In Brief

Merck Recruiter to Visit Campus
P.K. Tsai, director of the Bioprocess & Bioanalytical Department at Merck Research Labs in West Point, PA, will give a presentation at 3 PM on Thursday, October 21 in the Keck Amphitheater followed by an informal mixer, in which Tsai looks forward to meeting all interested Scripps Research scientists. For more information, contact the Society of Fellows' Becky Fraser, rfraser@scripps.edu.

Open Enrollment: Dependent Eligibility and Documentation
Open Enrollment will be held via an online system from October 25 through November 12. This is the annual opportunity to make changes to your benefit selections and, if eligible, re-enroll (or enroll) in the health care or dependent care spending accounts for the 2005 plan year. Benefits Administration will be sending out a series of announcements over the next several weeks with important information you need to know regarding your benefits in 2005.

This week's topic: dependent eligibility and documentation. Effective with changes to add dependents during Open Enrollment and with the new plan year starting on January 1, 2005, you will be required to show proof of dependency for all eligible dependents you enroll in the benefit plans. Eligible dependents include spouse, same gender domestic partners, opposite gender domestic partners age 62 or over, and dependent children up to age 18 or up to age 25 if a full-time student. More information regarding the common types of proof of dependency you may provide can be found on the Required Benefit Enrollment Documentation information sheet.

You may add or drop dependents from your coverage for any reason during Open Enrollment. However, effective January 1, 2005, you will be required to provide documentation as to the reason why dependents are being added/dropped from your coverage. Some common examples of such documentation include: divorce or legal separation documents, proof of other coverage for the dependent (a copy of the enrollment form or benefit card), or loss of other coverage for the dependent (COBRA notice from their former employer). You are required to complete a Benefit Coverage Change form and provide proof within 31 days of the qualified status change.

If you currently cover dependents on the Scripps Research health plan you are not required to provide proof of dependency, but will be required to do so if any changes happen in the future. If you have any questions regarding the new requirements, please contact Benefits Administration at x4-8487.

On-Site Clinics Find New Home
On Monday, October 18, Wednesday, October 20, and Friday, October 22, personnel from Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group will be on-site to conduct TB screenings, Hepatitis B immunizations, serum draws, and tetanus immunizations. Please note that the location for the clinics has changed. The clinics will be conducted at the CVN Building in Room 209, from 11 AM to 2 PM. No appointments are necessary.

TB screening requires a 48 to 72 hour follow-up. Individuals receiving the TB screen on Monday will need to return on Wednesday, and individuals screened on Wednesday, will need to return on Friday. Initiation of the TB screening process will not be available on Friday, but Hepatitis B immunization, serum draws, and Tetanus immunizations will be. To learn more about these programs, see the Environmental Health & Safety Occupational Medicine web page which includes a map and patient information sheets.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu