It’s the start of a new year! And that means it’s time to review payroll deductions and make sure you take advantage of what Citizens Energy Group offers you as an employee. Below are several helpful reminders about your benefits. Visit the HR iTrust site for more details on all benefits.
To learn more about the resident expert on Citizens’ benefits, read the Q&A with Adrianne Bowers HERE.
Check deductions on your paystub. Review your first pay slip of 2021 to ensure that all deductions are correct. This includes county tax, medical, dental, full vision (if elected), voluntary life (Term, Boston Mutual, Unum), HSA, flex spending, dependent care, 401(k), and charitable contributions to United Way and the Warm Heart Warm Home Foundation.
Take advantage of health and wellness benefits. If you’ve made New Year’s resolutions related to getting healthier, don’t forget that Citizens offers several discounts at fitness facilities and for Weight Watchers. Our wellness coordinators also provide health coaching and wellness challenges. And remember, Citizens will reimburse you for up to $30 three times a year for participating in any running races, including virtual events. Visit the Health & Wellness iTrust site for details.
Reminder about insurance cards. New ID cards for medical insurance are only issued to individuals who made changes for 2021. Anyone who elected the full-service vision plan (whether as a new or existing election) through Guardian should have received an ID card before the start of the new year. If you did not, you can go to www.guardiananytime.com and use our group policy (#0566785). Questions? Reach out to the VSP network at 1-877-814-8970. You will NOT receive an ID card in the mail for dental insurance. You simply need to notify your dentist that you have insurance through Delta Dental. You also can download the Delta Dental mobile app, which provides helpful tools such as a dentist search and toothbrush timer, as well as your dental insurance information, including claims status and cost estimator.
Identity protection added as a benefit. Citizens has added identity protection as a voluntary benefit at a 60-percent reduced rate from retail. Find more details on the HR iTrust page. You can enroll or cancel at any time simply by logging into your account at ceg.bswift.com and clicking on the green link labeled “Enroll in ID Coverage.”
New pension calculator available. A new online tool, PensionCenter, is now available to all full-time employees to get valuable information about the pension plan, including personal estimates, modeling, and forecasting. To register and log into the website, you need to reference the information sent by Adrianne Bowers. You can find the calculator from the Employee Resources tab on the iTrust home page.
Stay in the know with Citizens Connect. This communication tool was launched last fall as an easy way for employees to learn about Citizens’ benefits and wellness programs. New information arrives as tiles (short articles) via email from “Citizens Energy Group Benefits” about every two weeks. Citizens Connect rewards employees for reading the tiles. If you earn at least 200 points per quarter, you will be entered to win prizes like Bluetooth headphones. The winners from fourth quarter of 2020 are Daniel Burrows, Marcia Mitchell, Beth Smith, David Titara, and Mark Vogler. You also can choose to receive the information via text message by clicking on “Settings” from the menu at the top right of the Citizens Connect website, entering your mobile phone number, and updating your notification preferences.
Use the Benefit Resource Center. Citizens employees can call the Benefit Resource Center with any questions about insurance. Benefit specialists can help you translate confusing jargon, understand what your plan includes, work directly with insurance carriers to resolve tricky issues regarding claims and denials of service, and help you choose the right plan for you and your family. Specialists can be reached Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. by calling 855-874-0829. You also can send questions by email to BRCMidwest@usi.com.
Employee Assistance Program provides 24/7 counseling. Community Health Network’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers short-term counseling to employees and anyone who lives in their household. For confidential, free help with life’s stressors, call 800-543-4158 or 317-621-7742. EAP counselors are experienced, Master’s level, state-licensed therapists trained to offer professional support for a variety of situations.
