Information for New Hires

Welcome to Northwestern University. This page provides instructions for your online enrollment into the University sponsored Benefit Plans. Benefits will begin the 1st of the month following your date of hire or initial eligibility.

You may conveniently make your University benefit plan selections online using HRIS Self Service. The Benefits Division will not accept paper enrollment forms. Paper documentation, however, may be required for some plans, and will be mentioned specifically in this document.

The Self Service website address is: https://nuhr.northwestern.edu

Self Service is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer with Internet access. In addition, there is a computer station available for your use located at the Benefits Division offices at 720 University Place, 2nd floor (Evanston) and in the Payroll office at 710 Lake Shore Drive, Rm 850 (Chicago).

If you are Mac user, please use the Firefox browser when enrolling.

Your benefit elections must be submitted no later than 31 days from the date of hire or initial benefits eligibility.

• Activate your NetID, given by your supervisor, at www.northwestern.edu/facstafflogin.
• Attend New Employee Orientation and learn about your benefit plan options.
• If you still have questions you may contact the Benefit Office at (847) 491-7513 to set an appointment with a Benefit Counselor.
• Evaluate your options involving your family members and decide which plans you wish to select.
• Enter your selections online using Self Service accessible at https://nuhr.northwestern.edu
• Once you have made your selections, click “Submit”. Follow the submission process through until you see “your benefits have been successfully submitted”.
• Submit any required supporting documentation to the Benefits Division.

Once you have made benefit plan selections, your selections will be finalized and cannot be changed until Open Enrollment or within 31 days of a an IRS-approved qualifying change in family or employment status.

Please allow for two weeks from the date of submission for everything to be processed. Once everything has been finalized, you may visit Self Service again and look at your Benefit Summary. Please enter your benefit start date for most accurate information.

Model General Notice

•  Make sure you have the birthdays, Social Security numbers and other information for each family member you wish to cover as a dependent or designate as a beneficiary.

•  If you enroll in an HMO (UniCare or HMO Illinois) or DHMO (First Commonwealth Dental), you must designate a primary provider in Self Service. Use the Provider Finder sites listed below to identify an in-network physician or group.

Insurance Provider	Provider Finder Website Navigation	Self Service Value
UniCare HMO	Find a Doctor Next for Visitor Search Large Group Unicare HMO - Classic Illinois/NW Indiana	6-Digit alpha numeric
HMO Illinois	Find a Doctor Group Coverage HMO Illinois Find	3-Digit numeric
BCBS PPO Health	Find a Doctor Group Coverage PPO (Participating Provider Option) Find	N/A
First Commonwealth	Provider Online Search Find a Dentist DHMO/Pre-paid Continue First Commonwealth DHMO Continue	6-Digit numeric
BCBS PPO Dental	Find a Doctor Group Coverage Dental Find BlueCare Dental (DPPO)	N/A
UnitedHealthcare Vision	Provider Locator Future Member Submit	N/A

•  Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Elections: You are entering your annual pledge amount . This amount will be spread over your remaining paychecks during the calendar year.

•  Health Savings Account (HSA) elections : Only for the Value PPO members. You are entering your annual pledge amount . This amount will be spread over your remaining paychecks during the calendar year. If this is your first election into the HSA account, Northwestern will match up to half of the annual deductible of the Value PPO plan. Your election amount in the HSA should be no more than half the Value PPO deductible, and Northwestern will provide the other half.

•  Dependent Care FSA Elections : You are entering your annual pledge amount. This amount will be spread over your remaining paychecks during the calendar year.

•  Retirement Savings Plan Elections : You are entering a per paycheck deduction . Your Voluntary contributions and the Matched Retirement contributions cannot exceed the current IRS limits of contribution.

If you have elected for the FSA, HSA, or Retirement plans, there are additional steps that will be required to finish your enrollment .

•  FSA Enrollment: PayFlex is the administrator of these plans. You will need to go online to their website, www.mypayflex.com and register an account with them. You will use your employee ID located on your Wildcard and your Zip Code. This will allow you to monitor your information and claims.

•  HSA Enrollment: Mellon Bank is the administrator of these plans. You will receive a Welcome Kit from them. In this kit will be instructions as to how to open the HSA account with them. Please make sure to sign and return any forms required, or go online to open the account before the first payroll deduction is taken.

•  Retirement Savings Plan Elections: You will need to set up an account with the investment company that you have chosen.

•  Submit any applicable paper documents to the Benefit Office as outlined below.

•  Health Insurance: Certificate of Credible Coverage. If you are enrolling into our PPO plans, there is a one year pre-existing condition policy. You may waive this one year pre-existing condition policy by submitting a Certificate of Credible Coverage or Letter of Coverage to the Benefit Office. This letter may be obtained from your previous medical carrier, or previous employer. It should show the Start and Stop dates of medical coverage for you and any family. It must show complete coverage with no break in coverage greater than 63 days, for one year or longer, from the date your medical coverage stopped, to the date you were hired at Northwestern University.

•  Life Insurance: Evidence of Insurability forms. If you are enrolling into the Supplemental Life Insurance and select an amount over 2x your salary at hire, you will need to submit the Evidence of Insurability form for the amounts of 3, 4, or 5x your salary.

•  If you are enrolling for Spousal Life and select an amount greater than $30,000; your spouse will need to complete the Evidence of Insurability form for the greater amount.

•  Long Term Disability: Waiver of Service Form . Our LTD plan has an age requirement of 24 and a one year of service waiting period. You may waive this one year wait by submitting the Waiver of Service form located on our benefit website under Long Term Disability. Your previous employer would certify that you have had LTD with them for one year or longer. The gap in coverage cannot be greater than 31 days from the date your LTD coverage stopped to when you are hired at Northwestern. However, it is to your advantage to sign up for this plan as a new hire, as you will not have any premium deductions for one year, but will be future dated to enroll without underwriting.

•  403b Retirement Plan: Waiver of Service Form. Our Unmatched and Matched retirement plan have an age requirement of 24 and a one year of service waiting period. You may waive this one year wait by submitting the Waiver Form. Your previous employer would certify that they were a tax-exempt, or governmental agency; and that you were eligible for their benefits for one year or longer with no gap greater than 31 days from the date your eligibility stopped, to your hire date at Northwestern.

•  Dependent Care FSA: Dependent Care Matching form & IRS 1040 . The University will give you matching funds towards your FSA account based on your family adjusted gross income. After you have selected the annual pledge amount in the Self Service system, you may go online to the benefit website and download the Dependent Care Matching Funds form. Submit this form and your most recent IRS 1040 to the Benefit Office to receive matching funds from Northwestern.

•  Long Term Care: Long Term Care Enrollment form. The Long Term Care enrollment is a two step process. You will elect yes in the online Self Service system, and you will also need to submit the enrollment form to the Benefit Office. This form may be found on the Benefit Website under Long Term Care.

****All paper documentation should be submitted to the Benefits Office no later than 31 days from your date of hire****