967), Monday through Friday,
8 am - 8 pm EST to speak with a Commuter Benefits expert.
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NEW HIRE ORIENTATION
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The New Hire Orientation presentation (with audio) is
available for associates to view whenever it is convenient for them
and their work schedule.
In about an hour, you will be able to navigate through
this self-directed new hire orientation presentation. You will learn
more about Valassis’ business and our exciting new consumer brand
RedPlum. We discuss important things you need to know as an associate,
such as our mission, vision and core values. We then review our current
policies and benefit programs and provide you with contact information
such as websites and phone numbers so that you can find the information
you need in order to make informed decisions for you and your family.
To view:
- Use this link to download Netspoke
Player. After about 30 seconds, a File Download command box will
display, and ask you to run the file or save it. Select Run and enter.
A Security Warning command box may then display. If it does, select
Run and enter.
- Return to www.valassisbenefits.com and click on the link below to
begin the New
Hire Orientation. The program will take a moment to load. For
the Intern Program Orientation, click here.
Instrucciones en español:
- Este enlace para descargar Netspoke
Player. Después de unos 30 segundos, una descarga de archivos
de comandos se mostrarán, y pedirle que ejecute el archivo
o guardarlo. Seleccione Ejecutar y escriba. Una advertencia de seguridad
de comandos, puede mostrar. En caso contrario, seleccione Ejecutar
y escriba.
- Volver a www.valassisbenefits.com y haga clic en el vínculo
para iniciar la Nueva
Orientación de alquiler. El programa tendrá un momento
para cargar.
WELLNESS INFORMATION 2009
Information updated regularly
to help you and your family learn about your health!
Blue Cross Wellness
Health Risk Appraisals - How Healthy Are You?
As a continued benefit to our associates, BCBSM is providing a Health
Risk Appraisal (HRA) tool on their HCBO website.
A Health Risk
Appraisal (HRA) provides you with a report on your health risks,
based on the answers given in the questionnaire. It then provides feedback
to identify areas of risk and recommended strategies or changes to mitigate
these risks. It also promotes health awareness by reviewing your personal
lifestyle practices and identifying health issues your personal choices
could impact.
The appraisal only takes about 15 minutes to complete and any information
you provide is kept strictly confidential by Blue Cross. Log into www.hcbo.com
and navigate to "My Featured Links" to link to Blue Health
Connection and your personalized Health Risk Assessment. If you have
not registered on the HCBO website, link here
for instructions on how to do so.
Living
Healthy Magazine from Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Cigna 2010 Wellness Center
Cigna's 2010 "VitaMin" communications series replace the
monthly wellness newsletter and features a vibrant new look and offers
"vital health information in a minute." The combination of
colorful images and popular health topics will help keep you informed,
engaged, motivated and healthy throughout the year.
You can access the "VitaMin" page by clicking here.
This year's VitaMin program features a series of 12 health topics:
- Heart health
- Diabetes
- family fitness
- Woman's health
- Men's health
- Summer safety
- Know your numbers
- Age gracefully/Planning for the year ahead
- National breast cancer awareness
- Cold and flu
- Holiday stress
You can view Cigna's entire health and wellness calendar of events
and topics for 2010 here.
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